<p>Love the lessons!</p>
<p>So glad he had a great day! 65… I bet that is double how many were there last year and the same GA PA HS was there too. This is what my S says about Joe Deer “Prof Deer is a b@#tch ass tapper” that means he’s a really good tap dancer LOL</p>
<p>There were close to 20 from the PA HS alone… </p>
<p>Yay MTmom2015’s S and MTmom2015! Sounds like a great audition experience and opportunity to innovate :)</p>
<p>INDIANA UNIVERSITY</p>
<p>November 8, 2014</p>
<p>First of all, I would like to say that the communication by Scott Jones was really great. We recieved a couple of very detailed e-mails with the schedule of the day, parking suggestions and maps of the campus. He even wrote to warn us of a football game scheduled on the day of auditions. Unfortunately, I waited to the last minute to book our hotel, so it took a bit of searching as the prices for hotels in Bloomington tripled (no exaggeration here) for that weekend because of the game. I was lucky enough get a hotel in Martinsville which is about 20 minutes from the campus. I thought we were going to have to stay in Indy which is about an hour away. </p>
<p>When we arrived we decided to head right to Bloomington since we wouldn’t be able to check into our hotel for several hours. We did not schedule a tour with admissions, in retrospect, that would have been a great thing to do to really check out all the campus has to offer. We basically just drove around to get the lay of the land. This was great as I checked out where the parking garage was that I was planning to use the morning of the audition. We ate lunch in Bloomington and then headed to our hotel. </p>
<p>@MTRaleighmom I feel like there was more, way to leave us on the edge of our seats here :)) </p>
<p>INDIANA UNIVERSITY continued (accidentally hit post comment when I was trying to relocate my cursor & then had to board a plane 
</p>
<p>The campus looks beautiful with the colors of fall. It was quite bustling in the middle of he campus. This is the first really large campus we visited and my D found it a little overwhelming. However, the theatre is centrally located and the center of the campus is pretty compact. They also have a free bus service that runs through campus. (As a sidenote, in one of the e-mails, Scott added a link to a shuttle that runs from the airport to Bloomington. I didn’t check on the price, but if you are staying at a hotel in Bloomington, this could save a rental car fee. </p>
<p>Our lessons learned were not too many which was very fortunate for her first audition. We did make a trip to wal-mart the night before for some tights for the dance call that my D forgot. She also realized that she forgot to print her music double-sided on card stock before we left. (Not that it caused a problem, but it is nice to make it as easy as possible for the accompanist). </p>
<p>We woke up early to have a relaxed morning and be able to eat and make sure we had everything. My D wore her dance clothes with some sweats on over because it was a bit chilly. We just took her dress on a hangar and left it in the car for the first part of the day. Check-in was at 9:30am. We arrived around 9:05. She checked in, dropped off one copy of her headshot with her resume attached, got her nametag for dance and was greeted by Scott.
They had a nice coffee and bagel spread for us all from Panera. Most of the kids got there ahead of time, so they started a few minutes early. All of the parents were taken into their medium sized theatre while the kids were shuffeld upstairs for the dance call. The main faculty as well as 5 current students were brought in for a Q & A. Initially, George Pinney introduced everyone and spoke with us for a few minutes and then he headed up to check out the kids. Indiana audition draft</p>
<p>Next Terry LaBolt spoke with us and introduced the students. All grades were represented as well as one student who had transferred into the MT program after being a journalism major for one year. After a few minutes the rest of the faculty and Mr. LaBolt left to watch the dance call. Scott Jones stayed behind to answer parent questions with the kids. He stated that approximately 250-300 pre-screens were viewed to glean between 100-135 kids that they will see through the audition season. That number includes some students who currently attend IU and are auditioning for the program. They hope to glean 11-14 students. He said that last year they made 33 offers to get that number. The total number of students in the BFA program is never more than 45. So, it is a tight knit group. This is the first season when they have done a fall audition. The kids were told that we would know a yes, no or waitlist within 2 weeks. This is also the first year (current seniors) that they will be doing a solo senior showcase. (In the past they have paired up with BW to share space and audience).</p>
<p>I felt like the Q & A was very informative and that everyone answered honestly. We were then given a tour of the theatre dept., including 3 theatre spaces, dance studio, costume and tech shops. I was very impressed with the facilities. During our tour the kids had moved from the dance call to an acting class. After that we met up with them in the lobby. They finished up around 11:45 with the first audition scheduled at 12:30 in 4 minute increments. That gave everyone plenty of time to change and grab something to eat. My D had an audition time of 1:12. We went to the car to retrieve her dress and she changed and just ate a granola bar. We then went back to the car so she could get focused and warm up. She said the dance call was fun, the current students warmed them up. She said the choreo was pretty challenging and they were looking for lines, technique and rhythm. D has only taken dance for a year and a half but felt like she was holding her own. The faculty was in there taking notes. The kids went up in groups of 3. (There were about 24 kids auditioning.) D really liked the acting class. She said it seemed to loosen everyone up and the kids had to work together on open scenes doing some improv. I really liked the order of the day. Having the dance call first I think gave the kids to shake out some nerves and the acting class served as a distraction. </p>
<p>The audition times ran about 15 minutes behind. D said it was short and sweet when she got in there. No questions…don’t know if that is a good or bad thing. Can’t read into anything at these auditions! In the end, she felt good about her performance.
