After he graduates this spring, senior Will Fishwick’s college journey will be an unconventional one.

Unlike many students, who will go on to pursue an education at a traditional college or university, Fishwick hopes to study voice and vocal performance at a music conservatory. A music conservatory is a school that specializes in the study, training and research of music.

In order to attend, Fishwick needs to audition. Because of this he was not able to participate in this year’s spring musical, “The Addams Family” as Lucas Beineke.  Fishwick has been performing in musicals since the seventh grade, and said that it was disappointing not being a part of his final North production.

“I applied in November to a bunch of music conservatories and universities, just (University of Michigan) and University of Arizona and I was kind of worried that it (the audition) wouldn’t line up with the show dates and one of them ended up doing that. I asked them if I could get the date changed and they could only move me back one day and that wasn’t enough,” he said. “I’ve done the shows every year since the seventh grade and not being able to do it my senior year was kind of disappointing, because there’s a bunch of rituals you get to do like your senior speeches and a bunch of other things … it is what it is.”

Fishwick chose a music conservatory over a traditional college after assessing the benefits of being able to focus solely on his major without having to take general requirement courses—like math and science—to graduate.

Post-college, Fishwick aims to continue his interest in the arts by joining an opera program. He said that his father, who is a concert pianist, and brother, an actor and director of L’Anse Creuse musicals, are his inspirations.

“After college I’ll probably tour with MOT, which is the Michigan Opera Theatre, and they have a two year program where college grads get to come in and work with professionals and tour around the Detroit area to promote the theatre,” Fishwick said.