<p>I’m looking to hear from anyone who was accepted to Ithaca for Acting, but had applied for MT. My daughter is a good dancer, and we’re particularly interested in finding out how she could take as many dance classes as possible. I assume private voice lessons are available if we pay out of pocket. Does anyone know someone who was accepted for Acting, wants MT, and made it work for them and got the training they desired?</p>
<p>I am a high school senior in Ithaca and am involved in musical theatre, so while I don’t go to IC, I have worked with students that go to IC. Several of my friends take lessons with Erica Steinhagen, and when I went to their voice recital, it was almost exclusively IC BFA acting students. It seems that the majority of IC’s acting majors take with Erica. Another great voice teacher in the area is Sharon Costianes, however, she has a wait list, and it is a hike to get from IC to her studio (approx 20-25 minute drive). I do know that both Erica and Sharon were students at IC. Another thing to remember is that IC acting majors have more wiggle room when it comes to class selection. The choreographer for a show I was in last year is an acting major at IC but pursuing an MT career, and she said she enjoys it because she was able to take a higher level dance class than starting off in intro classes like what the MT students have to do. I’m sure your daughter won’t have much trouble getting the right training for MT in Ithaca.</p>
<p>A number of Acting majors at Ithaca started out in MT and switched over after a year or two, to allow room in their schedules for a broader range of classes. Also, the MTs don’t really have time to participate in student films, and since Ithaca has a great film school, they are missing a good opportunity to develop a reel.</p>
My S’s portal changed to “You’ve applied to BFA Acting”. It did say BFA MT for the longest time, but changed a couple of days ago. He never passed the MT prescreen, but was asked to audition for BFA acting. Hopefully since it is still active that is a good sign? Any others portal change to Acting?
Sounds like he’s still in the running! If he does get accepted for Acting, talk to some of us…the Acting and MT programs are very, very similar. Acting and MTs take the same acting classes, they all audition for plays and musicals (they have to), and they often take the same dance classes. The major difference is voice lessons for MT majors, and the fact that the Acting majors have more time in their schedule for other classes than the MTs, as @prodesse mentioned. Good luck!
Thanks @monkey13! Ugh…the wait! He was bummed he wasn’t able to audition for MT, his voice has matured so much since then. Oh well. He loves acting too and perhaps could figure out how to incorporate voice training somehow. Thanks!
IC has great acting training but is not a dance focused program. If your kid is really wanting a lot of dance training, just be aware that IC is limited in this regard.
Thanks
Little bit of a hijack, but throw in my two cents (yes, pun intended). While I’ll meet prntosome halfway in saying that IC is not known for its dance training, like, say, BoCo, it offers four levels each of ballet, modern, jazz, and tap along with a couple of Dance for the Musical Stage.
My daughter was accepted to Acting and not MT. Do the Acting majors have additional acting classes that the MT’s don’t have? If so what classes? Or is it just an MT degree without dance and singing?
@my97MTbaby, the Acting and MT students have exactly the same voice and movement and scene study (acting) classes, and the same dance classes. They are fully integrated. So, for example, my D’s scene partner for her juries this semester (she’s a sophomore MT) is a sophomore Acting major. I am pretty sure the Acting majors do not take extra Acting classes. The MT degree is considered a double major in Acting and Voice, with a minor in dance. Many of the Acting majors minor in dance as well…the only difference is the voice lessons. Acting majors have to take those (and pay for them) separately. All the BFAs (Acting and MT) must audition for all the musicals and all the plays. The directors cast the plays and musicals “major blind,” if you will. When they did Spring Awakening, 10 of the cast were MT majors, and 7 were Acting majors. Many of the Acting majors have beautiful voices.
Bottom line: Ithaca is very serious about its acting training. There are many, many acting professors. Ithaca has a very similar approach to CMU in its acting training.
Thank you so much @monkey13 that helps a lot 
In their junior and senior years the Acting majors will take some elective classes in theater and acting that the MTs don’t have room for in their schedules. They have more acting and tech requirements and less dance. But it is one of Ithaca’s strengths that in the first two years the BFAs are taking the same classes all together.
I know this is a post from the 2019 class, but did anyone only get passed the acting prescreen even though they initially went for mt?
It happens every year, @Abbaroo98. I seem to recall that it happened to someone else this year…let me see if I can find it.
Yup, here is the thread…from this year. http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/musical-theater-major/1825017-ithaca-prescreen-major-change-common-p1.html
My daughter auditioned for MT - does anyone know if she will be automatically considered for Acting as well?
In past years, Ithaca has seen kids who applied for MT and then asked them if they were interested in an Acting slot. But that doesn’t mean everyone who applied for MT will be automatically considered for Acting.
Please know, though, that the Acting and MT kids are fully integrated. They take the same classes for the first two years (the major difference is that the MT kids have voice as well). In junior year, the Acting kids go to London the first semester, and the MT kids go second semester. Senior year they still take classes together. So, they basically get the same acting training, and all Acting and MT majors are required to audition for all musicals and plays. The faculty really mix up the casting, so in any one show, there is usually a mix of MTs and Acting students.
Ok, thanks! I think we will let them know she is interested in being considered for Acting as well.