<p>monkey13. Nice job! You nailed them all.</p>
<p>It’s about time this post got a bump. I think this is the best place for new people to start, providing a relative overview of the playing field (despite any potential flaws the list may have, which have been discussed several times in previous posts).</p>
<p>Roosevelt/CCPA alum Courtney Reed is set to play Jasmine in Broadway’s new Aladdin!</p>
<p>One more thing. In case people haven’t seen it, MTpragmatist also had a post that used this data to address a “rising reputation” thread awhile back. You can see the post at… <a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/musical-theater-major/1511703-colleges-rising-reputation-2.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/musical-theater-major/1511703-colleges-rising-reputation-2.html</a></p>
<p>Huge thanks to MTPragmatist for this monumental and very useful piece of work! Having some objective numerical data on schools has helped get my S’s various offers into perspective.</p>
<p>Yes it is a great list. I wonder if the list includes MT and straight theatre grads or just Mt?</p>
<p>newmom1. I didn’t denote this in my database, but I would say the majority are MT program grads (~75%). I’d estimate that ~15% were straight theatre, dance or voice grads. ~10% were kids that left MT programs early to perform, and maybe 1% were non-performing arts grads.</p>
<p>I find these numbers very interesting, but there are several problems with using this type of analysis as a guide for ranking schools. For one, the percentages do not indicate how many students those schools graduated during the time period in question. For instance, a school such as Boston Conservatory that enrolls 75+ students per year, would be likely to land several students on Broadway over the course of ten years because of the shear volume of students they graduate. On the other hand, a school with only eight graduates per year may have a lower number of graduates on Broadway but an overall higher percentage of those who appear on Broadway. If the stats accounted for class size, the smaller school would rank higher. Without taking class size into account, the larger school comes out on top even though the percentage of their students working on Broadway is significantly smaller.</p>
<p>I’d also be interested to see stats on the percentage of students with continuous work (excluding Broadway). Broadway shows open and close. A show like Newsies relies on young performers, but when it closes those performers may struggle to find another gig. I’ve had two former students who dropped out of “top conservatories” to go directly into a Broadway show. For both, that was there only Broadway show. One is now a school teacher, the other did a few national tours and is now hanging out and work on other projects. </p>
<p>In contrast, I have numerous former students that have worked steadily since graduation without landing a Broadway show. Yet they work so consistently that they have spent little to no time working a day job. Which is more successful - the student who got a Broadway show straight out of school and did little else afterwords or the student who has never done a Broadway show but has worked non-stop? I imagine the answer will probably vary person to person. When you are trying to assess which school is best for you, you need to think about the larger picture.</p>
<p>The top three schools will attract the top talent. I’ve worked with numerous high school students who have gone to those top schools and without an exception those students were exceptionally talented and essentially ready to work. What they needed out of school was refinement and connections. Outside of those top few schools you will start to find programs that attract a mixture of talent levels and skill sets. Deciding if those schools are a fit for you or not becomes a little more difficult. Some schools do a great job at refining the highest level students while the lower level students fall into the cracks. Others do better at lifting up the lower level students than refining the upper level ones. And of course there are schools that do a great job of serving all of their students equally. There is no correct choice for everyone. I would just encourage you to look at the big picture and not just the Broadway stats. Are they important? Possibly. Are they interesting? Definitely! But be careful not to become so starstruck that you miss out on a program that is actually a better fit for you or your child’s needs.</p>
<p>~VT</p>
<p>Great post VoiceTeacher!</p>
<p>Great post, but I have a question. Is my son a higher level student or a higher level student? And which schools lift the lower, and which stretch the higher? These are such difficult things to know, and so difficult to find out. We are currently trying to chose between two schools. We have no idea which will be best for him.</p>
