Now that the decisions are in for most people I would love to hear from people who have used coaches like Mary Anna Dennard, My College Audition in Boston and MTCA in NYC. Before we commit to one of these coaches I would love to know more specifics about them and what people liked or weren’t crazy about (or would also love information about any other coaches that people recommend highly.)
We used MTCA on an ala carte basis and to be honest, if I had to do it again, I would have had D use more services. I think it would have helped her in the early auditions. They assisted with a song choice (she ended up changing out one of her songs after an early audition) and participated in a mock audition. They also provided support at Unifieds (did a run through coaching session on Saturday before she got started and warmed up a few mornings with the group). The mock auditions are incredibly valuable. Again, I wish D had gone to an earlier mock and more than one! She was very happy with her coaches. If D3 decides on an arts major, we will go back! Ellen and her coaching team are wonderful!
We used MTCA for my son who is an MT major at CCPA. He did 2 mock auditions with them (October and December) These helped to prepare him for the real thing and it cut down on his nerves quite a bit since he knew what to expect. He also trained with their monologue coaches and vocal technique and song coaches. They helped with his prescreens especially the dance. My son attended some Master Classes in the Fall. Overall very worth it and helped him grow as an artist. He still sees some of the coaches for training and Ellen just worked with him on song choices for summer auditions. She is an absolute expert in this area!!! I truly don’t know what we would have done without them.
I think the consensus from all hands is that all three of the major coaching groups are amazing and no one regrets using them… but a lot of people regret not using them. And none of us are paid to say so! 
We also used MTCA and their help was invaluable - my one regret is we started too late. I wish we’d hooked up with a coach about “now” this time last year. If we’d had the whole summer to work on material the fall would have been a lot less stressful.
My d used Mary Anna and loved working with her. Her website showcases the many services that she offers, including a long list of videos (VLOGS) that you can watch for free that will give you an idea of what it is like to work with her.
I think three major advantages are:
- "Moonifieds" - Mary Anna holds her own auditions, somewhat like Unifieds, over a long weekend in November where you can audition for up to 20+ schools ranging from regional programs to some of the most popular nationally known programs. All the scheduling is handled for you, so you don't have to worry about signup lists being full, etc. You can also attend Master Classes with faculty members from schools like Texas State, Penn State, Wright State, etc. at Moonfieds.
- Monologue selection - Mary Anna is a former Hollywood casting director and is an expert in researching and selecting monologues for each individual. She has a library of hundreds, if not thousands, of monologues and she spends a lot of time in New York drama bookstores every year reading new plays and adding to her collection.
- Networking and relationships with college faculty - Mary Anna has been an audition coach for a long time and has established relationships with many college faculty members. She can provide great advice to help you build a balanced list of schools to audition for.
Here are some past threads on this topic:
http://talk.qa.collegeconfidential.com/musical-theater-major/2079169-question-coaching.html
http://talk.qa.collegeconfidential.com/musical-theater-major/2069570-coaches-corner-p1.html
http://talk.qa.collegeconfidential.com/musical-theater-major/2019615-mt-audition-coach.html
http://talk.qa.collegeconfidential.com/musical-theater-major/2007483-mt-audition-coaches.html
http://talk.qa.collegeconfidential.com/musical-theater-major/1809997-coaching.html
There are more. You can use the “Advanced Search” feature to find them easily by using the keyword “coach” in the “Title” field and limiting your search to this forum.
I think you’ll get numbers 2 and 3 from all three of the coaching services mentioned in this thread. We used Chelsea at MCA. What I liked about her and her company was the personal attention we received. We knew up front who our coaches would be for songs and monologues. Chelsea got to know my daughter and helped us develop a college list specifically for her needs and wants. We did coaching both in person and via skype, and we keep in touch with Chelsea to this day. I would never go through this process without at least some help, at a minimum in song and monologue selection and in selecting schools to apply to.
I agree with @CaMom13 - most of the coaches discussed above all provide excellent advice and personal attention. Most offer master classes and mock auditions. And obviously one benefit to Mary Anna is Moonifieds. But I think you will see everyone on CC seems to have an affinity for the coach with whom they worked. That’s because they are all good at what they do. They do all have different personalities so I think speaking to them and seeing who you click best with is key to finding the right coach for you. (disclaimer: We worked with Moo and loved her. But see who you like best!)
We used MTCA and highly recommend them - Ellen is fabulous and has a knack for zeroing in on things particular to each kid, and the rest of the coaches are amazing as well. One of my daughter’s coaches is teaching at the summer program she is doing, so I suspect some of the coaching relationships will last far beyond the college audition phase of her career.
We did the initial screening with both Mary Anna and MTCA. Both were impressive, but my daughter felt more of a connection with the MTCA staff. She loves everyone she has worked with - from Leo to Ellen to her song coach. I would recommend spending the money for an initial consult with the top two you are considering and going who your son or daughter feels like they would like to work with more. All are great…just like different schools speak to different students, students will relate to one coach over another.
Everyone I know who has used MTCA or Chelsea at MCA has been very satisfied. Am happy to fill in details via PM. Feel free to be in touch.
We used MTCA and were very pleased. One thing I will point out for families on the West Coast is that they do have a wonderful coach in San Diego if you want some in person sessions and they also do a Mock Audition in San Diego too which is great for those of us here in CA and the other Western States.
@alwayamom (or anyone else) have you recently worked with Dave Clemmons, Mary Anna Dennard, Polish Your Passion, Susan Mascall (college audition pro), College to Careers or Artsbridge coaches? Or know anyone who has? Just would like the most up to date impressions. So many new coaches to choose from! Many of these new ones are not mentioned here. (exception: Mary Anna Dennard-College Audition Coach is applauded a lot)
Echoing all of the praise already directed toward MTCA by others but thought it was worth mentioning that, in addition to being a fantastic college audition coach, Ellen Lettrich is a trained speech and language pathologist. (You can find a lot of her advice on vocal health here on CC – search for CoachC – and her full bio is on the MTCA website.) So if your child has any vocal issues, she can either help directly with voice therapy or refer you to someone in your area. My son had a slight speech impediment when we first consulted Ellen during junior year, and by the time he auditioned, it was unnoticeable.
Also, MT College Prep in Cincinnati and also Dennis Baker (has a helpful blog) and Auditionwell. All look to be new and experienced. Anyone worked with them? I am curious to know more. Another option for free help with vocal issues might be Auditioningforcollege, Matthew Edwards from Shenandoah Conservatory has a great blog on vocal health. Lots of resources!
@Notmath1 we used Susan Mascall two years for admission to Class of 2021. She is in the San Francisco Bay Area. Not sure where you are located.
@Notmath1 Where are you located? Do you have a student who will be auditioning in the next cycle?
@Notmath1 D1 used Dave Clemmons, but it was 5 years ago, so not recently. He was fantastic.
This is really helpful - thank you! We live in the mid-atlantic so MTCA is definitely the closest to us. For those of you who worked with MTCA - it looks like there are a lot of coaches - do you get assigned to particular coaches in the beginning? Just wondering how it works. I am new to CC so I don’t think I can PM yet. Thank you!
@cgn626 Yes you are assigned a team of coaches. This happens after the initial meeting with Ellen and Leo. The coaches are assigned based on fit with your personality and training needs.
We were honored/blessed to work with Chelsea Diehl (My College Audition.) Individualized, custom, passionate, engaged coaching.