<p>There are a lot of people out there with a lot of money and if they feel like they need special private coaching, so be it. I know the people involved in theartsedge and they are good people. And they only bring in top people from what is considered to be top programs. Not for everyone for sure. Like most parents, I did my own research and did not hire anyone other then an acting coach and a vocal coach (one or two lessons each) to make sure the audition material criterion was met and that the monologue and song was absorbed by my daughter.</p>
<p>Voice Teacher, I am curious as to what would be considered too “coached”? My daughter has been professionally auditioning for several years. I know there is a definite difference (in child actors) between kids who are natural and unaffected and kids who come in acting like Baby June. We know directors and casting directors pretty much always prefer the natural kids. But at the same time, even the nicest and most natural kids need to know how to “do” an audition. I was always complimented on how genuine and sweet my D was, but that she was also very professional.
Whether we get coaching or not, I can’t imagine my D not going into her auditions completely prepared and poised. She’s never going to be a “diamond in the rough” and I guess a school looking for that wouldn’t be interested in her anyway. My hope for coaching is it will give her confidence in her material – both in selection and preparation – and help to steer her in the right direction as far as choice of schools. I hope that is not a turn-off for the schools she would really love to attend!</p>
<p>Merlehay: Its tough to put into words exactly, but I’ll give you a few things that come to mind.</p>
<p>1) Interview question answers that are perfect. They sound rehearsed. Its hard to read if the student is genuine or just really good at what they were told to say. THE PROBLEM: We don’t know if that’s what we are getting if we take that person, or if the real person is different and we just got the coach speaking through the kid.</p>
<p>2) Monologues that are polished to perfection. THE PROBLEM: The students do not take adjustments well. We like to give the students adjustments when we like them to see how well they can adapt. Sometimes its seems like the coached kids don’t really have solid acting skills, they just have a perfectly coached monologue. When we ask them for adjustments, its like they don’t have any real technique to know what to do.</p>
<p>3) Songs are usually good.</p>
<p>Look, its not all the time, all the coaches, or all the kids. I just think that sometimes parents get worked up and are willing to spend every penny they have to make it right. My university is a very competitive program that has been invited by one of the big coaching teams to attend the “invited” schools workshop. We are not 100% anti-coaching, we just wonder sometimes if its really necessary. We took at least two people this year without any training because they were so real and had so much raw talent, we were excited to work with them. We didn’t take a few of the coached kids because we could not tell in our 10 minutes with them if they were genuine or over coached. Because we had two other students who had no coaching and were genuine, we took them instead. </p>
<p>EVERY SINGLE SCHOOL WILL HAVE A DIFFERENT STANCE ON THIS. Some like cookie cutter students, some do not. No one is right or wrong. The top schools are like Mercedes, Porsche, and BMWs. They are all great cars (schools) with great models (reputations) that show a stamp of recognition that you are among the best of best in this world (theatre business).</p>
<p>If you can afford a coach and it makes you feel better about the process, then go for it, but just try to stay true to yourself. Maybe this is something the coaches tell students to do, but those who seem over-coached just really don’t have that “natural” element in their character. That’s very possible. However, if you do not have the money to pay thousands of dollars to professional coaches, then I still suggest the ideas in my previous post.</p>
<p>As far as a turn off - if she nails her audition and acts like a real person with an artistic soul that is deeper than Nick/Disney actors/actresses, then I would say she’s fine. If not, I’m sure there are schools out there that will like her anyway and give her money. That is why you audition to more than 2 or 3 schools. We all like something different and so do the casting directors and producers. Nick and Disney show kids work because they know how to act like Nick and Disney producers/directors want. For the school I teach at - that’s not a good thing. BUT for the student who has a deep artistic view of the world and wants to show the beauty of human life through theatre and song - then we may be a good fit. And that kind of work seems to be what the casting directors and agents who work with us are looking for. At the end of the day, there is a need for both. Staying true to yourself will help you find where you truly belong. Hopefully a coach will be able to see who your child is and help them understand that idea in regards to themselves and steer them towards schools that are the best fit. If the coaching team nails THAT, then I could see a big benefit. But be careful of changing who you truly are. Again, maybe its something that the students are doing against the coaches wishes, but we can never tell on our side. All we know is what we see each year and for our opinions from those experiences.</p>
