<p>Did any of you/your children use college audition coaches? Did you feel they were helpful and worth it? Are they affordable?</p>
<p>From our experience a college coach is absolutely, positively worth it. Ours has been working with our son since his sophomore year and helped him take his talent to a whole different level. She pushed him to reach for some of the top programs (starting with the summer programs for high school students), but also helped him include schools that were more acheivable while still being excellent programs and great fits for him. In addition to coaching him on the monologues and helping him select excellent and unique material, one of the key features she provided was a series of mock auditions, with actual MT faculty from some of the best schools on hand to give the students feedback in a “live audition” setting. My son was so tired of going to them by the end that he tried to skip the last one, but in the end it paid off. He was so used to the MT audition format and how to deal with the stress and the potential for unanticipated requests from the auditors that the actual auditions all went very smoothly. If your child is serious about MT, I definitely think it’s worth the investment. My son’s friends who did not have a coach went into the experience blind and made mistakes along the way, which severely hampered their chances, even though they were talented kids.</p>
<p>Hope this helps. Best of luck to you.</p>
<p>What he said.</p>
<p>We knew nothing of the existence of such things until the middle, almost the end, of the summer before D’s senior year so unlike CalDad3, our coaches didn’t have the luxury of so much time and my D had to work her butt off - plus try to make some significant leaps in her vocal technique - because we simply didn’t KNOW.</p>
<p>We would have been a lot better off with all that time but without the coaching we would have probably been the object of a lot of pity at those auditions…“omg look at that poor girl, she’s so cute and has some talent but MAN is she clueless!!!”</p>
<p>Distance was an issue for us so we couldn’t go to the mock auditions. But they coached her on what happens in auditions and did as much as could possibly be done to prepare her. We Skyped and that worked well pretty much: in person is better. But I will say one thing about Skyping: with my D’s insane schedule last fall (and then she got the lead in the fall musical so rehearsals were mad) all she had to do was have her laptop with her and find a wifi and she could fit it into the schedule, which can be an issue, because the coaches get pretty busy in the fall themselves. These people also work in the field so they have full schedules and not having to deal with travel time really helped fit the sessions into the schedule! I do wish we could have had a few in person but it didn’t seem possible at the time and looking back I still don’t see how we could have. But if you can do it in person it’s preferable.</p>
<p>They also were just so supportive throughout the entire process; for someone who second guesses everything they do, like me, this was invaluable.</p>
<p>As for cost, they aren’t cheap. This has been discussed on another thread here recently (I’ll look for it in a minute) but in our case I had a budget of just what we could spend on this process - because it is not possible to do for free, which I don’t know where that leaves kids with no resources at all, sadly - but I made cuts in other areas to afford the coaching. We could only do what we could do. We couldn’t do Unifieds but all of the schools that we were interested in that went to Unifieds also do local (texas) auditions at NTDA or TATD. Unifieds would have been wonderful to do but the cost of them for us would cover a month’s lessons so…I don’t regret our choice. What would have been the point of going to Unifieds if she wasn’t prepared anyway?</p>
<p>I would have definitely done some things differently but having coaches is not one of them.</p>
<p>I want to add that I kind of hate to seem as if it’s okay with me that MT kids are the next cash cow and industry/machine, because that CAN happen or seem to be happening and there’s certainly opportunity for unscrupulous people to exploit kids and parents. I want to state most emphatically that the coaches we used (MTCA) are absolutely not in this category. </p>
<p>But it is just a fact of life now - ANY kind of performing arts talent your kid has, now more than ever, requires coaching. Vocals have always needed training but I don’t know any kid in any activity, actually, even outside of performing arts, who isn’t coached and privately trained. And if you don’t get coaching, you are at a real disadvantage with those who are, though of course, there are those people who are just “naturals”, but they are rare.</p>
<p>Here’s the thread where we recently discussed coaching. <a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/musical-theater-major/1090635-advice-hs-juniors-thinking-about-auditioning-musical-theatre-acting-colleges.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/musical-theater-major/1090635-advice-hs-juniors-thinking-about-auditioning-musical-theatre-acting-colleges.html</a></p>
<p>Consider the resources in your area as well. My kids attended a performing arts HS that regularly places students in “top” acting and MT schools. Most of them do not use outside coaching, other than voice teachers. This being said, 2 kids in the last 2 years did not get any acceptances because they did not have any safeties (word to the wise). The school puts together mock auditions every year for those kids who are going into acting in college - using a local university dept head, a director from an Equity theatre and a casting agent. They usually give good feedback. This was all free! We considered one of the CC recommended coaches, but in the end, decided that our D was getting solid advice from her school. (She did fine in auditions - about the same success rate as the coached kids, with a lot less stress!)</p>
