<p>I have seen MTCA mentioned a lot on this forum, but has anyone used ArtsBridge (Halley Shefler)? MTCA has not been very responsive to my inquiries (i.e. not replying to emails), but I feel like I should continue to pursue them because of their reputation, and that my D has worked personally with a few of the coaches in other situations. Maybe they are too busy to want to start working with a rising junior?
However, Halley Shefler does respond promptly to inquiries. I just don't know anything about the reputation of the coaching service.
I would appreciate any suggestions. Thanks!</p>
<p>I haven’t used ArtsBridge’s services so I apologize for not actually answering your question, but I would like to address your query with MTCA, if that is possible.
While I’m not here to boast on the tremendous success their students accomplish, through the help of an amazing coaching staff, led by an awesome director (who happens to be a very genuine person) or to persuade you to keep trying to contact them, I will say that they are probably just a little busy at the moment but should answer to your email soon. I have used their services and know they respond in a timely manner, but sometimes there may be a greater amount of incoming emails that slows the reply process.
Trust that they are incredible at what they do and that if/when you meet them, you’ll never feel disregarded. Honestly, I always felt as if I was the only student they had, even though I knew there were others.
And regarding rising juniors… This year there were a lot of juniors getting coached and when I did my mock, they were about half the amount of seniors, and got to sit through that amazing experience and learn a lot to put in practice for their own mock next year. MTCA carries a very fair policy through their business and would never not respond to students because of what grade they are in.
I do hope they answer your email soon, and will try to see if I can help with that.
I also applaud your initiative and can only wish that this next couple of years bring you fantastic experiences and enormous artistic growth, regardless of decision you make.</p>
<p>My son attended Arts Bridge. I went to the “complimentary” meeting with Halley Shefler. I told her my son wanted to attend NYU Tisch and she told me that he was not “NYU material” and that we really should use her services to help him get into school.
We could not afford her services. Where my son is going to college next year?
Tisch. So much for her assessment. I know other people rave about the program but my son did not find it helpful, for us it was a waste of money and I would not recommend it. Her main goal is to recruit clients at $10,000 a pop.</p>
<p>I am also a very satisfied MTCA alum parent. You will spend much less than the above mentioned $10,000, as you decide how much time and money you want to invest! I will also contact the director, Ellen, and let her know you are trying to get hold of her. She is usually VERY responsive!</p>
<p>It took me a couple tries to get her at first but not an unreasonable amount of time, and once we connected, Ellen (of MTCA) was always extremely and pretty much immediately accessible.</p>
<p>I don’t at all think she intends to ignore anyone or is “too busy” for anyone either, but she is pretty busy. But not too busy to get back to you. She might be traveling or something. Anyway, MTCA was wonderful and I don’t think their prices are at all inflated or exploitive, but are pretty much in line with what competent coaching should cost. She runs her business with the most stringent ethics; you can trust both her intentions and her expertise, and also her staff. They were so good to us.</p>
<p>I am sure there are other coaches of her caliber but I don’t know of them. The local voice coach we used (and they were so good about co-ordinating efforts) is a wonderfully talented and stringently ethical teacher also, but doesn’t have the knowledge about MT programs that MTCA offers. So I don’t regret at all the money spent, it was well worth it because this is a difficult path without some good support.</p>
<p>My daughter attended Artsbridge last summer and for her, it was a waste of time & money as well. Their “feedback” from the attending college auditors came months later and was very minimal to say the least. We considered using Halley S. as well; however she couldn’t ever quantify what the $10.000 would buy us so we ended up selecting MTCA and have been working with them since last Nov. very happy with them as well and we have control on how much we spend! Ellen can take a few days to a week to respond at times but we’ve come to just anticipate that now.</p>
<p>Thank you all so much for your replies! It helps so much to hear from those who have actually been there!</p>
<p>Ballpark price range of MTCA?</p>
<p>Oh, my gosh!!! I thought you were exaggerating about the $10,000!!! </p>
<p>Do not just walk away, RUN AWAY, AS FAST AS YOU CAN!!!</p>
<p>You will spend a fraction of that with MTCA or Mary Anna Dennard - they worked together until about 2 years ago and are both excellent choices…</p>
<p>I believe I calculated based on their minimum numbers for coaching sessions (both monologue and voice) it would be around $2000. Of course we’ve exceeded that but we’ve opted to do so on our own. Well worth it and far less than Artsbridge would have cost us.</p>
<p>So the summer program is basically a teaser? My daughter was accepted but chose a different MT workshop. Thank God!</p>
<p>My twin sons used Mary Anna Dennard and even with lots of extra workshops and coaching sessions, I paid nothing even close to 10K – and that was for BOTH of them.</p>
<p>Just a thought: When students come in from those coaching services, it can be a turn off. If the material is perfectly polished, it can leave us wondering “where is the real <strong>(name of student)</strong>__? Is this just good coaching or real talent?”</p>
<p>MIND you, not always. But food for thought if you are struggling with the $ aspect. Do a few Skype lessons with someone in the biz if you want expert opinion, but do not feel like you need to go anywhere near the $10k or even $5k mark for this.</p>
<p>VT</p>
