Does anyone have experience with AMDA (NYC)? D gets a lot of marketing material from them. Looking online it seems like a conservatory style or “trade school” with the trade being musical theater. Any ideas about quality? Worthwhile vs a “regular” BFA or BA program?
AMDA gets sort of a controversial mix of responses. It is definitely more of a trade school, although they claim to have affiliation with a college they are definitely not a college setting or environment with very urban campuses in LA and NYC. And though they bestow a BFA degree I have heard that most colleges would not accept the degree as an entree to graduate work if a student chose to continue their education. They are not nearly as selective in their process and take lots and lots of students both in NYC and LA where my daughter’s friend is a third year BFA student. And they are very expensive with little financial aid from what I can tell. Some would also argue they are not taken as “seriously” as other programs in the professional world because of a sort of for-profit factory reputation. That kind of covers the down side.
With all that being said, based on what I have seen through my daughter’s friend who is absolutely thriving there the training is sold and he has grown tremendously. He started as a young man with a very nice voice with limited dance and acting training and the evolution has been incredible. He has lost 30 pounds just from the hard work, is becoming a very competent dancer and actor and his singing which was already good has improved dramatically. He is definitely learning his craft - where that will take him or any of these kids is anyone’s guess - but that is true of any program. All I can say is that their alumni do work. You will consistently find one or two listed on lots of Playbills both in LA and NYC. Now with the high numbers they take in the odds are tipped in favor of that because with such large classes you are bound to have success stories - so the question is are these kids so talented they would have succeeded no matter what or was their AMDA training the magic. Impossible to know. But despite the naysayers, it does appear to produce well trained and successful working alumni.
I concur with everything that @sopranomtmom said. At my D’s last school (PA HS), several of the teachers spoke very poorly of AMDA and told my D to not even consider applying there. However, my D has a very good friend who graduated in 2016 who, despite being quite talented, decided at the last minute (like in April!) that she wanted to major in MT. She applied to AMDA and was accepted and is just starting her third semester there. I recently had an opportunity to see this friend perform, and the transformation she has undergone is absolutely astonishing. Her voice and her acting (which were already strong) are insanely good now, and in fact I would put her voice up against just about anyone’s on Broadway today. I had the chance to talk to her after I saw her perform and congratulated her on her incredible growth as an artist (adding of course that I always thought she was extremely talented) and she told me in detail about her professors and the training she was receiving. I have to say it all sounded incredibly high quality – and of course the proof was in her performance.
I think for me the biggest worry as a parent is that AMDA is unaccredited – so as the previous poster wrote, if your child decided to leave and go elsewhere I don’t think any other school would accept your credits.
One other thing I just remembered – my D’s friend said that the classes are “leveled,” and it was pretty clear to me that she’s in with the advanced group (has already been cast in leads there as a freshman). I have heard/read in the past that if you’re not one of the “chosen kids” who gets in the advanced classes, you may not have as good of an experience.
The other knock on AMDA I’ve heard is that the faculty changes much more frequently than at other programs. My D’s friend hasn’t experienced that yet though.
Hope that information helps! 
For one of my daughter’s friends AMDA/NYC was always her dream. She took a lot of duel credit classes in high school and then went to the local state university for college on a full-tuition scholarship. She graduated early, and THEN went to NY and began AMDA. She is in her 3rd semester now and loves it. I’m sure it is still a financial reach for her – but she already has her 4 year degree which she managed to get pretty cheaply – and she is living her dream!
One thing to consider, re teacher turnover, is that many are working performers, so their schedules will vary depending on what else they’re doing. Not necessarily a bad thing.
AMDA has articulation agreement with the New School - so their credits do transfer to complete a bachelors (if you prefer not to receive the BFA from AMDA). Depending on the course of study at AMDA, students can finish at the New School with a BFA Musical Theatre or BS Liberal Arts. If interested, call the New School directly — they have a designated admission counselor in the School of Public Engagement who can answer questions and assist with transfer planning.
Hello. I just attended a college information panel through Broadway Dreams in Philadelphia. One of the topics that was covered was transferring, if you are in a program that does not feel “right” or fit your needs, you should transfer rather than waste time and money where you don’t belong. The key fact was that none of your performing arts credits would transfer and you would have to start from scratch. General ed/liberal arts type credits would transfer.
When I heard that, I realized that’s no different from what AMDA does - you can’t transfer your performing arts credits.
My daughter really loved the summer high school program and wants to put AMDA at the top of her list, and so I’m very intently researching. It kind of looks fine to me, and actually seems to teach much more of the “business” side and how to get a job as a performer. The final semester is classes in the evening so they can spend all day every day making contacts, auditioning, etc.
AMDA performing arts credits (from 2 year certificate program) transfer to the New School and count toward a BFA in Musical Theatre. This transfer is only made possible due to the articulation agreement. Without articulation agreements - performing arts credits typically do not transfer because the receiving University usually makes transfer students start over for BFA (when classes are cohorted).
The balance of credits needed to receive a New School degree must be completed in liberal arts. Many classes are online - so the student’s schedule is flexible enough to audition and even book jobs while completing the last 2 years of requirements.
Many other conservatory-like (certificate) programs have similar articulation agreements with Universities. Check out American Academy of the Dramatic Arts (AADA) and NEw York Film Academy (both in Manhattan).