@vpvpbp nope! :))
Just googled it alsoā¦
Commenting on the talent of the existing students is probably just not appropriate on this board. As much as we seek this information. I know my D cared about this tremendously: top instruction, and talented, passionate, hard-working artists. Best suggestions: go see student productions, look for productions on line, and look at placement in the industry (although luck plays in as much as talent and connections).
So hereās a āfor instanceā. My D and I saw productions at four schools while she was auditioning. Then at her accepted school. So five in total. At least one of them we were not very impressed. But I am not going to trumpet that information, are you kidding? That would be an in person discussion or private messaging, once there was a level of trust and if the information was given full context.
Iāve met a lot of great people here, and there has been a lot of interest, support, information sharing, plus just some great human interest stories. I know my mission now is to Pay it Forward. People helped me a lot! Thank you!
LOL, sorry! Iāve been on so many internet forums for years, the phrases are ingrained! YMMV = your mileage may vary. In other words, your opinion or experience may differ from mine - Iām not claiming to be āright,ā just sharing my own personal opinion/experience.
I think that the key may come down to not WHAT a person thinks - all people are entitled to their own opinion - āI donāt like Wicked- never haveā, (thatās true BTW), but HOW they express it - āanyone who likes Wicked has poor tasteā (they just have different taste) My own personal litmus test from now on will be this: If I wouldnāt say it that way to the face of someone with a kid at that school, I wonāt say it on this forumā¦ b/c someone with a kid at that school will probably read it.
āWhen given the choice between being right or being kind choose kind.ā - Wonder
I think itās important to remember that theatre is art and art is subjective. Not everyone enjoys the same type of entertainment and luckily for all of us thereās enough theatre to go around
Well I donāt mean to change the subject but there are many great programs, many amazing talented kids, well informed (expert) parents, and good intentions here. Art is always subjective ā¦but man oh man if people hadnāt been effusively sharing info here, I would have been lost in the woods. Forever grateful to this community.
@FourStars is far more eloquent at extolling the positives of UNCSA than I can be but Iād like to report that we will be committing. Honored to be. Also forever thankful to whomever chose a different road and eternal thanks for opening the spot! My daughter got accepted to Purchase yesterday (which is a school she loved-WLās are on the move) but did not even waverā¦
Will write our journey on that page in the future. I love this school so much for a million reasons. It is the right fit for my
girl and we are all in.
It really isnāt over as puzzle pieces are moving as they will in this world. I was so rattled and blue during the longest month of March. I actually need to pinch myself because things feel settled in my type A turbulent mind. Itās a good day.
@laylamom congratulations!! so excited for you. Itās nice to meet another CC Parent who will be connecting with you at all of the shows So happy for your daughter
@laylamom - that is so awesome! Congratulations!!!
I agree with @too wonderful and @theatremom10 that because art is subjective it is not our place to comment on the quality of talent of any of the students we see perform (after all, who am I to make that judgment?) and often these comments just come across as mean and not helpful since what one person considers weak acting, another person considers great. Sticking to comments on things that can be better quantified (size of classes, number of courses, number of teachers, number of kids working in the field upon graduation, casting, etc.) seems to make the most sense and provides the most valuable information. Of course, many of us are effusive when extolling the virtues of the schools our kids went to but I donāt think any of us think that those same schools donāt have shortcomings. Many times, however, what parents point out as shortcomings are often just rumors or hearsay about a school and that is why the feedback from parents who have or had kids in the school is important ā because they know what actually goes on. That is the value of this board ā hearing about the experiences of others and taking from those experiences what is valuable to each of us.
Congratulations!!! @laylamom
Congratulations, @laylamom! Such a fantastic choice, and such an amazing story, with so many unexpected twists and turns! I am so, so happy for you and your D!!!
On the other subject- I have found that I canāt ātrustā certain dear friends for book recommendations. We just donāt like the same books at all. In fact, if she likes it, I wonāt read it. Thatās why I donāt think a comment about your opinion about the quality of a show or a performer is a fair measurement on this forum for a school. And donāt forget too - we all have (or know others on cc that have) limited choices. Saying that you didnāt like a production at their one or another choice isnāt helpful. What can someone do with that? In contrast- if you comment that Acting students can take 1 hour of voice per week (or where/how they can do so)- thatās incredibly helpful.