<p>I hear you VT and appreciate that feedback. I have bookmarked some of your previous posts because your wisdom and common sense is remarkable. But what MTCA does is much more than coach their kids with the songs and monologues you see and hear in your auditions. Most of these kids with dreams to do this in college have no clue what you guys are looking for when they walk into the audition room with you (where they have one shot and have to do it all in approx. 5-8 minutes). You have the benefit of having seen hundreds or even thousands of these individual auditions and they go through this just once. They can’t talk to you before or after their audition (unless they do it here on CC, but they have to be smart enough to figure out who you are first) for feedback or advice. It’s a grueling process on our end and I am sure you know that. Heck, you went through it yourself more than likely. But I have a feeling the competition for these spots has become much more intense the last few years.</p>
<p>The two coaches we had at MTCA became my daughter’s friends and mentors. Most of the MTCA coaches are currently in the biz or have been. They also offer mock auditions for kids to attend where they can practice their audition pieces and get some feedback as well as witness other kids doing their auditions. They offer song selection coaching (you know you roll your eyes when you hear “that song” you heard 10,000 times already this year). My daughters HS drama teacher and chorus teacher would have absolutely given her wrong advice on song and monologue selections because they have no clue what is going on with MT auditions these days. </p>
<p>Also, once MTCA coaches get to know their students, they have a feel for whether or not the colleges on their list fit their personalities based on the hundreds of other students that have gone before them and can offer feedback if asked. They would never tell a student they don’t have what it takes as another poster mentioned someone did to them. They have a pretty vast knowledge base of previous experience with other students at almost every MT school. They offer that knowledge and experience to those of us that come into this with no clue. We came in late and they saved the day for us. We had a limited budget, but we decided how many sessions we could afford and we paid them as we went, not up front. </p>
<p>It’s very hard to get into any of these college MT audition programs and I could not imagine having gone through this process without having Ellen there for us. I highly recommend Ellen at MTCA.</p>
<p>With students admitted to 73 different audition only college theater programs this year, 99% of coached students admitted to audition schools of their choice and over 12 million dollars offered in scholarships, I don’t think MTCA’s students were looked at questionably. Au contraire, the MTCA coaches work with each student to maximize their individual potential, finding songs and monologues that fit each and are not overdone, and with expert instruction contribute to skill growth along the way that students can further apply outside of just the showcased work. Their goal is not only to help students perfect their audition pieces, but to grow as actors and singers. They work with the whole student, not just the single pieces. In addition, they offer resources for skill growth to those that cannot find the instruction they need in their local area. The work very successfully over Skype, as they did for us. I know absolutely that without their assistance, knowledge and skills, my daughter would have never made it into one of her top choice schools, let alone even made it into and through the audition process. You wouldn’t have so many posts from so many satisfied parents and students if they didn’t feel this process was worth every penny! The cost of MTCA coaching is in line with any private vocal or instrumental lessons. You only pay for what you want, for as long as you want. Google and email them and they will send you their cost basis with no pressure to purchase. You will also see much detail of where this year’s students and alums have been accepted and attended. I am always happy to give information privately if you want to PM or email me. BTW, as soon as I notified MTCA about the CC’er who posted above that she had trouble reaching them, they emailed her immediately.</p>
<p>Hi everyone. I’ve been following this thread with interest – and with extreme caution. This level of coaching for high school actors is rather surprising to me. I certainly understand taking acting, dancing and singing classes throughout high school, if you can afford it. Perhaps reaching out to your local theatre director or acting coach for assistance in preparing for college auditions. But this level of coaching is truly a mystery to me. </p>
<p>Maybe we just missed the wave? My son is heading into junior year at Tisch. He never did any of this. He went to a local public school. They had one fall drama production and one spring musical production. They had a drama class for credit. No dance program at all. He did stuff on the side, of course. Community theatre, acting camp, local acting classes, etc. But, again, nothing like what all of you are describing.</p>
<p>I always like to give back, since CC was such a wealth of information to us when we were looking at college. So I will tell you honestly that my son did indeed somewhat flub his audition. He was not perfect. But he was very, very real and I’m sure the Tisch auditors knew it.</p>
<p>I would never want to discourage folks from trying to give their talented kids a head up. It is a very competitive environment. In his evolving actor’s life, my son continues to take advanced coaching–only in connection with his outside interests. Still, for you, it’s college. Not the professional world. Yet.</p>
<p>Fresh talent is a wonderful thing. Everyone is looking for it, at the college level and professionally. The best auditors and observers recognize it. So to anyone following this thread, try not to fret if you cannot afford this arguably amazing level of coaching. </p>
<p>It’s the start of a new season of young actors applying to college. Please try not to scare the kids off, folks!</p>
<p>You know, some of these coaches have 5 or 6 kids in a program that takes 10 - 20. They obviously know a thing or two about how to get in. It’s escalated a ton in the last couple of years. I would love to hear from a college rep though. It would be so nice if schools were looking for teachability rather than polish and perfection. After that much work, guidance, money, practice, etc. it would be hard to imagine not being accepted somewhere.</p>