I was happy to be distracted by @tmygirl! I happened to sit down by her and her husband and when she was describing her son, I asked if she was on CC! We chatted while both of our kids had their auditions. I was so happy to be engulfed in conversation instead of being anxious and thinking about how it was going for my D! So nice to connect in person! She is a sweetheart btw and I am looking forward to seeing her next weekend at another audition!</p>
<p>We both really liked everyone we met and we liked the “feel” of the program and campus. Overall, I am happy that her first experience was such a positive one. I know there are sure to be some bumps in the road as the seasons continues. In the meantime I need to buy some cardstock for her sheet music!</p>
<p>Curious about your card stock remarks. The kiddo was told not to use card stock, just to print double sided on copy paper. Did you receive different directions?</p>
<p>Cardstock is useful if it is single sided, taped together, and able to fit easily on the piano music stand so the pianist can see the entire cut, and does not have to turn any pages.</p>
<p>You can also attach music to file folders in this way.</p>
<p>Otherwise double sided, hole punched and in a binder is generally the way to go. </p>
<p>Oh, that way of using card stock is familiar to me, though it can make for bulky, somewhat awkward carrying. There’s so much reference to “your book” that the double-sided-hole-punched-binder-held method seemed likely to be universal.</p>
<p>Sound like a great experience at IU! Fingers crossed for her and tmygirl’s S!! </p>
<p>Very accurate account of the day, @MTRaleighmom! The only piece of info I would add is that we were informed the MT dept really has no scholarship money. I guess the school might have <strong>some</strong> merit $ if you are in the tippy top academically, but there are no talent awards, etc. available from the school. Scott said they often lose top students to other schools because their Out of state costs (roughly $45+K) are not offset by award money. Thus, the number of offers that were made last year. </p>
<p>D also had a great day, a wonderful first audition experience, and left even more impressed with the school, staff and students. </p>
<p>Thanks for the details, all! Great recap! MY D is scheduled for 2/7 after Chicago Unifieds. It will make for a long week! Love the IU campus. </p>
<p>@tramsmom I’m glad they were open about the lack of scholarship money… IU was one of my D’s favorite offers, and ultimately we/she had to decline due to financial reasons… And she got the top merit scholarship… The out of state tuition is just killer there. </p>
<p>Great add @tramsmom…I got a little long winded & edited. (obviously not very well since I left my note title…I had written it in notes on the airplane and cut & pasted in a rush while I had Internet between flights!) Wish I would’ve figured out who you were to say hello!</p>
<p>Great info, ladies! Thanks for sharing! This is SO helpful. Anyone know what other schools are upfront about not having talent scholarships available? </p>
<p>I think, in general, state schools are less likely to have scholarships than private ones. </p>
<p>Though my daughter is out of state at Montclair and did get one. BoCo RARELY gives scholarships to girls, though it does happen occasionally…</p>
<p>Rider - I’m sure there is some but it is minimal. They have good merit aide but didn’t make a dent big enough in the tuition for us. </p>
<p>@tramsmom the money thing is a big concern! My S loved the program. Is your D going to be @ BW this wknd?</p>
<p>@tmygirl, No, she is auditioning for BW the following weekend at Moonifieds. BAL! Great school from what I understand. And a relative bargain as well!</p>