Coaching Services

College Majors Musical Theater Major
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<p>I haven’t watched it and from what I read here I’m not going to.</p>

<p>A full ride based ONLY on talent. Hmmm. Unless every single one of the well over a dozen schools, closer to two dozen, that we looked at, (a wide range of private and public schools with a wide variety of programs, some very selective, others not as much, BA’s and BFA’s of all kinds, some very well known, some hidden gems, just to show how across the board is the sample I am basing my thoughts on) lied to us, full rides based only on talent/audition fall somewhere between never and never. Some did have pretty generous offers if they really liked you, so we heard, if they had the budget, and only one school we visited had that kind of budget for the program. And we did get a nice offer from them, higher than the schools who told us that they had a fairly small budget for talent offers. Now academic was a different story. It was entirely possible to get a full ride academically at almost any of the schools we visited, and then talent money would have been in addition. And actually - there were rumours floating about that some schools would SAY they didn’t have big talent monies but they would mysteriously find them for JUST the right person. I really hope that legend is as full of BS as it sounds, frankly.</p>

<p>Of course even though our sample was a pretty good representation of the spectrum of types of schools, it was obviously not every single MT program in the country, so it is entirely possible that some of them out there could be in a position to, and sometimes do, offer a full ride for talent only. </p>

<p>But frankly, with the plethora of amazing talent that every program regretfully turns away, I don’t see why any program would have any incentive to do that, because almost certainly they are going to be able to (in the desirable small capped audition programs especially) build the class they want to build without having to do that. And not to insult anyone but I don’t see how any one student out there could be SO AMAZINGLY FREAKINGLY unbelievably astonishingly SO much better by light years than the hundreds of other kids they see, that they all decide to break their own policy and utterly blow their budget on acquiring this ONE, only, super amazing, not even having enough money left to buy rights to good shows justifyingly brilliant kid. Not to say there aren’t superstars who shine even in a field of very shiny other stars…there are…but I think most schools probably find that the reality of budgets and the laws of supply and demand are such that it simply isn’t necessary for them to give that much money away in talent scholarships even to acquire those better than the best kids.</p>

<p>I could be wrong - and we did not visit any schools who would be in the category of rather bad schools who have decided they want to improve and are giving full rides away in order to do it, which would be the only feasible reason I could see a theater department deciding to do that. Other than, I suppose, a theater department having THAT much money that they could afford to do that for just really great kids that they do like a lot, as opposed to the unlikely and ridiculously exaggerated scenario I painted above. But I was under the impression that there aren’t any schools these days who have all the money in the world to spend on their wish lists - I was under the impression, that some colleges are doing not as bad as others and some are really really hurting, but none are exactly floating in extra monies, and giving full rides to kids who they can probably get for much less, doesn’t seem like something most of them are going to do.</p>

<p>So that’s what I conclude based on what we were told and saw. But as I say I didn’t see everything and I could be wrong.</p>

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<p>~and that coaching sounds contrary to everything we ever heard or experienced with coaches, too. Ugh. Now we are all going to have to work even harder to disspell false notions about the world of MT than we already do!!! :D</p>

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<p>I don’t watch Glee and in fact very rarely watch any TV at all. I would not normally watch Glee Project, but I am watching it this season because one of my daughter’s best friends is on it. When you say you want “real actors” on Glee, I just want to point out that my D’s close friend who is on Glee Project IS a real actor. She has a BFA in MT from NYU/Tisch and has worked professionally in musical theater. If you watch the show, she is the girl who is very pretty with long blond hair and her name is Ali. Keep an eye out for her as she is gonna make it in this field. Just wanted to say that even though this thread is not about Glee Project.</p>

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<p>We actually do know of a full tuition based on talent (for a girl) at a well-know BFA program, however it is definitely VERY unusual (and this is at a school that is not known for giving out a lot of money). To think one girl got 4 such offers is pretty unlikely. My D also had a friend who appeared on The Glee Project last season and was cut very early on, who is having great success and who I would consider a “real actor” . She is still enrolled in a BFA program, but took last semester off for a role on Broadway. She is fantastic and I know will continue doing well. I have only watched that show a couple of times, and only because this girl was on it, but I would agree that many of the participants do not appear to be “real actors”!</p>

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<p>I don’t watch Next Big Thing, but I have many friends who work in “reality” TV, esp as editors (the people who really create the show you see on the air). Please don’t assume most of what you see is real. Footage is recreated, scenes are made to look spontaneous when they’ve been planned and rehearsed, money is thrown around to make things happen. And that’s before the editors even get their hands on the footage to make it look like things happened that didn’t really happen. (I wouldn’t even be surprised to hear that that “full ride” was paid for by the show.)</p>

