Thanks so much for your response! So, do you think there are schools to avoid?
Reading all of these posts is making me nervous. I once thought my S had a good variety of schools and am now second guessing everything.
1 Like
@mommafaria same! We have 9 auditions scheduled and I keep thinking it’s not enough! It’s very hard to find safety schools! Im hoping walk ins at Unifieds might help. This process is so new for us and I’m definitely feeling it too!
@mommafaria and @anotherBwaymom don’t let all this information here add stress - but just try to glean what can help you on your individual journeys. Definitely take advantage of walkins at Unifieds to learn about other great programs out there that might not be on your radar. Casting a wide net is good but only to the extent it includes schools your child will actually attend. I learned this the expensive way last year and my daughter probably had way too many schools on her list. It did end up providing her with good choices once acceptances rolled in but I did have to ask myself why we included a few she truly would never have chosen. Mostly it was to make her nervous Mom feel better. If you feel your net is not wide enough by all means now is the time to add on some options - it’s not too late. But just make sure they are truly schools that interest your kids.
@sopranomtmom I’m trying so hard not to stress too much and every time I add a school or tell my D to consider a new one, I feel like she’s thinking I don’t have confidence in her! I just keep learning how competitive this is on here! Quite a hard balancing act! Thanks for the support
It is so hard to not fall in love with schools as you visit. My D loved just about every one. Please help your kids keep an open mind and not get too attached. My D had an awful experience auditioning at Unifieds for one of her top three and came out of the room and said, " there is no way i am going there, they’re rude." Elon was a top choice for her, too, after the visit. The reality is that Elon accepts 6-10 girls and the odds are very low for acceptance. That doesn’t mean your D won’t be the one, but try not to get too attached.
I am a bit sick of hearing, “Top tier.” Most MT programs are all basically the same. Your kid will get to sing, dance and act all day long with other kids who love it as much as they do. You can hang your hopes on a particular program head or professor and then, POOF, they are gone elsewhere. ANY acceptance to a program is a win.
As for the dance portion of auditions, the most important thing is for your kiddo to be able to pick up choreography quickly and then sell the hell out of it. Technique is not as important as performance. I would look for a class that presents new material every class to get used to picking up choreography. Some basic moves to work on might include a double pirouette, turns, etc. Schools that have big dance programs tend to have the harder dance auditions. I think BOCO and Pace were the hardest, followed by Point Park and Uarts.
@anotherBwaymom most schools don’t do a tap call. Montclair was optional. Pace my daughter was asked if she tapped but wasn’t kept for the tap call. I thought that was weird. I also think a dance call can be difficult if you haven’t had a lot of experience. If you’ve only been dancing two years it’s going to be difficult to compete with someone who’s been dancing 15 Years. But many schools have extensive dance programs with a wide range of levels. If you can sing and act sometimes they are looking for someone who puts themselves out there!
@anotherBwaymom - my d auditioned last year and some of the schools passed out their audition forms to the kids so they could fill in their name, dance experience, etc and thus they saw how they would be scored/ranked before the dance audition started. At one of them - Syracuse I think but I am not 100% sure anymore - all starting to blur now - but one of the items was the overall dance recommendation as to if they would recommend acceptance. One of the items the auditors could check was “only if an outstanding singer” which we laughed about but basically was their way of saying dance is a no but if they sing their face off, ok. Point is, I wouldn’t eliminate anything based on dance ability because at the end of the day, there are always exceptions. A school known for great dance may take a lower level dancer and work with them if they are blown away by their voice or acting. I understand trying to make smart choices and hit schools where your d’s odds are better, but if she likes a school known for dance, I’d recommend going for it.
My S did the tap call at Pace 4 years and said it was quite challenging for him. He was a competitive tapper until the age of about 12 or 13 but had only ad hoc tap classes after that. He said a number of kids accepted kids his year were movers - not necessarily experienced dancers. I have heard BOCO and Point Park have challenging dance calls but we know kids in both of those programs who you would not consider “dancers dancers.”
I don’t have anything much to contribute to this thread, but as a class of 2021 mom with a daughter who had numerous ups and downs but eventually landed at her dream school, I just want to extend my support and encouragement to all of you. I’ve told countless people that this process was the most challenging parenting of my life, and that wasn’t at all because my D and I didn’t get along or had upsets. We grew closer, not further apart. My basic advice is IRONS IN THE FIRE. Apply to a range of schools and encourage your child to keep as open a mind as possible. If a prescreen or audition doesn’t go well, do what the MTCA coaches told us: meet them where they are. It’s tempting to tell them an audition went better than they think it did, but really that just communicates that you don’t understand how they feel. Let them vent. Another thing I just suggested to a friend who is going through it this year: I know they are going to miss school next semester for auditions, but if you can call them out of school for a day during this period of applications and prescreens, to give them a day to breathe and finish that essay or video, do that. We took a day off, went to our daughter’s dance school when the studios were quiet and mostly empty, and had a very productive day of filming in which we didn’t feel rushed or stressed. It was an easy decision to forfeit a day of school for that progress and the sense of accomplishment it provided. Good luck. I’ll continue to check in as the year progresses, and if I can think of words of encouragement to share I will. YOU ARE NOT ALONE.
“meet them where they are” What great advice! ( and a challenge for us)
I’ve said this multiple times over the years (D1 just graduated) - “favorites” change over the course of the audition season. The school at the top of D’s list at the beginning, she hated when we visited for her audition. She got in the car when we were leaving & said she wouldn’t even consider it (she wasn’t offered a spot so it all worked out, lol). The school she ended up attending was only on the list because her coach had suggested it. She really knew next to nothing about it, but really felt at home when we visited for her audition, and luckily, was accepted. She absolutely loved it, got great training, made great contacts, and is best friends with everyone in her class.