Congratulations! @laylamom
And on the subject of sharing info, I want to thanks all those ahead of me, and with me, on the journey. Iāve learned so much here, I think the positives greatly outweigh the negatives. Its all about fit. I have a friend with a kid 1 year behind my son, and they have different tastes. The reasons for him not liking a school are the same reasons that other kid likes the school. Neither are wrong.
I really like @momofj5ās point that sharing factual information (āthe students get X hours of acting training a week,ā āthe training is Meisner based,ā āacting majors are allowed to audition for musicals,ā etc.), is much more helpful than sharing a totally subjective opinion (āstudents at X school seem more talented than students at Y school.ā) Itās better to go to a school yourself and see a play there, or watch YouTube videos, or see what alumni are doing, and form your own opinion, rather than trusting someone elseās on the issue of talent.
So true! D and I saw a performance at one of the schools she was visiting. With the exception of a few actors, neither of us were particularly impressed. However, we saw other parents at Unifieds who RAVED about the performance. Just wasnāt our cup of tea, I guess.
@CaMom13 If youāre referring to the comment I posted, I will add that there is some background here. It harkens back to many years ago when a coach who is highly touted here on CC was part of a group of parents who took every opportunity to bash Tisch. In the ensuing years, that has continued by certain members. I have never been one to discount the negatives of Tisch, in fact, Iāve discouraged students frequently who were struggling with a decision. Iāve shared, in detail, issues that some students may have at the school. Iāve arranged for prospective students to sit in on classes, even though the school will not. Iāve put prospectives in touch with particular faculty, with grads and current students more times than I can count through the years. Itās important to get the opinions and to hear the voices and experiences of many in order to make an informed decision.
I think Tischās program is a very good one but I have no dog in the race ! My D graduated 11 years ago. My reason for the post I made earlier today is influenced, maybe wrongly, by the years of experience Iāve had here but mainly because I donāt think itās kind to disparage any particular program when there are parents and students here who have made the decision to attend. If someone said the same about grads of U Arts, or Ithaca, or BU, or any other school, my reaction would likely have been the same.
Yes @momofJ5 and actorparent1! This is exactly what I am getting at. Try to stick to the more factual, objective information. Across the board/s! That is what I tried to do regarding the two UNCSA issues, just correct the facts.
Even though we might WANT to figure out the fit of talent with certain schools and kids, that is not going to work on this board in general posting. However, āthere are two years of voice in the standard acting curriculumā, or āmany students are able to get a minorā or, āroughly 30% are not cast in a student production.ā Curriculum stuff is super helpful and fairly objective. The other conversations are probably better done OFF the public boards. Itās hard because there is so much in common, and yet, students and families have very different priorities. Over time, we find a few people who seem to be targeting the same schools with same criteria, and sometimes, we can share the more personal observations privately. I have done so on countless occasions, using PM or switching over to e-mail, and folks have been generous and noone gets offended. Letās keep the good stuff!
I love the analogy about books and recognizing that you may not like the same books as your friend, even a best friend. I canāt tell you how many times my D has felt a radically different vibe from a school than some of her good friends. And thatās okay. Thank goodness there are good programs all across the country so all (hopefully) of our kiddos can find a program that feels right for them. And a word of advice to any people employed by these programs who may be lurking here, itās is a real turn off when the tour guides (or in one case the program head) criticizes another program by name. If you are confident in your program, tell us what we need to know to fall in love with your program. Donāt try to elevate your program by putting down another program.
@alwaysamom - I absolutely agree that there are some people who try to put down Tisch in a hateful way. No other school that Iāve noticed gets the same level of hate. I can see why some folks are not a fit there, but thatās not a reason to put the school down. I still donāt know which way my S will go (look for my post at 11:59 on May 1), but hateful posts (remember āthe top 10 listā that was floated a few weeks ago) arenāt helpful and I appreciate your correcting the record.