<p>VT</p>
<p>With ANY arts program, acceptance and success are two entirely different things. </p>
<p>We have talked to several working actors that we know personally. One is on working in NYC and went to Tisch. One went to a state Uni. Both are WORKING. At different levels artistically, but both seem to understand where they are. One grew up in a theatre family the other had NO experience until a junior in HS. No dance, no voice, and like two productions to his credit. I think it’s all about having realistic expectations. </p>
<p>I am more excited to see what a program can TEACH my kid. That’s what I’m paying for. I can throw all the money I want at her endeavors pre-college but then why bother even going to college? Shouldn’t we just be like the NBA and do a one and done for college? The journey is as important as the destination, right? If I want to spend $20k a year why not spend it on coaches and such? The real world doesn’t give a crap where or IF you went to college… It’s what you can do on that stage.</p>
<p>I’d like to address a couple things - lots of good food for thought in all the above posts and all in the spirit of helpful comraderie.</p>
<p>I’m only speaking from what <em>I</em> know from our own experience - the world of theater was something I didn’t know much more about than the average person until my daughter was assimilated 
as a young teenager. She decided she wanted to go into Musical Theater and had I not run across, actually, this forum (or if there is one, a similar site) this is what WE would have done:</p>
<p>We would have applied to about 3 or 4 schools, which would have been chosen on the basis of general school fit - NOT on the program itself - and would probably have had a combination of otherwise good schools with mediocre programs and the dream, hard to get into programs.</p>
<p>Then we would have gone in with her singing something from Wicked. Because we had absolutely NO way to know any of the information about the inside world of theater program auditions, and her high school theatre teacher’s knowledge or lack of it rather, was laughably, shockingly, unbelievably missing. I mean she had never heard of any of the big auditions other than the Texas one and she timed all of the good stuff to put on resumes to hit in the last 3 months of the kid’s senior year…I don’t know how she got her own degree, actually. Anyway the point is, I realize some auditioning schools like a fresher, unspoiled kind of kid to work with, but I think even they appreciate not having to listen to yet another rendition of “Sixteen Going On Seventeen” or even worse faux paus at auditions.</p>
<p>Also, I don’t know about other coaches but in no way do I feel MTCA produces “cookie cutter” students. My D’s coaches put huge effort into helping her pick out audition pieces that were suited to her unique talent and personality - and also they made sure she didn’t over rehearse, either - she wasn’t at all over polished. Just supported. :)</p>
<p>And - the point about lessons and coaching and work in the years preceding this college acceptance coaching - well made. My daughter had 14 years of dance, so yay! What she didn’t have was a lot of singing because she was late in realizing this was what she wanted. What she had was a teachable and imperfect but pretty voice, with a lot of technical work still to be done on it, and a willingness to work hard to play catchup, and her MTCA coaches, her coach here, she herself, and I, all came to the table fully realizing what work she needed to do and MTCA was completely honest and frank (though still kind and sensitive to a mother and student’s tender fond hopes and dreams 
)about what she needed to do. They in no way promised to achieve six years or so of voice lessons with their sessions and in fact that isn’t what they do - they aren’t so much singing teachers as they are audition song coaches. If you really can’t sing they can’t teach you to sing in this short period. What they can do is help you find the songs that suit your style and your voice and help you with doing it in a musical theater style, and also, what they bring to the table is a lot of wisdom about what schools are looking for and what they aren’t.</p>
<p>Some kids and parents might not need all that and have resources and enough knowledge to know how to use them, at their disposal - we, certainly, did not. It is an intimidating, overwhelming, emotionally fraught process. My poor D had a meltdown before her first actual private audition, was dealing with fighting a cold in a harsh foreign climate, and her coach, via Skype that morning, was exactly the wisdom, compassion and support and first aid for nerves that both she and I needed. Which is what you pay a good coach to do, and that’s what they do. </p>
