Also - I would consider schools with leveled dance programs if possible. That way you can take classes appropriate to the level of dancer you are. In some BFA programs, each year’s class takes dance together even though they come in with varying degrees of skill. That can be frustrating for higher level dancers. So see which schools determine your level and place you in classes according to your skill if dance is important to you.
Welcome fellow Cincinnatian @meghutch06! My is also strong dancer (spent years at CCM Prep and Cinti Ballet). He’s currently an MT sophomore at Wright State. Feel free to ask lots of questions.
@vvnstar - actually I’m in Indiana, however I’m only about 30 minutes from downtown Cincinnati so I get in-state tuition at UC and CCM. Thank you for all of the advice and info - I didn’t know that Otterbein had a dance concentration option, I’ll definitely be looking into that!
@mom4bwayboy thank you so much! Since your son is a strong dancer, does he feel challenged by the dance classes at Wright State? I’ve heard from several sources that the acting training is great, but I haven’t heard too much about the dance.
Yes, the acting at WSU is terrific. As a freshman, my S and a few others were able to take senior level MT dance classes. He enjoyed these, but did not find the ballet very challenging (he’s had A LOT of ballet). They would not let freshman take Dance Major Ballet - no way, no how. With some tricky schedule finagling, he will be able to take Ballet with the majors as a sophomore (having some high school APs under his belt has been helpful with the finagling). He also has prior tap experience (probably an intermediate level as a HS student) and they DID let him take tap, even though that is generally started in sophomore year. Students had a few master classes with some folks they brought in - including a Fosse workshop - and Greg Graham was brought in to choreograph Peter Pan this Spring.
Glad to hear IU is on your list. Great program and with in-state tuition it would be a bargain.
Meghitch my D is a junior BFA MT at Ball State. It is a very well balanced program and you would get a lot of dance training there. I think it would be very difficult to double major in psych or anything else just due to the curriculum demands for the program, but I would call them and ask about that. My D loves the program and has grown in all three disciplines in her two years there.
@meghutch06 it sounds like most of the schools on your list are located in a centralized area and you are so fortunate to have so many great programs near you with in-state tuition options. It sounds like you are a really good student, so if you are interested in venturing out of that area, you may want to check out Elon. It is a liberal arts college with a great MT program. My D got a nice scholarship based on academic merit. MT majors take dance with the dance majors, so you get that strong dance training. Elon is also a little unusual in that while you get great training in your major, they also support a more well rounded education than a strict conservatory environment, and could probably work with you to accomodate your academic interests.
Hello fellow 2016/2020 families. I’ve been a member for years but now find myself ankle deep in the BFA MT process. We live in the L.A. area where my son attends a performing arts high school. He is a tenor and has been in 25+ theatrical productions, and in TV and Film, although in the last year has not worked in tv and film due to his schedule at school. He has about a 3.4GPA, first go at SAT scored 1880 and was Thespian Club President this past year. His only community service is his current internship at a musical theatre summer camp. Last year he was in three theatre classes and two choirs at school. He was in 7 theatre productions last year, 6 at school and one at outside of school.
This past week we toured NYU, Montclair and Pace in the NYC area and were impressed by all. We have hired an audition coach and have begun thinking about making the dreaded list. The coach recommends 15 schools: top 5, middle 5 and and bottom 5. @Calliene has answered a few questions about Montclair which has been great! This seems to be quite a daunting task and even now I’m feeling overwhelmed! Does anyone have any ideas on personal deadlines they have set for this process?
There was a great post I remember seeing a long time ago that provided a timeline for the entire process–anyone know where that went?
Not exactly a list of deadlines, but here is a thread on what others would do differently if they did it over again. Things are a little different now then when this tread was started in 2012, but the posts go through last summer for those in the MT Class of 2018. My advice is to shoot for EVERYthing regarding applications, prescreens and audition prep being done and submitted no later than early October - then back out all the steps that need to happen before then. Start working on applications and audition rep now. Prescreens in August/September.
http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/musical-theater-major/1338256-audition-season-if-you-had-to-do-it-over-again-p1.html
thank you! I’ve spent a lot of today looking online at various schools. Overwhelming!
One step at a time. Others have been in your shoes and felt just as overwhelmed. We survived and so will you. There are many here to help you through it. Breathe.