<p>My kids have also worked with an acting coach who is the artistic director of a strong community theatre and also has extensive Broadway and national/regional credits. He is not necessarily a “college” coach, but many of his students go on to “top” schools. </p>
<p>So, my advice, check out what resources already exist in your area. It also depends on your child’s previous experience and preparation. My kids have been auditioning and working on stage, TV and film since they were very young and are very comfortable with the process. But if you are not very experienced (only done school plays, for example), a coach can help walk you through the process and give you an idea of what to expect.</p>
<p>I agree with meg. Resources in our area: pretty much zilch. If you have them, by all means, use em!</p>
<p>Totally agree with what has been said–an excellent college coaching team is worth every penny! My daughter who is a senior used MTCA and my next daughter who is a sophomore is beginning with MTCA now. It is an investment, but so is $250,000 and four years in college. I felt that my daughter received excellent training and advice as well as was genuinely supported and cared about through the process with her coaches. And, for us, the coaching might have helped pay for itself as D1 received a giant academic scholarship for a BFA program that we might not have considered without MTCA’s guidance, and D2 received a talent scholarship to her summer program at Interlochen.</p>
<p>My son is a high school sophomore and we are already using a coach. He wanted to audition for a top summer program and I had no idea what they were looking for. We would have gone in with an “over the top” acting job on a monologue. I thought that they want to see you ACT. But our coach gave him a monologue that was age appropriate and very natural. It transformed him in one short hour of coaching. A coach is there for many things. But most of all you need one that is honest about your kid. Every kid can’t be the best but they can all be the best they can be. A coach knows where your kid will fit. I would have wasted a lot of time and money auditioning for 5 or 6 summer programs but she knew where he “should” get in and she was right. I trust her judgement. You don’t have to spend a lot of money. You decide how many times you meet and how much help you need. Some kids need more help, others just need advice. You control that. Worth every penny!</p>
<p>There’s no guarantee that investing in coaching will yield a monetary payback in scholarships and our coach never implied or said it would or could - but it certainly can. Just like getting into the schools themselves, it’s a bit of luck too. We are just now getting talent offers and it will depend on what else comes in and then which one we pick - but it’s entirely possible at this point that the cost of my d’s coaching could be offset by a scholarship offer.</p>
<p>My son a junior at UMiami MT. He went to a regular public high school that had a good theater program. He did get some extra help from the voice/music teacher, and he had a few lessons with another voice teacher. He did not have an acting/dance coach. I did a lot or research to help with the technical and scheduling of auditions, he did the work on material and rehearsal. He was accepted at about half of the schools he applied to for MT (all of them academically), all were from the big list at the top of the forum. He had an early acceptance at a safety school so he could limit his auditions. My point is that while many people do get a lot of help from coaches, it certainly isn’t mandatory to get into a good program. It will always be a lot of work, but so is all musical theater.</p>
<p>It’s work with a coach, too. 
Much boils down to how much effort and initiative the kids have. But if you don’t have a strong school theater program and are in a small town a long ways from cultural centers and really don’t have any of your own experience, or friends or family who have recently been down this route (getting into a program just in the past couple years is a completely different game then back in the day) then there’s a lot of important things to know that you might not find out until too late if you don’t find knowledgable advice from somewhere, whether it be a professional coach or other. My D’s drama teacher at school could be argued to have done her as much harm as good on bad days and considers the total of 4 kids she has “gotten” into very small, non auditioned programs in what are basically community colleges and commuter schools, as evidence that she knows what it takes to “get” a kid into a program.</p>
<p>The coach doesn’t get the kid into a program, but they can help a kid get himself into a program!! haha (Sarah Dessen joke) Obviously someone in our situation would look at it differently than someone who was lucky enough to be able to attend either a performing arts school (none in our town) or a school with a very strong theater program and live in an area with a lot of opportunities. As I said on the other thread, there was nobody to tell us any different than to walk in doing “Defying Gravity” in this whole town - I did find CC out of pure luck and in and of itself this is a fabulous resource, but I didn’t trust my own knowledge of the MT material out there to help D find the right songs or monologues and was just about going crazy; we needed help. If you are in that situation like I was, you should consider coaching, I think.</p>
<p>I recommend it highly. We did not and we regretted it. I also recommend college counseling with someone who is specifically knowledgeable about audition based programs, particularly MT. It is a whole other game and even if you and your child’s school are pretty well apprised in the college admissions process,there is a lot that is specific to this course of study.</p>
