<p>I remember it too, and think about it now and then-- a wonderful title.</p>
<p>I think there is a lot of misconception here about the so-called national coaches that some are talking about on this web. My D has been auditioning professionally for years and has been involved in the industry prior to this college audition process. I canāt tell you how invaluable these coaches were not withstanding the her training and experience. She was very much involved with her finding the āperfect pieceā for her. There is nothing wrong with sorting through and finding the piece that fits you best. She would never have found the contemporary pieces she used if it had not been for her coaches. The whole idea around the auditions for acting is to show who you are. These coaches got a good feel for who she was and provided her with choices that were great. My daughter found especially one of the pieces was her āgoldā. She took it and obviously made it her own. Her Shakespeare pieces were also chosen with care and she was the ultimate decision maker on what she was comfortable with. You can see people from all over the country with all types of prior training or no training at all and they have been so pleased with the MTCA program. These people do become your mentors and it is essentially like having a āteamā around you and support. I know from experience that before auditions they were there to calm her (especially when she was sick prior to her first Juilliard audition) and they were there for her after each audition. They did not pick her schools. She told them what she was looking for in a program and how she wanted to develop as an actress. She didnāt even know about Mason Gross at Rutgers and encouraged her to walk in. That right now is one of her top picks. They also encouraged her to try Juilliard when she told them that the program was her dream, but was afraid because of their reputation to put them on her list. In fact, just the audition and callbacks there were for her a āonce in a lifetimeā experience and she learned so much from the school on just these occasions. MTCA did know the schools and it looked like from the acceptances that they knew what would be great fits for the students, whether or not they thought about the schools initially. We visited most of the schools before the audition process so she also got a good feel for the schools. I am in no way connected to MTCA or think they are even associated with CC in any way. I am just saying they have been a tremendous help all the way through. She continues to speak with both her coaches there and is still talking to her acting coach about her choices. He is still encouraging her in every way and has been a great sounding board regarding her callbacks coming up in London. </p>
<p>Research is the best way to go in any decisions you make. Research the schools and the coaches. I just want to give you the actual experiences my D had with this particular coaching staff.</p>
<p>just out of pure curiosityā¦ have any of these coaches ever denied a studentā¦ tell them they donāt have what it takes? I know nothing about coaching or ever thought to have my D use one. I wish we knew ā¦ maybe next year she can transfer to a better program if she uses a coach for a year??</p>
<p>^ I really donāt know if they reject anyone. From what I have seen I believe they would just guide you toward picking the right schools. Usually safety, and reaches just like you would pick for yourself. They may just suggest some that may be better fit for your child. They are very easy to talk to. I would speak with different coaches and get a feel from them. Coaches are not going to make you a better singer or actor but will be able to help you present yourself in the best light possible at each audition.</p>
<p>thank you for your response actingmom18, I know my D has great talent and I am not saying that because sheās my kid LOL!! However, I am sure that her song choices and monologues did not show her best light and she deff could have used help on that!! She and I disagreed on the programs she applied for. But hey Iām only the mom who doesnāt know any thing!! She has been a dancer since she was 3 yrs old and didnāt want to give that up so she went for the MT programs but ultimately she wants to be in film and tv ā¦ the next generation of Sat. Night Live comedians haha!! Iām sure a coach would have been able to steer her in the best direction for all her career goals and she would have listened to their advice (over mine) HEY itās never to lateā¦ thereās next year!! :)</p>
<p>I see nothing wrong with using coaches to guide and mentor a student. </p>
<p>That said, like glassharmonica and alwaysamom discussed above, my D worked with local people on prepping her audition materials. One person was her voice teacher for five years and not truly a ācoach,ā though he has worked with many who applied to college programs as well as professionals at the highest levels such as Broadway. Since she had no acting training, she did work with an acting teacher to prep her monologues for five months. But these were all in person in our own state. It so happens that both her voice teacher and the person who helped her on the monologues also taught in a program in NYC, but commuted to their homes here in our rural state on weekends, which is where my D worked with them. She did not use any ācoaching serviceā and nothing on a national scale or Skype, etc. Just local prep. But I think guidance in prepping audition materials can be a positive thing for any applicant. A local voice teacher, director, drama teacher, actor, etc. may be who one could approach for such assistance.</p>
<p>Ooops, thanks guys!! The title has the proper intensity for this process! (especially when one gets it right!)</p>
<p>My kids only used local guidances as well and neither of them went to any summer intensive. The coaching thing is getting bigger and bigger every year. Itās not like sports where recruiters can see your child perform throughout the years or see stats. Thatās why every year, you see the kid who was cast in every show not get into any BFA programs and a kid who wasnāt even on a radar- get accepted to many programs. Itās a shame that so much relies on a 2 minute monologue and 16/32 bars. I know kids can fake singing for that short amount of time but canāt sustain it throughout. Some adjudicators are really great at seeing raw talent. I suspect that coached kids will soon become the norm.</p>
<p>OK, allow me to play the cynic, or devilās advocateā¦what if a kid contacts one of these audition coaching services and their acting ability is three notches south of Pauly Shore, when they sing they clear the room and they dance like elaine from seinfeld? Mom and dad are delusional and stubborn and feel that some coaching is sure to get this kid into an audition program. Does the service take them on as a client and gladly accept mom and dadās check, or do they tell them the truthā¦that a behind the scenes career might be betterā¦or accountingā¦or whatever? ORā¦do they take on the extreme project and help them get into an audition program? Are they THAT good? My question stems from the claim on the MCTA site that ā99% of our 2012 students received admission to audition programs.ā Either they are extremely lucky that the Quasimodo with two left feet and acting chops that make Steven Seagal look like Olivier hasnāt graced their lobby, or they evaluate the kids and donāt take on every client. </p>
<p>I know my post is sarcastic, but my question is legitimate. Can someone who knows answer?</p>
<p>I believe they try to direct you to programs that would be appropriate for your skill level. Howās that for a tactful response? While they may help most get into an auditioned program thereās a lot of variance in competitiveness among schools.</p>
<p>Yes, Flossy is right. There are audition programs, and then there are AUDITION programs. We spoke to a coach that actually broke BFA acting programs (not MT) into Reach, just right, and safeties for my daughter after seeing her audition.