<p>One of my favorites was a local school that was featured on a “makeover” show (I forget the title – School Pride, maybe?). It’s purely an academic school, focused on taking low-income kids and giving them college prep opportunities. But for the purposes of the TV show, it was featured as a performing arts school in need of a new auditorium. They hammered the performing arts thing in every scene – and it barely has a performing arts program at all. Some of the people at the school were quite embarrassed (and the <em>real</em> performing arts schools in our district were also quite unhappy)…</p>

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<p>The Glee Project is more about singing than acting, although this year especially it seems much more about being an “underdog” than having much talent at all. I also know someone who was on it last year and auditioned after applying to college MT programs and not getting accepted anywhere.</p>

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<p>Because you are so enthusiastic about MTCA Christie2 post #4 and others, I would like to know a little bit more about them. I have heard mixed things about Artsbridge and Mary Anna Dennard (please anyone correct me if I’m wrong in saying that), but I have heard consistently positive things in regards to MTCA. However, I am looking to major in drama, not musical theater. Basted on your knowledge of MTCA, would you say that they are just as adequate for straight acting as they are for drama? For example, do they hold master classes and mock auditions for straight drama majors as well? Anyone who has worked with Mary Anna or ArtsBridge, I would love to hear as much feedback as possible. So incredibly appreciative of all of this information!!</p>

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<p>Acting22…MTCA has a WIDE variety of incredibly coaches working to every kind of strength. My S worked with five different coaches during the last year and I know without question he would never have gotten the eight acceptances and scholarship dollars he did without them. They have acting and vocal coaches that run the gamut of expertise. Ellen will assess your child’s needs and partner them with the coaches best suited for whatever areas of priority you outline. We live on the West Coast and I was BEYOND skeptical about the Skype process. It worked exceptionally well and my son has made a great network among both the coaches and other MTCA students. At every school we visited, we met up with former MTCA students which was extraordinarily helpful. Not only were the coaches well qualified - but MTCA is genuinely like a family. Once acceptances were in, their input, questions and support were invaluable to the final decision process. I urge you to reach out to Ellen. She is fantastic with the kids and a genuinely amazing human being! I know the connections my son made with continue well into his future on a both a personal and professional level.</p>

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<p>Full tuition scholarship for talent? I would love to know what school that is.</p>

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<p>An alternative to coaching services would be to look locally for coaches with experience. There is a wonderful audition coach in our town that my D worked with who knew just what schools to apply to, which ones to avoid based on what my D was looking for, what monologues, what dress to wear and not wear, etc etc. Every student she has worked with has been accepted to an MT program. If you have a resource like that I’d strongly advise that direction as well.</p>

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<p>Acting22 - I must say that we used Mary Anna Dennard and I have not heard any negative feedback from anyone we asked about her. We have loved having her as a coach and felt she was invaluable to our understanding of the process. Her support and acting coaching really gave my daughter that extra boost of confidance that I am sure helped her perform so well at the auditions. </p>

<p>Her “Moo Crew”, which is the group of kids that use her, are very close and have given each other support and comfort during this stressful month. In fact, my daughter has made some great friends through this process. She has frequently contacted previous years Moo Crew students attending universities that she is interested in. They have been a great source of information and assistance when we have visitied school.</p>

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<p>I will ditto what actsandsings said about MTCA. They helped get my S into one of his dream schools and were a great support network through the entire process. We had the added advantage of being in the NY area so he could do MTCA master classes, dance classes and a mock. He did do one Shakespeare master class but I think most of the master classes are singing. I’m pretty sure they accommodate straight actors for mocks too but you should check with Ellen. My daughter is starting with MTCA soon. Can’t believe I have to do this whole process again in two years :).</p>

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<p>We used ArtsBridge - both the summer program and admissions consulting - and couldn’t have been happier. AB really understands college admissions as well as arts admissions. They also have amazing connections and can provide access to great resources for audition prep and mock auditions. Finally, they kept me sane during the waiting part of this. Quite a feat as patience is not my string suit. Worth every penny in my book.</p>

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<p>I used at MTCA too. There were straight actors in my mock not just MT kids. I honestly cannot think of a better service. I am from Michigan so I skyped most the time and went to the city a couple times. MTCA makes you feel really confident in your material and gives you great guidance throughout the process. My coaches also became more like friends after a while with how close we got.
It also gives you some great things you don’t think about off the top of your head but are super nice. First, all of my auditions I saw an MTCAer and recognized them from our Facebook group or a mock which was nice cause you automatically had a common ground. Second, they help with like wardrobe and interviews during mocks which helps you a lot with just presentation. Third, I did Chicago unified and they walked you through the walk in process and had a suite with some coaches there to calm nerves, talk to you,or you could schedule coaching. Third, the facebook group is super helpful for people who dont check their email everyday (thats how I kept semi sane through the waiting) MTCA if you want to will post acceptances in the group so you can see remotely when decisions come out, also I started March of my Junior Year so I could search the group from last audition cycle to find out when decisions came out.
I honestly cannot recommend MTCA enough. My family and I could not have gone through this process without them.</p>

