<p>Hello!
I’m getting geared up to send in my application for the MT program this summer, and I have a few questions: When do you think would be the best time to send in my app (based on freshman admissions…etc.)? What do they look for in someone they’re planning to accept? And lastly (this is a weird one)…What format do I send my PSAT test score in? It says all of the materials have to be sent in together, so do I just type up the numbers of my score in a document, or what?
Thanks!</p>
<p>Hi there samschan! I went to Pre College at Carnegie Mellon last summer and I can help you out! You’ll want to get your application in ASAP! It really is not very hard to get in to the pre college for mt… cmu musical theatre does not really care about your grades/scores but more about your passion/work ethic! BUT, they do have a set number they like to take for the summer program. Last summer there were about 60 mt students (only 9 guys) and 40 acting students (many more guys in acting; half/half) and 20 tech students. I sent my application in the last week of February and heard back about 7 days after sending it in. So do it ASAP so you reserve your spot haha. Also… YES mail everything in ONE evelope. NO do not type up your scores. Get your counselor to make a copy of your score sheets with PSAT, PLAN, ACT… whatever’s on there and then she can put it in a smaller envelope and sign it and have your recs do the same (sigh the seal) and then put everything in one BIG envelope and send it in. If you do not have it all together things will get easily lost. CMU can be messy with materials, so be as organized as possible. If you have ANY other questions regarding the program, the experience, recs for the best voice teacher to request, what to take, what a day is like at pre college… ANYTHING… feel free to ask!</p>
<p>Thanks so much mtdude!</p>
<p>I am applying aswell! (maybe I’ll see you there samschan).
So I have a couple questions about the program itself: </p>
<p>1) Do you think 60 was too big of a number (it sounds like a lot)? Pros and Cons?</p>
<p>2) What was your favorite thing about the program and least favorite?</p>
<p>3) Do you know any one who did other summer programs? If so, what were their impressions (favorite ones)?</p>
<p>4) What did you gain from the CMU program?</p>
<p>I honestly haven’t started my essay yet so I should get on top of that!
THanks so much for your help! It’s nice to be in communication with fellow mters!</p>
<p>Hey Singforlife! I can absolutely answer your questions!</p>
<p>1) 60 may sound like a big number, but it is NOT… like you’ll understand if you go, BUT I’ll try to explain. All of your classes are VERY VERY VERY small. I usually had about 8-10 people in each of my 8 classes. The only exception to this was Drama Lit. Drama Lit is more of like a normal “college” class. You take it with the tech and acting students as well. So there are like 30 in that class. It is taught by Dr. Michael Chemers who is absolutely AMAZING and he will help your acting even though its a Dramatic Literature class. He’ll teach you how to analyze text and characters like you’ve never imagined. Sorry, I’m on a rant haha. But the classes are small. The first day you have diagnostics for Dance. The faculty will place you in the level they as professional dance teachers feel is best for you. There are 6 levels. So, that is awesome. Like in jazz and ballet alone there were 5 dance teachers. So, its not like all 60 of us had the same 2 teachers. There were 12 dance classes total from the total 60 kids. And its that way for all classes (there were like 6 different acting teachers, etc) Don’t let the large number throw you off AT ALL. I got SO much attention and so much help and I can honestly say that I improved in everything because of my summer at Carnegie Mellon. There are no cons to the large number of people. It honestly will not effect one single part of your summer.</p>
