Back from Auditions

College Majors Musical Theater Major
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<p>Just wanted to pay it forward a bit for those who might be auditioning later this season. We were there on Friday for their first audition of the year.</p>

<p>It was also D’s first audition of the year and I feel like we learned a lot from going through the process.</p>

<p>First, if you are auditioning on a school day, be sure to ask if you can visit any classes. We did that and were SO glad we did because the audition is SO fast there really was no other way to know anything about the program! She wished she had been able to see more “working” classes, however. The students were presenting pieces they had been working on, and it was interesting to see, but she would have liked to really see how the instructors taught, and there was no opportunity for that. We also discovered that there are no dance classes on Fridays, so if it’s important to you to see a dance class, go a day early.</p>

<p>Second, if you are interested in taking a tour of the campus, be sure to schedule that separately through the admissions office. They tend to fill up, so schedule early. </p>

<p>Third, there is no “information session” or Q & A, and you won’t be given the chance to ask questions during the audition, so so if you have questions about the program, either email the department ahead of time or ask the students who are helping with the auditions.</p>

<p>The process itself went very smoothly and efficiently, although very fast! When you check in you are given an “audition buddy” who will stay with you throughout your audition. We thought that was VERY helpful. D’s “buddy” sat with her and looked through her music to be sure it was marked properly and explained the process to her. She made small talk and offered a practice room if she wanted to warm up (she had warmed up in the car prior to going in so she didn’t need it but several others took advantage of that opportunity.) She went into the room with her to provide moral support and acted as a sort of “cheerleader” after it was over, telling her she had done a great job, etc.</p>

<p>The process goes like this: They check you in, make sure you have submitted all your required items, and you wait in the hall for your turn. When you go in, you are introduced to the panel (3 people, I think, plus someone with a stopwatch and a camera operator). You may do your pieces in any order you wish, but they WILL call “Time” at the end of 4 minutes, no matter where you are in the process. They don’t ask any questions or give you the opportunity to ask any, either. They don’t look at your book nor ask you to sing anything else, nor give any adjustments. They thank you and you leave. That’s it! D was not told when decisions would be sent and she didn’t think to ask. (I doubt the students helping would have known, though).</p>

<p>It did feel like we made an awfully big investment in traveling to the school for not a lot of time nor information, but it was great to see the school and meet current students. Our overall impression was that everyone was INCREDIBLY nice everywhere we went. Current students seemed to have a great rapport and were very encouraging. Random people we met were amazingly helpful. The campus is gorgeous, although bigger than we had anticipated. Be prepared to walk a lot if you want to get something to eat or coffee or whatever!</p>

<p>Hope that’s helpful to some who may be auditioning later!</p>

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<p>Thanks tracyvp for updating everyone-I think it is very helpful. I bet it feels good to get the first audition done. </p>

<p>I noticed just with going on college visits you learn something else each time and I would like to redo the first visit since know I know so much more what my D is looking for and other questions to ask or things to look at. Are you going to attend Unifieds for other auditions or are they all campus visits?</p>

<p>Best of luck to your D this year!</p>

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<p>We are doing a mix of on-campus auditions and Unifieds. Being from California, EVERYTHING requires an airline flight and hotel stays so it’s just too pricey to do all on-campus auditions. Sure wish we could, though!</p>

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<p>@tracyvp - what was your impression of Greely, Colorado? I have heard mixed things…</p>

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<p>Since they have more on-campus auditions in Feb. and March it seems unlikely they will notify before April 1. My son has applied to the university and we’ll wait to hear on that before we send the application to the department. (He doesn’t have 4 yrs of math so we’ve asked for an exception on that requirement).
Do you know how many they accept?
Were parents allowed to sit in or listen to the auditions?</p>

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<p>I’ve been to Greeley twice now and I like it. More than just the fact that Colorado is beautiful - Greeley is a very down to earth place for your down to earth child!! Now…there is no escaping the “smell” that wafts through every so often - but if you ask any of the MT kids if it matters to them- I bet that they would say no!! I am from Hawaii - and I love the beauty of the Islands - but I am originally from Canada - and Greeley gives me the feeling of home. It is a College town with a College feel. Different strokes for different folks - so others may have different opinions. I will be returning in 2 weeks (after 2 snow falls…) and am looking forward to it. My daughter is also very happy there - which is the most important thing of all.</p>