<p>^^ Flossy, I totally agree! It is super competitive now and will only get harder for students to get in. Also if you have a daughter it’s even harder. I used MTCA and would never look back. They kept me organized and sane during this process. Every student may not need the extra push but in our case is welcomed and produced the result we were looking for!</p>
<p>Just to let you all know, I spoke with Ellen last night and have scheduled an initial consultation for next week. Thank you all so much for encouraging me to get in touch with MTCA again – it speaks volumes that their clients were so concerned! We had a wonderful conversation, and I feel very comfortable moving forward. It makes such a difference to talk with someone who “gets” everything!</p>
<p>It is very easy to go towards Black and White answers. This or That. The extremes. There are MANY MANY MANY shades of grey (not the book 
in all of this.</p>
<p>Do coaching programs work? Yes. Do some schools gravitate to those “coached” students? Yes. Do some schools get turned off by coached students? Yes. Are there any definite paths? NO!</p>
<p>In addition to teaching at a university, I have run my own regional coaching service for the past 7 years, much less so now than before. I have a 100% placement rate, many full rides, and entrances to the big schools and big summer programs. So I’ve truly been there on both sides: with the parents and students; with the universities.</p>
<p>IF you can afford a high end coaching service - great, go for it. IF you CANNOT, do not feel like you are cheating your child or ruining their chances. Could they be at a slight disadvantage? Maybe, maybe not - SHADES OF GREY APPLY.</p>
<p>I think the following chain of thought can help you make an informed decision:</p>
<p>Look up the audition coaches you are considering, look at the list of schools they list for their placements. Are there more than 2 or 3 schools on there you are considering? Are there multiple accepts from that service to that school? IF YES - you probably need an audition coach if you can afford it. If NO, keep reading.</p>
<p>Are the 2 or 3 schools on the above list your child’s Dream Schools? IF NO - you may not need an audition coach. IF YES - Keep reading.</p>
<p>Use YouTube to your advantage. Search for “Freshmen Showcase <em>__name of school</em>_” and watch all videos that you can find. Use every other possible combination of search terms to find freshmen or sophomores at that school. Now this is the hard part - BE HONEST! Is your S or D really at that level??? Take the videos to an impartial judge of your child’s talent (experienced friends, coaches in the area you do not work with on a regular basis, or a teacher who has always been honest with your S or D). Ask them if your S or D is really at that level? If yes, then you may want to consider an audition coach. If the feedback is no and it seems there is a lot of work to be done, consider skipping the coach and read the next section.</p>
<p>I graduated high school at 17, my brother graduated at 19 - that was by my parents choice and had nothing to do with my brother’s intelligence. My parents thought they were giving me a leg up by starting me off young, and then they realized being the youngest in my class was harder than being some of the other kids who were the oldest and always seemed to be ahead of everyone else academically and in sports. So my brother started later and it was a huge success. If your child is on the younger side, there are serious physical and emotional differences that happen in 1-2 years that could make them more competitive (look up the book “The Outliers”). If they seem to be on the underside of the talent pool, it is not necessarily because they are not talented. Sometimes a year makes all the difference. If money is tight, skip the audition coach for the first year, audition on your own, and know going in that you are highly considering a gap year with the first year out of high school dedicated to Gen Eds or just experiencing life, working, and saving money. Then the next year, get an audition coach and go for it. Your S or D should be in a better place because they will now be the slightly older student competing against the younger ones. My first coaching client fell into this situation. She auditioned on her own before we worked and did not get in anywhere, even the lowest level programs rejected her. The next year she had no distractions. Friends were gone, no cheerleading, no rotating boyfriends, and no fancy dances or school activities to distract her. We prepped, re-auditioned, and got into CCM, BOCO, waitlist at Carnegie Mellon, and (a little bit I find fascinating) she was rejected to Ball State and Webster. She left school to take a Broadway gig her junior year of college, then went on her first national tour, and then her 1st Broadway tour understudying a major role in a major show. I do not think any amount of coaching that senior year would have made a difference. Of course you can never know, but even if it would have, she did not have the money for it, and regardless, it all worked out.</p>
<p>ONE OTHER THOUGHT ABOUT $$$
When I look at resumes of kids from big name coaching services, I tend to notice the best ones, and the ones who look the least coached, have a lot of other training. This is just a hypothesis, BUT I imagine that the same parents who have the money to spend a few thousand on an audition coach have been able to spend many thousands on high quality training for several years. At the end of the day, I think that its the several years of training that really makes the difference, the audition coach just ties it together. In those with less training, I see some exceptional people with amazing raw talent, and then others that look like they spent all their money on audition coaching hoping that was the answer when they should have hired a voice teacher and acting teacher for a solid year instead.</p>
<p>There are SHADES OF GREY in all of these conversations. There are NO right answers. Do yourself a huge favor and be honest about your child’s talent. If they do not compare right now, its OK, they could catch up in a year. This should be one decision along the way, not an agonizing decision that makes you feel like you are ruining your child’s future.</p>
<p>VT</p>