<p>2) My favorite thing about the program was the personalized attention I got from the faculty. I honestly think I had the best teachers possible. I got very lucky! They all helped me everyday. I am a totally different performer now. And also, I value things I did not value before. Everyone is very encouraging in a very, very professional environment. It is an excellent way to get ready for college (getting to class on time, living by yourself, doing homework, etc)… The only bad part of pre-college maybe is the heat and the food. haha. It is VERY hot in Pittsburgh in the summer and not everyone had air conditioning. But you can request ac if you have allergies, doctor note, etc. I would recommend doing that. Also, the CMU cafeteria is not horrible food. Its fine, it just gets old after a little while. But you’ll find other places to eat where your plaid cash/meal card work on campus and off campus, so its not that big of a deal.</p>
<p>3) Yes, absolutely. A very good friend of mine went to MPulse, another friend went to NYU , and another friend went to OCU. They all had good experiences, but nothing like mine BECAUSE the other programs are not very long. 3 weeks is honestly nothing compared to 6 weeks at the best conservatory program in America. And also the other programs, according to my friends, are not very college realistic. My friend at MPulse was not allowed to use her phone or take her computer and not a good example of what college was really like. Whereas, I HAD to use my computer every night to do my homework, read plays that professors had poster online, or email a teacher. (btw, if you don’t have a computer, they have PLENTY there.) Also, at CMU you actually get evaluations like a college student, and I don’t think this is the case at other programs. I HIGHLY recommend CMU.</p>
<p>4) I GAINED SO MUCH. I lived on my own in a big city for 6 weeks, which may not sound like a lot but it is for someone who has never been away for more than a week. Also, I am a much better performer. I was in the advance jazz class and learned SO much from my teacher! I was in intermediate ballet and Dr. Judy Conte changed my life as a dancer. She teaches you methods that are strictly her original ideas that are so helpful and produced legends such as Rob Marshall! I learned so much about acting and how to incorporate acting into every aspect. And EXCELLENT methods for monologues and scenes. And another good one… I got a database of songs and monologues they recommend for college auditionees that I was able to go through and pick! I am also a MUCH better singer because of Gary Kline. He changed my singing voice… and trust me for the better. Before I had Gary, I felt confident as a singer, but something wasn’t quite right… and he tweaked it perfectly… and also just helped so much! You’ll be amazed… and from what I understand, Claudia is AMAZING too (she was Megan Hilty’s teacher!)… I could just go on and on and on and on about the faculty… its amazing… but I will also say, Pittsburgh is SO MUCH FUN too… I often went to see shows at the PCLO, into town for dinner, to squirell hill or the waterfront to see a movie, RazzyFresh for frozen yogurt, or to the water park… or to Washington D.C. on the weekend field trip or to amusement parks… of course, if time allowed due to homework… </p>
<p>Anything else? I’m here for you guys! Sorry for any sp, I’m on a time crunch!</p>
<p>Are you in college now? CM?</p>
<p>Thanks so much for your timely and informative response.</p>
<p>So I do not necessarily want to audition for a conservatory next year; I want to go to a college where I can challenge myself academically and artistically therefore possibly pursuing a major in theater/musical theater/voice. </p>
<p>My question is: Do you think CMU’s summer program main goal is to prepare you for college auditions and has a focus on preparation?</p>
<p>My goal is to find a program that strives to achieve progress for the sake of progress, and does not have a focus on the audition process while still remaining rigourous.</p>
<p>Do you know about NHSI’s musical theater summer program? How do you think that compares to CMU’s summer program?</p>
<p>THANKS SO MUCH! you don’t know how much this has helped!</p>
<p>Thank you mtdude!
I’ve been distracted lately, so I haven’t been active in this post, but I wanted to thank you for your thorough response.
I’ll be sending in my application soon (I’m still waiting on my transcript from my guidance office). But everything else is in order! And the fact that the male community in the MT program is so small makes me feel a heck of a lot better about my odds.
And can you tell me about the voice teachers, and pretty much anything else related to the program?
I live a few minutes away from CMU so things specific to Pittsburgh aren’t really necessary haha.