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<p>We really liked Greeley a lot. Of course, it probably helped that it was just gorgeous because everything was lightly blanketed with snow and looked like the front of a Christmas card!</p>

<p>We didn’t see a whole lot of the town except for just driving back and forth to out hotel but it really looked like any smallish to mid-sized town. I didn’t notice any “sketchy” areas, at least on the routes we took.</p>

<p>It definitely is right in the middle of a lot of farming areas. We passed a bunch of large dairy/stockyard operations on our way there and yes, once in a while we caught a whiff of those stockyards but neither D nor I found it at all offensive. Someone mentioned it to us and said the same thing. They just get used to it and it becomes part of the atmosphere (but it’s by no means pervasive; just once in awhile.)</p>

<p>The thing that really strikes me upon reflection, was the lack of people everywhere. Even on campus, we didn’t see a lot of folks out and about. Now, it could be because they had just had snow for the first time this season, but I would have expected to see groups of students just hanging out everywhere, and they just weren’t there. I saw evidence of some snowmen and snowball fights, so clearly they had been out there at some point but on Friday the place was very quiet. Perhaps a lot of kids don’t have classes on Fridays and go home for the weekend? Not sure. </p>

<p>But I thought it was worth mentioning for those who really like a bustling, crowded active environment. This was not that place. Personally, being a small-town girl myself, I LOVED the fact that you could walk without bumping into people all the time and could breathe fresh air! </p>

<p>D really liked it and hasn’t decided which type of atmosphere she prefers. She really adored the city atmosphere of the big city schools she’s seen but she also was quite taken with the more relaxed atmosphere here. Time will tell, I guess!</p>

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<p>@santafedad There was an area in the hallway outside the audition room where the parents sat. They were not allowed into the room and never saw nor met the audition panel. The student helpers were very entertaining and were quite comfortable with all the parents being there. </p>

<p>A parent or two may or may not have sneaked over to the door to listen more closely when their kids were auditioning…;)</p>

<p>I heard that they had a larger than expected class this year, so they are being very careful about extending too many offers. I didn’t hear anything about a wait list. (But remember, we didn’t have a chance to ask questions, so I didn’t ask). They hope for a yield of about 17-20 and they expect to audition 400 or so.</p>

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<p>My daughter and I visited UNCO last spring. We originally come from Southern Calif, so we were kind of dismayed by the environment. You fly into Denver and then drive about an hour through flat, dusty plains, with stockyards and tumbleweeds. The town is nicer, but very sleepy. Not at all the kind of place where there is cultural activity. Please don’t misunderstand me- the program at UNCO is well regarded, but it is definitely the kind of place where you would need to have a long discussion with your student about where they might see themselves spending 4 years It will be a good fit for some, but not for others (my daughter decided that she needs a place with more going on).</p>

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<p>Thanks to everyone for the responses on Greely!</p>

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<p>I am a UNC alum('78). Even back then the music & theater students were among the busiest on campus. They had a rigorous schedule. My son is looking at musical theater /voice performance programs for next year and we discussed the atmosphere in Greeley. Greeley has a hometown feel with wide streets and alot of students rent homes near the west campus as upperclassmen built in the 1920s. I did.</p>

<p>Boulder is the school that alot of kids from the coasts like because there is constantly something going on. Fort Collins is the ag school and has a friendly vibe. Alot of UNC students are preparing to teach and many are from Denver.Many go back to Denver for the weekend.</p>

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<p>My boy is currently a freshman at UNC and LOVES it. [Hey alibabba808 are you M’s mom??!!] Can’t rave enough about the program and how warm and wonderful everyone is there. Not a diva in the bunch and the teachers are amazing. </p>

<p>Funny that someone else mentioned the lack of people out and about on campus. I’ve been out to Greeley about once each month and noticed the same thing - kinda Twilight Zoneish considering the size of the school - but I’m told it’s because lots of kids leave for the weekends? Certainly not the MT kids, they’re waaaay too busy! </p>