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<p>We hired a well-known coach in Northern California for our son, and it is the best thing we could have done. We knew nothing about the process, and by hiring a coach, our son independently managed the entire process with little meddling on our part. She helped him identify his target schools, select his audition pieces, work his acting pieces, be totally prepared for each audition, and identify others to help him with the process (application and essays, head shots, vocal coach, etc.). He started with her last spring, and it provided great clarity in managing an uncertain and subjective process. His preparedness gave him confidence during the auditions and interviews. She primarily coached him on the acting pieces, and his vocal coach helped him select and work his musical pieces. He also took up piano again, after about a 5+ year hiatus, so he felt more confident reading music. By having him work with professionals in the process, we could be supportive parents rather than having to nag him about all of the details, which made everything much less stressful for us and our son.</p>

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<p>Back in the day, MTCA and Moo (Mary Anna) worked together so my kids worked with both of them! Talk about win-win! Ellen was their vocal coach, Moo their acting coach! We are very happy alumni of both!</p>

<p>Check them both out and see which best meets your needs. In the meantime, order and read “I Got In!” by Mary Anna Dennard. With or without coaching, it’s a great place to start!</p>

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<p>Well you probably know we are fans of Mary Anna’s. As far as cost, the MT online package was $500 I think and there were five monologue coachings for $500.</p>

<p>$1000. </p>

<p>My son is talented don’t get me wrong but after a domino fell yesterday, we are virtually 100 % acceptance or waitlist. Did our Otterbein final callback by video which is his only rejection. We are smarter for knowing her. Easily worth more money and yes we also had some travel expenses since we do not live in Texas. Early sessions were done by Skype.</p>

<p>We added master classes with Texas State and CMU (Kaitlin and Barbara). Now with a recent domino falling my son has difficult choice.</p>

<p>I am certain MTCA is also good. It is becoming more competitive each year. I know some get in without it. Great. We didn’t want to risk it. We are very busy. So much at stake.</p>

<p>Kudos to those who fly or flew without a chute.</p>

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<p>We used Mary Anna Dennard (Moo) and could not have been more pleased. She truly cares about each student she works with; hand picks and coaches unique, suitable monologues; gives great advice about college lists and the entire audition process; has been available whenever a question arose via email, text or Skype; her book is an invaluable resource and a great place to start; and being a part of Moo Crew has been an invaluable support system. My daughter did not attend an audition where she didn’t run into at least one other Moo Crewer which made the auditions far less scary to have friends there; and one thing i dont think gets enigh attention at all is the family Moo creates – the students’ online support for one another via their Facebook group has been a great place to ask questions; be cheered on for successes and to be lifted up when needed. I have no doubt these kids will stay in touch - how great to go into this industry knowing 50+ other talented kids training in schools throughout the US. And I know Moo will continue to stay in touch and support these kids throughout college and their careers also. If you want truly personal attention from a very caring coach I would highly recommend Moo. We did most of our coaching with her via Skype and were only able to attend one master class - but we could not be happier with our decision to use Moo as an audition coach.</p>

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<p>As I’ve shared before, we used Mary Anna Dennard for both sons and are very satisfied customers. Moo’s extensive knowledge of new plays was wonderful when it came to helping them select their monologues (they also auditioned for a few straight acting programs). She also was a great guide for my husband and I in terms of navigating what appeared to be a treacherous process, especially for twins. (The guidance counselors at our HS were great on academic portion of admissions process, but Mary Anna helped fill in the blanks on the performance side.) Over their senior year of HS, the boys did monologue coaching sessions with Moo and took part in several master classes and mock auditions, which helped tremendously in easing the anxiety of audition season. And yes, her students included both MT and Acting applicants. For the record, at both my boys current schools, there is a mix of both Mary Anna and MTCA alumni, plus students who didn’t use coaching (some kids came from large PA High schools, and still others navigated the process on their own).</p>

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<p>If you are looking for a coach, I would suggest that you investigate both Mary Anna Dennard and MTCA. Compare their costs, availability and services. I may be wrong, but I do believe that Mary Anna primarily offers personal coaching, mainly conducted by herself, along with some workshops available (but quickly sold out!) in L.A. If someone could describe her services and how they were offered to out of staters, that would be a great help to everyone, I’m sure. MTCA offers services given by a wide variety of coaches and instructors, all successful in the MT and straight acting and vocal fields, and can provide coaching, instruction and all other college choice and prep services over Skype (which is how we did most of it.) as well as personally in NYC and southern California. There is a strong market for both, and different personalities will prefer different kinds of instruction and different personal matchups. Look at the website of each, and you will get a strong feel for their programs. Email each for more details on what is available. I’m sure that going with either will greatly profit you. We wouldn’t have made it through without the support of MTCA! (And Mary Anna’s students all say the same!)</p>