<p>Not to stir up controversy, but here is a question: Are there any MT programs out there that have an adverse reaction to some of the MT Coaches such that the association is a negative? The answer can be a resounding NO I’m just voicing something that I pondered myself last year. I had heard from a trusted source (voice teacher with a track record for her students finding great placement) that there are some coaches that do set off the “woo-detector” in certain circles but I don’t know if even if that is true specific to the coach or the coaching practices, if it hurts the applicant. I’d like to think not. Anyone know?</p>
<p>Mary Anna personally helps with selecting which colleges you will audition for, selecting and coaching monologues, and preparing for the audition process itself. She connected us with a fabulous voice teacher for song selection, acting the song and voice preparation which we did mainly via Skype. That teacher was based in NYC and we were able to meet with him once in person. Her master classes were offered in New York, Atlanta, Dallas and Los Angeles so lots of locations to choose from. Most of our coaching was done via Skype because she is based in Dallas and we live in southeastern part of the country. She was at Unifieds in Chicago and LA to lend support if needed. As you can see, she is very personally involved with each of her students and always accessible in person or via Skype. Her students live in all parts of the Us. This years Moo Crew included students from Florida, New Jersey, New York, Kentucky, Illinois, Alabama, Kansas, Texas, California, and many other states. Location should not prohibit you from working with her if you wish to do so.</p>
<p>In answer to halflocum’s question, I can only answer for MTCA, but if you look at the current MTCA website and see where students from last audition season ended up, and look at it after May 1 for the final decisions of this year’s applicants, you will see that the answer to the questions regarding MT programs and a negative reaction to an MTCA coach is a 'resounding NO" ! Of course, students do not go in announcing that they have been coached, nor do they list it on their resume, and MTCA coaches do not ‘hang around’ the audition rooms, although they do have a coaching team room at Unified auditions where support is provided to all their students and student families. So, unless pointedly asked, no auditioner would know if and by who MTCA students were coached.</p>
<p>Christie2 - We were advised by MTCA to include each of the MTCA coaches on my D’s resume within the Training section, and it was posted in the FB group to so. I would assume the majority of this year’s MTCA participants did include their coaches on their resumes. When my daughter did so, it was not to show she was part of the MTCA group but to show that she was committed to training.</p>
<p>In response to halflokum’s question, I don’t think we will ever know the reasons some students are offered positions and others not. Having been coached (or not) could influence some programs one way or another. I agree with Christie2’s assumption that it likely doesn’t have much negative impact, since the graduates get in to many popular programs. However, it is possible that the programs which are less popular could prefer un-coached students. </p>
<p>I do not think it is a matter of schools preferring to see “MTCA” or “Mary Anna Dennard” on a resume, but more that those kids (and those coached by others) have selected appropriate material, are prepared, and walk in confident. Of course there are others ways to get to the same end.</p>
<p>halflokum… I do not think that programs give it much thought one way or another. I can say that it has not impacted decisions at all in programs where I have taught. </p>
<p>Sent from my DROID RAZR using CC</p>
<p>I have sung the praises for MTCA before, and I will do it again. I know my girl auditioned as well as she did due to all of the help and support we received from them . . . I can echo the information and sentiments shared in previous posts and offer this as well: Ellen and my daughter’s coaches connected with my daughter on a PERSONAL level . . . she was not just a client, they truly and deeply cared about her (and still do!). My daughter felt a real connection with her MTCA coaches and it made a huge difference in her growth and confidence. </p>
<p>Another note: Recently, my daughter helped with the last on-campus auditions and part of her job was to bring auditionees into the room and then she could sit and watch. She said that there were a couple kids that were just “together” and “polished” and did VERY well . . . both had worked with MTCA. My daughter is not sure about one of the kids, but the other one got into the program!</p>
<p>KatMT (and others): good. Right answer. I would assume even if a school had any personal discomfort with a coach, it shouldn’t ever impact the applicant.</p>
<p>We’ve just started with MTCA. My D and I both agree that we could have found great local coaches that would have done a good job preparing her, but because we are both organizationally challenged we need the extra support with everything else!</p>
<p>One of the best and affordable options we chose was to take my daughter to a neighboring state for a Thespian College audition in the fall senior year. It was free, she tried out her songs and monologues before a panel of nearly two dozen schools. She received many callbacks and two BA theater offers that day. So, we felt she was on the right track, and had a backup plan. That is something most families could afford.