@anotherBwaymom - this is only my opinion, but one person’s “school to avoid” is another’s dream school! The one D hated is one a lot of people absolutely love and it’s a great program. It just wasn’t right for her.
I’m going through this with child #3 this year, but 2nd performing arts kid (S was a computer science major!), and even though I’ve done it before (Acting this time), it’s still keeping me up at night!!! But trying really hard not to let it show… 
@ourturn2 @artskids @Ducky312 Thanks so much for your feedback on the dance question! It makes me feel better about our choices so far. There is but so much one can do at this stage but support, support, support. In the end, it’s gonna be a long waiting game over here! It’s nice to know others have come out the other side and to have friends in the mix.
Hi- I’m new. If anyone could give any/all info about NYC Unifieds that would be amazing
@anotherBwaymom You can parse through 2021 Final Decisions Background at the end of April for my son’s story, but my take on it was that if your kid is a mover, and is otherwise strong in vocal and acting, then the dance heavy schools will seriously look at you. My son, who is a great singer, super smart, and decent (for high school level) actor ended up being accepted to BoCo and Rider (both dance heavy) and though he bombed the Point Park dance audition, he still thought he stood a chance at acceptance because he did well in the vocals. Temple is not dance heavy and their dance audition was a breeze for him (as was NYU’s for some reason). Despite no dance training, my son really wanted to apply to the dance heavy schools (he applied to Point Park, Rider and BoCo) simply because he knows dance is his weakest area, and that’s where he has the most to learn. He also wanted to apply to many of the nationally known schools (so he applied to UMich, CCM, CMU, Syracuse, Ithaca and BW–and got into none of them!). We made mistakes along the way for sure in timing and preparation and choosing so many top tier schools, but in the end, he chose programs where he felt that the training and reputation would help him get to the place he needs to be in 4 years and I made him include other schools that were less competitive, and even those were really a crapshoot as to whether he was going to get accepted. I honestly think that he could have gone to any of the BFA program schools he applied to and gotten a great MT education. So basically, a wide range of schools is important because this is a crazy competitive field at all levels and your kid is competing against kids who have already been on broadway, have an agent, and been on TV or done voice-over work, have had training since elementary school in all three areas, and are otherwise just crazy gifted. There are literally hundreds of kids each year who are completely outstanding in vocals, dance, and acting. Knowing this, and setting realistic expectations are the first step. Knowing that even dance heavy schools want singers and actors is one of many factors when considering where to apply. Knowing what your kid wants with regard to location, reputation, training, size, performance opportunities, are also important. Knowing that there is a limit (budgetary and time-wise) on how many schools your kid can apply to is incredibly important. There is no right way or wrong way here. But basically, any acceptance is a win. Most of these schools know how to train your kid, and really what it comes down to is what your kid makes of his or her opportunities once at school. I see many kids grabbing at all opportunities available and many kids simply wasting their parents’ money. If your kid wants to be trained he or she will be, no matter the program. And I agree with the “meet them where they are” philosophy. Most of the time, my son just needed to process HIS thoughts. I just listened and gave no advice because he wasn’t looking for advice so much as a safe space to vent. I took copious notes of his impressions after each audition so that I could remind him what he thought right afterwards. But really he grew a ton last year with this process. It made him hungry for the training and forced him to evaluate what he needed to do better the next time. This is a long process and October through December is the easy part comparatively. Auditions were harder by far, and the waiting and receiving of rejections was the hardest part of all. Long year ahead. Best wishes and do your best to take the time and enjoy the process of watching your kid grow.
@leahthefajita that is a super broad question! What specifically do you want to know? What dates? What hotels? What is the vibe? What schools? Any hotel in the area near Pearl Studios or within an easy cab ride where Jan 20-21, 2018 unifieds take place is fine (but several schools schedule some auditions the day before and the day after and several schools audition in the area but not at Pearl Studios). The vibe was tense, exhausting, exhilarating. As for schools, there were tons! Walkins were available at schools that take walk ins but it was hard to schedule too many in one day since dance calls took up most of each afternoon or each morning.
@MomofMTBoy thank you so much for your response! It is truly full of helpful advice. My daughter is truly a singer and loves musicals more than anything! She has always been able to pick up the dance part. It was only during this audition process that i realized her lack of formal training could come into play. Our list is difficult Bc we live in VA and she doesn’t really want to be too far away. She also likes the traditional campus atmosphere so it has been quite challenging to find enough schools that fit this criteria. Then you add dance heavy! It’s almost too hard to take. I totally agree with your son’s logic to want to learn dance in college! I truly hope that all these schools do not only want triple threats to start off with! I hope your son is thriving and I’m going to look up your story. Thanks again!
@anotherBwaymom you should look at Shenandoah and JMU. I’m sure there already on your list.
@anotherBwaymom - I agree with Ducky. Being in VA gives you Shenandoah and JMU which are GREAT schools! In NC you have Western Carolina and Elon obviously, but I would say Elon is a school where they often take incredible dancers and it’s taken into account pretty seriously. In SC, Coastal Carolina would probably be a great match and we have different levels of dance for our freshmen who enter with different skill sets. Happy to answer any questions you may have about CCU if it’s on your list!
@anotherBwaymom - I am sure that you are also aware that there is also George Mason (BFA w/MT Certificate program) in Fairfax, Christopher Newport (BA MT) in Newport News, and, for students with great academics, William and Mary in Williamsburg teaches courses in MT and does musicals each year. In DC, there is American (BA MT) and Catholic (BM MT). Just over the border in West Virginia, WVU has a new BFA MT program. Other schools in VA and DC with MT programs include Howard and Emory & Henry.