<p>As for auditions, the boy did a bucketload during his audition tour last year and not a one allowed parents to watch. And most are very, very quick = just minutes per kid, especially if there is no dance call or class. Unifieds were a great way to toss off 5 or 6 auditions in a clip. Combining that with a short series of campus tours (& sitting in on classes!) really helps get a feel for which kind of environment your soon-to-be college kid feels best suited. That’s what did it for us - once he met the people at UNC and saw the caliber of student work there was no contest.</p>

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<p>We are heading up tomorrow for Friday’s auditions - I will give a shout out to your son. Is he in Ragtime?</p>

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<p>Hello 1foot2foot - we met at Anything Goes (A’s mom/Hawaii) with our freshman kids! I’m so glad your son is thriving as is my D. Sadly, I will not be able to go and see my D in Ragtime but I hear that it is going to be fabulous show! I agree with everything you have said - 100% - after all acceptances last year this school was not in the top contenders. After some reasearch, guidance and a campus visit (meeting the amazing Mr. Herrick) what a great place it turned out to be. I hope to see you at the Freshman Showcase in May!</p>

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<p>Maybe they read tracyvp’s post and decided to be more hospitable - but there was a full one-hour Q/A with Di Smice and David Grapes, department chair, before auditions on both Friday and Saturday. Everything was in full swing this weekend with auditions for MT and acting as well as interviews for the other theater disciplines - there were also busses of high school students coming to see Ragtime - and all the auditionees were invited to sit in on the performance.</p>

<p>This program is in fact structured like a BFA - 80 hours of MT requirements and 40 hours from the UNC Liberal Arts Core (Gen Ed), but the degree still says BA. The reason is that Colorado Regents strive to avoid duplication of resources in the state and so each degree is limited to a certain campus. The BFA MT resides with Metro State Univ in Denver, but it has never really developed the program and has just one faculty member, according to Grapes. UNC might petition the Regents/Legislature soon to bring the BFA to Greeley, but there is no assurance that will happen.</p>

<p>I agree with Tracy that everyone was friendly and had warm feelings about this school - very strong student loyalty. After taking the campus tour where we saw top-notch facilities everywhere - dorms, rec center, students center, nursing and business schools - I am taken aback by the theater and music building, which was built in 1954 and is obsolete in so many ways (no individual practice rooms, no small rehearsal spaces, the seats in the theater might well be 50-plus years old). Buildings and infrastructure do not make or break a program, but that maybe a consideration to some.</p>

<p>This was the last weekend for auditions, so like everywhere else the decisions will be coming soon. Good Luck to All.</p>

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<p>Santafe dad, were you able to stay and watch Ragtime? If so - what did you think of the production? I saw Anything Goes in the small blackbox theater and it was phenomenal. I have yet to see a production in the Langworthy theater - but it does look a cold war era facility…</p>

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<p>Ragtime was quite good. This was a large and ambitious show for the department with 70 students and with one-third of the cast African-American some had to recruited outside the department to fill out the roles. They brought in a professional equity actor with Broadway experience, Terron Brooks, to play the male lead and he also did master classes and student workshops for he week he was in Greeley rehearsing. So there was a wide range of talent on the stage, which I think is part of the college experience and it worked.
One never knows how these large ensemble productions will work - sometimes just getting people seamlessly on and off the stage is a challenge. But the ensemble numbers were the real strength of Ragtime, which speaks to the immense student talent, many of whom had small but important supporting roles. The group dance numbers, the facial expressions, the physical movement, no detail was left to chance. Even when the scene called for groups of people to stand around - every single one was engaged and in character, which speaks to the strength of the direction.
There was an amazing number of costumes, though the set was less noteworthy with the same basic scaffolding used for all the scenes.
We were at the University of Memphis the weekend before and saw a Phantom of the Opera production that was as good as a professional performance. So as more talented kids gravitate toward college MT programs, these shows are really worth seeing, even if you are not scouting for a school.</p>

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<p>U of Northern Colorado is mailing letters tomorrow!</p>

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<p>Thanks for the info. How did you find that out?</p>

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<p>I spoke to someone in the music theatre office.</p>