Thanks!</p>
<p>@Singforlife
I obviously haven’t had first hand experience with the program, but from what I’ve heard (and the website), it’s completely process-based.</p>
<p>singforlife and samschan! Hey guys! So yes! The process HELPS for college auditions in the sense that you take dance everyday and vocalize everyday so you are getting in shape and you have many opportunities to practice auditioning (for college or for anything)… However, pre-college is exactly what the name is… PRE-COLLEGE! It is literally six weeks of college life! It is process! You DO have homework EVERYNIGHT! You read 7 plays… the directing class is VERY challenging and mind stimulating and there will ALWAYS be a project assigned before the next class. You also read 2 other books just about the business aspect of theatre and one written by a broadway casting director on auditioning for professional, summer stock, and regional theatre! In voice class, you will focus A LOT on technique… however, I had Gary for voice, but I am pretty sure that Claudia’s class is almost the same! Everyday we would warm-up with Gary and he would challenge us with having good rhythmic sense and pitch variation while maintaining excellent technique! You also will work many songs in this class… some audition cuts, some full songs that might be performed for parent’s weekend or the talent show, and some group songs as well… its a GREAT class and Gary gives everyone a database of obscure rep that is not as over-done but actually great audition matierial! YOU DO HAVE PRIVATE VOICE TEACHERS! I was SO SO SO SO SOOOO blessed and SO SO SO SO SO Lucky to have Gary Kline as my private voice teacher!! I know I’m a little over-excited but he’s CMU’s voice professor for a reason… if there’s anything that I improved tremendously in through the program it would definitely be my voice! I feel SO much more confident about singing now! I was actually fairly solid and confident before I had Gary, but he just tweaked some technique stuff that made the light switch go off for me! I highly recommend trying to get Gary for voice because he made the character baritone with a limited range who mainly spoke sang into a much more confident full tenor (and improved my range by 5 notes) and did so HEALTHILY! I also recommend Claudia for voice, as well… they are the 2 vocal professors for mt at cmu so they are the best! The other teachers are good as well, but from what I understand from my friends… I REALLY lucked out having Gary as opposed to one of the point park teachers! </p>
<p>singforlife: I know I already told you that it about progress not just about auditioning… you have a TON of classes that are ALL very different (directing, acting, dramatic literature) have nothing to do with college auditions… but improving when analyzing text and reading plays “backwards” as Doc taught us, and Tony McKay’s acting class incorporates EXCELLENT BEYOND EXCELLENT exercises and tacting to improve our acting through scenes… We all were assigned scene partners and you will spend LOTS of time outside of class with your scene partner in the library, in the dorm, wherever reading your play and analyzing the characters and rehearsing all the time to constantly be improving…
then… Jazz, Ballet, and Voice are all technique based… and I can honestly say I was whipped into shape from the dance classes (I was in advance jazz and intermediate ballet… and improved my technique and alignment, etc, etc, etc and also lost 20 pounds in the process!!!) So dance was great, but both classes use the first 2 weeks to really build in technique, the next 4 weeks to use technique in combinations and in any performance of dance, and the last 2 weeks are geared towards auditioning in dance… Voice incorporates college auditions as well because you did get MANY, MANY songs and use them as audition cuts in class, but its still all about improving your talents…</p>
<p>Then, there is a class that is SOLELY based on auditioning… it is called “Audition” hahaha… you read a book about auditioning in the professional world and you really use this class to think about you and find material that suits your personality well… it is mainly a monologue class… and this class is geared toward college auditions, BUT it accomplishes the same thing for auditioning in the business in general…</p>
<p>The other class is Styles and it is where you work on classical text and body movement…</p>
<p>there are also MANY, MANY, MANY excellent master classes at night on Shakespeare and Q&A about all the many programs, representatives from other colleges visit, many performance opportunities at night,… I was the lead in 2 play readings outside of class and I was also in BOAL which is tuesday and thursday night from 7-10 and was an EXCELLENT experience… we had international guest speakers and performed ALL the time through dance, song, scenes, improv and the list goes on and on and on…</p>
<p>sorry for any mis-spellings… I’m typing away while I have free time!!</p>
<p>everything sounds wonderful.
the app is officially in!</p>
<p>Hey!
i got in for the pre college acting program…but i’ll be arriving a bit late cuz of my german exam, would that be a problem???</p>
<p>Hi! I saw your message, even though I am about 3 years too late. I am interested in applying and was wondering if you could give me any advice on applying. For instance, how should I write my essay, and how important are my test scores and grades if applying to the musical theater program? Thank you in advance for any help or advice you can provide! </p>
<p>Shannon</p>