They know what they are doing, just the way a great college advisor would. A college advisor wouldnāt tell a kid with stinky grades and SAT scores to apply to Harvard, Princeton and Yale, right? Itās the same principle.
My guess is McTA has every kid apply to one or 2 of the less competitive audition schools so that is why they can boast that 99%.</p>
<p>My daughter worked with MTCA in 2012 audition cycle and we couldnāt have been happier with them . . . they are so knowledgeable and yet are still very warm, friendly and kind. We never felt like we were clients . . . we felt like we were family. I can vividly remember one of my daughterās coaches crying after my girl sang an audition song right before Unifieds . . . this amazing person was crying because she knew how far my girl had come and she was as proud of her as I was! We are still good friends with her coaches, and in fact, my daughter just had the distinct pleasure of visiting and hanging out with two of them in NYC! Seriously good people. </p>
<p>I understand the desire to connect with someone in your community that your child could have a relationship with, that isnāt always possible for many of us. And, I also believe that unless you live in a really vibrant theatre community, potential coaches wonāt have a firm grasp of what college auditions entail. I would definitely check out folks like MTCA who have been doing this for YEARS who really have their fingers on the pulse of whatās happening!</p>
<p>Flossy, you should run for office! mommy5, if a kid with bad grades needs an advisor to tell him not to apply to Harvard, he and his parents have big issues! LOL. </p>
<p>I am sure they are good people. I havenāt met many legit theatre people who were not helpful and nice. I actually know a couple of the people on the MTCA list of master class instructors and they are great people. My issue with the 99% thing is there is no way to determine where that figure comes from, whether they reject kids, how many would have gotten into audition programs anyway, yadda, yadda. </p>
<p>kksmom5, you make a good point. Not everyone is in an area where there is a theatre community and/or people that can offer real advice. I must admit, while my son didnāt have any formal training, he did have some contacts and friends that he could rely on for advice in going through the process. I am glad he did it himself because he gained tools that have helped him in the couple of years since. </p>
<p>Also, in the scope of what we will spend once these kids get to college, a grand or two up front is not much, especially considering that scholarships and awards are based at least in part on the audition at many schools.</p>
<p>hi, i am enjoying reading all the posts here. I have one question. For applications this year when should one star engaging with MTCA - closer to audition time or months ahead.</p>
<p>We did not use a coach, but I would guess months ahead to get the full benefit. And I would assume you would use them until auditions are over.</p>
<p>We started with MTCA over the summer last year before September. My Dās first audition was in November and we figured once school started we would have less time. They were really great!</p>
<p>No audition coach here. My S will work on his monologues with his drama teacher and that is it. The one thing that you might want to remember is that the #1 thing that acting schools are looking for is honesty. I want my S to go in and show then him his true self. If he falls flat on his face then so be it. I personally would not pay for an acting coachā¦sometimes they can do more harm than good IMHO. I have no ill will of those that choose this route thoughā¦ everyone has to do what is best for themā¦</p>
<p>I know what you are saying 5boysā¦I said the same thing about SAT prep classes. Itās so hard when everyone around has a leg up somehow. So I relented and she took the class. We are going to use her theater teacher and a family friend in the business as her coaches. I feel she needs some guidanceā¦but you are right. Everyone should do what feels right for their child. I hope it doesnāt ruin herā¦</p>
<p>I truly donāt think it will ruin her bisouuā¦ As far as SAT prep goes, I had my kids sign up for a bit of tutoringā¦ because it the rewards hit my pocketbook. My DS12 ended up with a $30,000 merit scholarshipā¦ the extra $ for sat prep was well worth itā¦</p>
<p>Wow thatās awesome 5boys!!</p>