Mine had a super busy performance schedule, so we became very limited with our time before audition season.I would very much echo earlier recommendations to choose songs and monologues mid junior year,whether you choose a coach or no. If you are going to try to apply and get a pre-screening video out by November 1, you will be scrambling to get those done along with all the arts essays and applications that are also due around that time.Plus school work!</p>
<p>I would suggest skyping both of Mary Anna and MTCA and see if either is a fit. They have a different feel. The best tip we got, since folks are name dropping here, was Steven Lutvak. I dubbed him “The song whisperer”. My child skyped with him,chatted, sang a bit and a few weeks later he sent her four songs that were just great, which she was able to use for many occasions. He was as nice as can be.That is a very affordable option, I believe we spent less than $200 for that.
We found working with someone we knew locally best for monologues, as by the time my kid was ready to audition, the one she’d picked the year before just didn’t suit her any more. And I agree, the process of finding monologues, even though it is a pain in the rear, is something you just have to do as a working actor.
We ended up doing “coaching lite”, using a few sessions with one of the above, but pretty much flew solo. My child had very specific ideas of what she wanted, and was not really following the same path as many of the kids on CC.
In hindsight, we could have used more help from a coach on logisitics. Getting your cuts recorded for unified auditions is something that we scrambled to do, and I think a coach would have made that happen easier for example. However, I am proud of my daughter. She dug in her heels that the monologue suggested for her by a coach just wasn’t “her”. That will help her growth as an artist for sure. What we want here is kids who can make it in the business after all, who will learn to make bold choices of their own! Aren’t Kristin Chenoweth, Bernadette Peters very unusual, compelling performers, with unique talents and voices? That should be a goal!To help our kids be the best they can be, with their own twist.
We are all different of course, and I applaud everyone for the choices they make. I feel strongly though that we must support families who do not have the resources to spend on a lot of outside help.</p>
<p>If you are not the type who wants or needs help- great! but the one thing I have said in the past and can’t seem to get across is that these programs will save you more than you will ever spend on them. They are affordable to anyone who can afford to pay for college. You will have material that suits you, you will probably audition for fewer schools, you will probably get more and better offers because you have gotten advice from someone who knows each school, and you will get advice about when to travel and when to go to a Unifieds. You may be done REALLY EARLY and get to skip some travel! I would be glad to share my personal experience PRIVATELY to anyone who would like honest first hand information. The prices these programs charge are very fair and affordable.</p>
<p>Piggybacking on what theatremomma said - most people who do work with an audition coach, such as MTCA or Mary Anna only do a few sessions, so your impression of “coaching lite” is likely no more than what most do. Both allow you to do as much or as little coaching as you feel you need - mock auditions and master classes are optional.</p>
<p>The mock auditions these coaches do would be on par with the Thespian College audition in terms of testing out material and getting comfortable with the process, but without the added bonus that your daughter had of it being an actual audition. </p>
<p>While a Thespian College audition may be affordable for those who have one in their state or a neighboring state, it is not an option if there is not one in your state or region… </p>
<p>Finally, to repeat theatremomma’s sentiment, before assuming that an audition coach will cost more than going it alone, research all of your options.</p>
<p>I’m going to stick my oar in this topic again just to say that I think lucymom is doing the topic an excellent service to remind one and all that you can get into great MT programs without a professional coach. That is true true and truer. I know more amazing kids that are in excellent programs without the help of Mary Anna or MTCA than the reverse. My own daughter was one of them.</p>
<p>BUT that said, I’m not at all anti coach and I think theatremomma and others above absolutely make a great case for how it can prove to be more economical than one would imagine. So don’t NOT do it because of cost. But also don’t DO IT because you think you have to. If you feel like you can sort it out without the help, the schools will be waiting for you with the same open arms as they would have if you did have the help. </p>