<p>I imagine there are other wonderful coaches like that out there and also some who are not so great. 10,000 dollars!!! Good lord we didn’t spend anywhere near that and how much coaching we used was entirely our decision. All the coaches we have ever used (both MTCA and local) have been highly recommended coaches who were so in demand that they apparently didn’t find it necessary to pressure people into committing to huge amounts of coaching in order to stay in business - that doesn’t seem very professional to me. If they are that good they don’t really need to do that, it seems to me.</p>
<p>MTCA won’t turn a lackluster kid into the next Sutton Foster but if you want expert and ethical support and advice they are an excellent resource.</p>
<p>As far as the interviews - our coaching included some practice interviews, to help D be less nervous and know she needed to ponder what kind of answers she would give to questions, but there wasn’t at all an excessive amount of emphasis on it or on presenting a rehearsed phony personna. Some coaches probably do, unfortunately, go that far, and I agree it’s something to carefully consider, but that was never our experience. And - as much as my daughter loves me - MY doing practice interviews, would just never have worked, because, “maaWWWM, gah”. You know. lol. It’s good to have other adults who are not a parent, sometimes, to work with a kid.</p>
<p>I couldn’t have said it better than snapdragonfly. You have to understand that those of us in public high schools located in small towns have virtually NO support from teachers, guidance counselors, local directors, etc. Even some of the best voice teachers know nothing about MT. MTCA works really hard to help your child figure out who they are, and to find them songs and monologues that show their unique personality. It’s almost like 50% coaching and 50% psychiatry… (I’m joking of course…kind of…). My D has learned so much about herself during these past months. When this process is over and done, her coaches will not have turned her into a polished, perfect auditioner. They will have helped her find herself and express herself, and her auditions will therefore be as unique - and as flawed - as she is. She will do the best she can do, but she will go in knowing that she has discovered herself and is using material that helps show who she is to the various schools. Yes, we are fortunate to be able to afford the coaching services. And no, the coaching services are not necessary to get into a good program - nor are they a guarantee that your child will get into any program. But it is SO competitive, particularly for girls, and it gets more so every year. I believe that if you can get a coach, you should.</p>
<p>Well said snapdragonfly and monkey13!!! Snaps!!!</p>
<p>Totally agree!</p>
<p>^^ ditto ^^ </p>
<p>more <em>S</em>N<em>A</em>P<em>S</em> for Snapdragon and monkey13!!!</p>
<p>In response to BVilleLady, we had the same experience, but maybe it has gotten that much more competitive with Glee, etc??? We did not take the route of college coaches, but my D did work with a voice teacher regularly during high school-not a vocal coach. Her dance was pretty basic; she didn’t start til she was really in high school, but she does pick it up quickly. Her acting she just picked up through local and high school productions. We do live outside Los Angeles, so have more opportunities for theater than a small rural town, that is one difference. She went to a local public high school with a pretty average theater department. </p>
<p>As for the comment above that some of these coaches have multiple students in programs that accept very few, I’m not sure how valid that is. I think that the kids that pursue that type of coaching, or who have been involved in theater and had success locally often times tend to be the kids who have had some type of validation with success, and have stuck with it. My D’s voice teacher, who can be truly termed a “teacher” and not a coach, had great success my D’s year (she will be a senior next year at PSU): 2 at PSU out of 14, plus 1 at Cincinatti, 1 at Michigan, 1 at Boston…that is what I know of. He seems to see such results each year. I think he is picky about who he takes as a student, and that may account for part of it. </p>
<p>Anyway, I still know of kids who are getting in to great programs without a coach currently, so I know it is not a requirement. I totally understand the need in more rural areas where there is not as much opportunity for exposure. I say, if you can afford it and you feel it gives your student and edge up, go for it. But don’t feel as if you are a disadvantage if it is not in the cards; just be prepared to spend time researching audition material, and make sure to get an independent view of your student’s talent so that you are being realistic as to their potential. Good luck to everyone.</p>
<p>I know that we’re mostly anonymous here, but I don’t want anyone to get the wrong impression about my D. She is not a Nick/Disney type at all, with whatever stereotype that brings to mind. In fact, soon after signing with her agent at age 11, she told them she only wanted to go to theatre auditions, not movies/tv/commercials. And she stopped being represented by the agency because she wants to participate fully in the high school experience.