<p>@pondsk8r - when all else fails, we resort to an old fashioned t-chart. List pros on one side and cons on the other. Make one for each school you are considering. Hopefully after seeing it all written down in black and white, one school will emerge as having the most pros. Or perhaps one will have more cons than you realized. But seeing those pluses and minuses in black and white was very helpful in our decision making process.</p>
<p>PondsK8r…continue to keep with the idea of “which school is the best for HIM” as opposed to “which is the best school.” I agree with vvnstar that a list of pros and cons for each school put on paper can help give a clear picture. I’ll add in revisits to each school and a gut feeling as to which feels like “his place.” </p>
<p>I agree with VoiceTeacher that one should really look at the bigger picture beyond Broadway. Very few people get cast on Broadway and even if one does land a Broadway gig, it can be short lived. The more important thing is to be successfully and continually working in the field, in my opinion. Broadway certainly is a very very cool gig. Ongoing work and supporting oneself in theater is a better indicator of success in my opinion. I think too many young applicants have “Broadway” as the goal, which is not realistic. It is a great ideal, but more like a cherry on top and not what will sustain their career. Would my daughter love to be on Broadway one day? Sure, who wouldn’t! But it is not what truly drives her. She has supported herself since the day she graduated college at age 20 entirely in theater and music. So far, so good. She has never had a job outside of the arts. She doesn’t even have time for survival jobs. Plus, she is not entirely focused on auditioning and hoping some big call comes along. Sure, she performs in shows (tonight is opening night for her!), but she is involved in creating work and not relying solely on getting a call. Broadway statistics are fun to look at and are interesting but really way too narrow of a focus when examining what grads from particular MT schools are doing post graduation. </p>
<p>@soozievt is being too modest about her D. While she hasn’t graced a Broadway stage (yet – SHE WILL, I’m sure – and she has been Off-Broadway in at least one very high-profile production), @soozievt’s D’s career is EXACTLY the type of success that isn’t measured by this method. I’ll brag for her: This particular D has earned major awards and praise from the highest echelons of the MT industry. She’s made a tremendous name for herself as a performer and a composer and also a music director. If either of my S’s have a fraction of @soozievt’s D’s success at her age, I’d be a proud mom. </p>
<p>I understand the need for the best school for HIM, but I don’t know which one that is. I am not even sure any more what his strengths and weaknesses are, or what he needs to develop, so finding the school that will develop those aspects is nigh impossible.</p>
<p>…and his goal is to make a living wage on the stage. Broadway doesn’t come into it.</p>
<p>MTTwinsinCA…you are overly complimentary, but many thanks. Your sons have accomplished a lot and they are still in college! </p>
<p>PondsK8r…not sure I would worry about the things you mentioned above so much. I would have him think about what he wants in a college and in a MT program and which one fits his preferences and that he simply likes a lot, more than worry which one will develop him the best. Most MT programs are very good and so it is a matter of him enjoying one that meets some things he was hoping to find in a college MT program. Have him talk to current students and ask questions and see which one feels right. </p>
<p>Just recently saw three plays on Broadway CInderella, Wicked, and Aladdin,and Phantom Tour in Chicago. Did a quick count of who went where. 9 Umich; 5 NYU; 4 CCM; 3 BOCO: 2 Montclair State; 2 Oklahoma City U; I CMU; 1 Hartt; 2 Point Park; 1 Roosevelt; 1 Florida State; 1 Penn State; 1 Princeton; 1 Suny BUffalo; 1 Cornish College; 2 UCLA and several more with one each. SOOOO there is quite a variety of schools working in Broadway. I did note that the dancers mostly did not attend college for theatre but came from Ballet and Dance Schools/Companies such as NC Dance Theatre. I hope this post helps give a different perspective. </p>
<p>Here is a new ranking of musical theater college programs that just came out – just one more resource to consider. As always, I’m sure this is just one source’s opinion. But thought it might be helpful to some. Their methodology is explained on the website:</p>
<p>Www.musicschoolrankings.com/2014-rankings/musical-theater</p>
<p>Thanks for sharing the link @vvnstar. Hmmm…very interesting. Some surprises, others not. Some missing I thought would be there. But then, this is just once source’s opinion… best for one does not necessarily equate best for another. It is, afterall, all about fit 
</p>
<p>Isn’t it frustrating when the bios don’t say where they studied? Usually fewer than half do.</p>