<p>Some might argue that there are a couple of schools with specific relationships to one or more of the coaches where the association helps. I thought that was not true but I’ve come around on that. I think it is regretfully true though I’m not taking anything away from the students that got into those schools this year because I’m certain they were indeed worthy of their placement. Still, I’d love to see that connection advantage disappear going forward as it doesn’t easily pass the comfort test and I’d like to imagine a more level playing field. I’d still go it alone with that as hindsight but I’m also lucky enough to live in a city where we had good local help.</p>
<p>I have to put my two cents in as well. We started out with a local coach. I was concerned but my daughter really wanted to stay local. In the name of getting all the information before making a decision, I made her sit down with Ellen at MTCA. Within 15 minutes, Ellen had nailed my daughter’s personality and knew exactly who she would have coach my daughter. The coaching was perfect, my daughter connected with Ellen and both her coaches. They understood who my daughter was, didn’t try to change her, and showcased her in the best light. </p>
<p>I do believe my daughter would have gained entrance into a program without MTCA… talent is talent BUT at the end of the process, I think both of us would have been anxiety ridden and a mess and I don’t think she would have received as many offers. It was wonderful having choices… It was even more wonderful to have guidance in making those choices. Ellen knows the programs inside and out. My daughter ended up at a program which Ellen recommended to her and one I don’t think we would have looked at otherwise. It was too far away. At Chicago Unifieds, Ellen’s care was PRICELESS. No kidding. Her calm, wisdom, guidance and knowledge made our week productive and fun… yes, I said it… we had fun. At one point during the week, my daughter’s voice started to fail. Ellen’s vocation is vocal health… again priceless to have her right there.</p>
<p>This posting isn’t about bashing any other coaches, I hope everyone feels about their coach the way we do about Ellen and her team. Yes, when I first heard the price, I choked. I don’t for one second regret every penny we paid MTCA. I would pay it again in a heartbeat. Both my daughter and I have a great deal of love for Ellen and her team. They are amazing, motivating people to be around. Now, my daughter is in the right place for her. She loves her school, her classmates and is eagerly anticipating the arrival of the class of 2017.</p>
<p>I chimed in on this subject over on the theater/drama board, and I will do so here too. I’m like some here in that I’m not anti-coach, but I want to reassure people that this whole process can be done without an audition coach, even if your baseline of knowledge of the process going in is zero. Our son did the whole ball of wax on his own (with the excpeption of travel arrangements, audition fees, etc). I firmly believe that he gained a great deal of knowledge, confidence and real experience by going through it the way he did. He is moving along fine in a very good program.</p>
<p>My son did list Mary Anna as his monologue coach right on his resume.</p>
<p>The Dallas auditions that are held by Ms. Dennard are not necessarily “the” audition for those particular schools represented. A number of the schools use that event for screening purposes, and then invite students they are interested in to a live auditions, either at the Unifieds or on campus audition.</p>
Caution to people using MTCA. I am not happy with their services as my daughter did not get into any schools after numerous coaching sessions. I thought that some of the coaches were good and some were not. The material chosen was unremarkable and did not allow her to shine. The coaches were too busy to schedule with her most of the time. I asked for honesty and I don’t think I really got that. Just a lot of rah, rah you can do it kind of stuff. Not sure if their numbers are accurate either.
@BabyBettesmom so sorry to hear this and I am sure you are both very disappointed. What are your daughter’s plans now?
Don’t know yet. She has colleges she can attend with other majors but I feel like she is lost.
I know it feels overwhelming right now (we were in your place last year) but believe me that your daughter can have a very successful MT career in college as well as after college without a BFA degree. My daughter ended up at her safety school in a BA program and is in love with it. She was cast in a lead role as a freshman in the main stage show and if flourishing. Hang in there…