I would modify this very good recommendation with the preface, “for the schools that are on your list when you begin the process.”
My D’s list was modified as the year progressed and she did some applications as late as February. For example, the school that ended up as her final choice (Western Michigan) was done as a walk-in at Unifieds and she had not applied to the school prior to the audition. After her audition went well and she received an encouraging email to apply immediately following the audition, she quickly completed the application process (and was eventually accepted to the program after being initially Waitlisted).
In retrospect, knowing what D knows now, WMU would have been at the top of her list from the beginning (great faculty,10 shows including 3 musicals, great facilities, 20+ hours of dance in the curriculum, etc.). However, there are so many schools to research, lots of schools looked good to her, she wasn’t completely sure how to differentiate between many BFA programs that looked really similar, and she had so many other things going on beginning in May of her Junior year that she just didn’t completely “catch-up” to WMU until Unifieds. Her ideas of what she really wanted in a program and where she was a good fit were only really clarified by actually going through the audition process.
Thanks for the info. Can you tell me a little about the “walk on” at Unifieds? My limited understanding is that one signs up with the various schools to audition at Unifieds in advance. Are you saying that you can “walk on”, pay a fee, give them your headshot and resume and then audition for a school right then and there?
@Dankadon - Some programs at Unifieds have slots available for walk-ins. They typically advertise these in the lobby area: there are cork boards on easels and these are typically covered with audition notices of various kinds, as well as pop-up banner-stand or table-top displays from some schools, and some schools leave a stack of flyers on a lobby table. You go find the audition room, sign-up for an available time slot, possibly pay a fee and fill out a form, and then show up and audition during your slot. There may be an associated dance call at a different time.
Not all programs offer walk-in auditions and walk-in slots can fill up very quickly. In rare cases, some programs may even be all “walk-ins” - no advance sign-ups (this can happen when a program decides very late to attend Unifieds). Because of the big snow storm this year during Chicago Unifieds, more programs than usual offered walk-in auditions because many students who signed up for an audition slot had to cancel due to the snow.
It is, of course, not a good idea to count on obtaining a walk-in slot at Unifieds for any program. However, if a student has the time available in their Unifieds schedule, the energy, and a genuine interest in the program(s), doing walk-ins can work out very well. Always bring extra headshots and resumes for this possibility (and perhaps consider prepping classical monologues, etc. - some walk-ins may require a classical monologue or something else a little out of the ordinary, for example, the British schools usually require a classical monologue, even for Musical Theatre).
And bring a checkbook for those schools with walk-in fees.
AND keep in mind that some schools might not be on the official UNIFIEDS list, but often set up close by during UNIFIEDS to hold their own auditions.
That was true for 1/2 of my D’s Chicago auditions. They were in nearby hotels (well somewhat nearby) but not the Palmer house
I was just reminded how grateful I am to have stumbled on these threads! I was having a conversation with a very talented friend of my D (rising senior). The girl is late to the party – didn’t really get bit by the musical theater bug until last year. She had been planning her senior year college applications/auditions as one who would be applying to semi-competitive LACs. She has 3 schools on her list and was thinking maybe expanding to 5. 0 safeties from an MT standpoint. She wasn’t aware of Unifieds. Yikes. Sent her a quick link to “I Got In” and to this forum. She called my D to just say -whoa. She had no.idea what she was up against! Luckily she is loaded with raw talent!
So thankful to have found CC and the great information in the MT forum. Wow.
Currently overwhelmed after looking up all the different criteria for auditions. 16 - bar cuts, 32- bar cuts, 16 and 32- bar cuts. 1 minute, 2 minutes, 4 minutes, contemporary, classic, after 1930’s, after 1950’s 1 song, 2 songs, 3 songs. Prescreens. Then there are the monologue requirement. Dance. Audition Dates. Unifieds. And make sure they are in the right age range, not overdone… It really helps to know that others have done it and survived. CC is proof!
She is not a strong dancer but wants a conservatory program with strong dance component.
Are there any schools she should consider or stay away from? Are there schools.that only offer spots to great dancers that we can cross off the list? It’s really been hard for her to narrow down her list!
looking forward to “meeting” everyone and reading and learning more from this forum. Thanks everyone.
What part(s) of the country are you interested in?