Performing Arts College Guide, 3rd Edition

Gives information, including admissions requirements, costs, and programs offered, on college and conservatory programs in every major performing arts specialty, and offers advice on passing admissions auditions

From a standard college guide you can find loads of statistics about student-to-teacher ratios and women-to-men ratios, SAT averages and grade-point averages, number of applicants versus number of acceptances, and how many parties there are on a Saturday night (much of which is included here, too), but if you're looking to major in the performing arts, you'll have some specific needs the general book will not address. Carole Everett's The Performing Arts Major's College Guide provides specialized sections for dance, drama, and music. She discusses the audition at length, going into what to wear and how to deal with nerves, when to time the audition and what to expect, by what criteria the auditions are evaluated, and what not to do.

For these audition sections alone the guide is worth it. The book goes on, however, to explain the various degrees possible for each major and discuss matters relevant to every college applicant--such as visiting campuses, college interviews, the application process, and financial aid, plus matters particularly pertinent to arts majors, such as assessing one's talent and setting realistic goals. The most vital section follows: the selected listing of performing-arts programs, where for dance and drama, it ranks programs from "most highly recommended" to "recommended" to "noteworthy," and does the same for music, also detailing programs for every area of study, from jazz to orchestra to composition, and many instrument programs, as well, from accordion and bassoon to tuba and voice. In addition, there's an informational section on conservatory programs, and a number of appendices covering alternative careers, an index of schools by state and country, and a checklist for parents. With such focused information, this is a singularly helpful guide for the student pursuing one of the performing arts. --Stephanie Gold