<p>CaroleElla:
I originally posted this in the Musical Theater Major thread under "I Didn't Get into Any Musical Theatre Schools. Now What Do I Do?" I pasted it here since it sounds like you could use some encouragement.</p>
<p>If ever there was a story of determination, it is that of my daughter's. I am sharing it in the hopes that some of you will be inspired to travel as many paths as you can to achieve your dream. Although my d is currently a senior MT at CMU, it was a long road. Her high school had an impressive post grad center, but the staff knew nothing about MT, the audition process, and the selectivity. She auditioned for Mich, CMU, CCM, and Ithaca and was rejected to all four. She worked through her depression, enrolled in a state college MT program, but remained determined to get accepted to a outstanding MT program. She began the application/audition process all over again- this time as a transfer student. At first my husband and I were reticient, but given her talent, drive, and passion for theater, we quickly agreed to support her efforts. She lengthened her original list of schools adding BoCo, Webster, Emerson, Miami, and FSU, but her first choice remained CMU. She auditioned at the Unifieds in Chicage for most of them and flew to Florida for the remaining two. When she learned in March that she was waitlisted for CMU she was thrilled, but not too hopeful. The acceptance letter arrived the first week in June and boy, did the tears flow! She is leaving for NYC this weekend to perform in the Senior Showcase, after having the lead her junior year (Cunegonde in Candide) and playing Hope in Urinetown this year (which was cast and directed by John Carrafa, the orginal choreographer from the Broadway show). Right now, life couldn't be better.
But it wasn't always like this. There were difficult days as she struggled with rejection, wondering if she was good enough, if she would ever reach her dream. Along the way she has learned valuable lessons of determination, struggle, and self esteem. My heart breaks when I read posts from students who question their talent, their worth. As so many people have said in these posts, there are numerous schools that may be right for you. My d was rejected to all her choices the first time and accepted to CMU, BoCo, Webster, Emerson, Miami (B.A.), and Mich (voice performance) the second time around. Who knows why? What a school is looking for one year may not be what they need the next year. (i.e. You can have only so many short, blondes females in a program.) So if MT is your passion, try as many avenues as you can: audition and re-audition, consider many different schools representling different levels of selectivity, choose the perfect audition outfit, take months selecting the right song and then "be that song." CoachC said it so perfectly in her "Audition Songs" posting yesterday.
In my d's bedroom at home is a framed card that says, "Never, never, never give up." She didn't. And you shouldn't either.</p>