I simply meant that she has the basics of auditioning down. But for many of the reasons that snapdragonfly and monkey13 stated, I know she will benefit from coaching.</p>
<p>Texas State has 7 students from one coach. How many do they take?</p>
<p>Texas State takes 10-12 a year. They took 12 this year.</p>
<p>I think we’re entering ‘correlation does not imply causation’ territory here. Chances are very good that many of the students cited here would have been successful in the admissions process with or without an expensive coaching process. Many applicants get acceptances every year without the use of an audition coach, probably a majority of applicants. There’s something to be said for developing the ability to do your own research for finding appropriate audition material, both monologues and songs for your repertoire book. The proliferation of audition coaches in the past few years has given the impression that it is a necessity to hire one. It isn’t, and families and students who are unable or unwilling to do so should not stress themselves out about it. As there is more than one path to a career in the theatre, similarly there is more than one way to get into a college theatre program.</p>
<p>MTDAD1994, Howmany of those 12 were from out of state?</p>
<p>HNHDAD, approximately 7 are from out of state. don’t know for sure, so there may be 1 or 2 more.</p>
<p>I know our coach also had 2 out of state TSU acceptances that chose another school.</p>
<p>Two of my friends are attending TSU next year. They’re both out of state. It’s kind of crazy that they are going to the same school. They’ve been cast together a lot (Roger and Jan in Grease, Tracy and Edna in Hairspray)! </p>
<p>Since this is kind of straying from the main topic of this thread, I’ll justify it by saying that neither of them used coaches.</p>
<p>Thanks for the info. I was just curious. It is great that Texas State is getting such great talent. It is a pretty campus and it is close to Austin and San Antonio which are two great cities also.</p>
<p>It is also possible that students and their parents who don’t necessarily live in rural areas would greatly benefit from coaching - not everyone who lives in a big urban area has necessarily been able to tap into the resources even if they are in close proximity. Or it might just be a matter of needing the support.</p>
<p>One thing that MTCA does is help determine a good school list. That is very important to success. I am so familiar now with all the programs in my state and the ones in close proximity it seems hard to remember the day when I didn’t know The Meadows from Texas A&M. (do they even have a theater??? Sorry for any aggie fans but I will risk presuming that everyone in THIS forum realizes that a big football team does not guarantee also a good theater program!) BUT, it takes a lot of research to figure it all out - remember the spreadsheets?? lol!!! I spent HOURS on those! And even doing all that work yourself, all you have still is just the basic facts of the program and your impression from the website. The intangibles and unofficial but very real individual qualities that distinguish one program from another which make it a good fit or not, for your kid, which a good college admissions coach is familiar with, (which MTCA is also, specialized for MT) is also what you are paying for.</p>
<p>Some people visit many, many, schools, strive to visit all the ones on their list: others don’t visit until after the big auditions - some have yet other opinions of school visits - but one thing is for sure and that is that visits are time consuming and expensive. Having someone who is good at matching your kid up with prospective programs, based on all the factors involved - including a knowledge of what school usually looks for and how well the kid fits - is very helpful no matter where you live or what your situation. Some high school drama teachers might know all this stuff, I guess, but I suspect even in big schools in big towns that perhaps they don’t always know all the schools, especially far away non regional ones - or they may simply not have that kind of time. You are talking about several hours per kid to work on this stuff and I suspect theatre teachers are among the most overworked of all subject matters.</p>
<p>Not to say it can’t be done without a coach but it makes it easier to have some help, for sure, and although by the time we consulted ours, we had a pretty decent beginning of a list, they had a lot of knowledge about schools we didn’t even have on our radar, and they were very familiar with things about the programs that there was no way I could have known, so we got it fine tuned and we ended up with several good options so it was a success. Might have been without any coaching (if that is, we figured some of this stuff out on our own) but I think it saved me a good bit of grey hair!</p>