<p>This whole process is expensive - app fees - audition fees - lessons - campus visits etc etc etc. College coaching (MTCA I can speak to specifically) was worth EVERY PENNY. We live in Hawaii (not much in the local resource department here) and did Skype coaching - we did a huge trip to the Chicago and LA Unifieds and auditioned for all the schools over the course of about a week (only one campus visit sadly). For all the money that the process cost - we probably would have thrown it down the drain if we had tried to figure everything out by ourselves. My daughter was armed with excellent material and grew (especially with her acting/acting while singing). The support and expertise of the coaching staff is unbelievable. They help with everything from what to wear, how to present yourself, selecting schools, stress relief - well I could go on and on. I know that it is not for everybody - and financially it is a struggle - but for us - it has definitely paid off!!</p>
<p>Can females whose type is found in very good supply at college auditions tell me they did NOT participate in mock auditions with “actual MT faculty from some of the best schools” and yet they RECENTLY (Glee era) got in to some of the top five MT-BFA audition schools? </p>
<p>I’ve always thought that mock auditions are a great idea but participating in mock auditions with “actual MT faculty from some of the best schools” would be an enormous advantage because then you don’t just have your five minute audition in a conference room somewhere in New York with hundreds of singers before and after you to dilute whatever impression you make. You have all that additional time at mock auditions plus the actual audition to show MT profs many facets of your ability, range, personality and flexibility in appearance, even. I’m sure the feedback is priceless.</p>
<p>My D is a sophomore and we are doing college visits at spring break just to get a feel of what is out there. I have contacted a couple coaches to get info - but anyone with good and or bad experiences that would be will to let me know who they used I would appreciate a pm about it. Also I amin an area that has a couple good colleges/universities with Acting or MT training is it worth an email to them to see if they have anyone that does that there. Thx!</p>
<p>Keep in mind that artistic coaching is not the same thing as college counseling. </p>
<p>I can share what my kid did, but I guess she is not in the realm of what classicalbk referred to as the “Glee era” as she auditioned six years ago but I honestly don’t think it is different and believe me, it was extremely competitive then too! </p>
<p>We live in a rural area. We have no performing arts high schools in our state. Our high school has a good music program and also puts on a play and a musical each year, but has no drama classes. We certainly would not be consulting anyone at school regarding MT admissions. In the approx. six years prior to my D applying for MT, I know of two people ever who did and they went to Ithaca. In her year, two people applied (my daughter who got into several programs and her friend who only applied to two schools and got into one, Emerson). Since my D graduated, I only know of one who applied for MT (got into Ithaca for Acting only). </p>
<p>D did not have “dance coaching” but had taken dance her entire life in many disciplines and was well prepared that way. Our dance studio is 25 miles away. </p>
<p>D had a voice teacher for five years (50 miles away) and he was top notch. He also taught at a MT program in NYC during the week and gave lessons at his home in our state on weekends. He is not a “coach” and while he was a voice teacher, he was very familiar with MT repertoire and so MT songs were worked on in every lesson from day one. My D also has a vast knowledge of MT rep and so played a big role in selecting her songs in consultation with the voice teacher. </p>
<p>For acting, my D had never had an acting class or lesson here. Much of her acting, she learned via performing in many theater productions, which is not the same as training, but still involves some experience. But it was the one area she lacked specific training in. She had some acting at her summer program which she attended out of state for 8 summers. For audition prep for college, she did work individually with an acting coach/teacher on the monologues. This teacher, like her voice teacher, taught at a MT/Acting program in NYC and commuted to our state on weekends and we drove 50 miles to his house for audition/monologue coaching. </p>
<p>Both the voice teacher and acting/monologue teacher were highly experienced but not specifically college audition coaches. </p>
<p>My D never had any “mock auditions” or time or festivals or whatever, with any BFA program people prior to the actual campus auditions. Believe me, tons of kids I know, including her, were admitted even so. </p>
<p>I think training and coaching are important, but also innate talent comes into play too. Even though my D’s training in acting was the area she had the least training in (except being in shows and the five months of monologue coaching), she made what’s called the Priority Wait List for CMU for ACTING which I found surprising. She wanted MT and got into five other MT programs and so it didn’t matter but just mentioning this as even someone with very little formal acting training might even be considered for a top acting program. </p>
<p>All that said, and this isn’t really the topic of this thread…but…a really crucial element for applicants for MT is to have a very very appropriate list commensurate with their talent / artistic skills AND their academic qualifications, and well balanced in terms of both academic and artistic odds. A lot of this process follows from having the right college list for YOU, and of course, audition prep, great applications, recommendations and so on. Another thing is to be REALISTIC…expect many rejections, which even the most qualified kids also receive. But if your list is right for you, you should not come up empty handed with no college to attend.</p>
<p>Try not to worry that this kid or that kid went to a performing arts high school, a pre-college program, had some coach who has a relationship with the programs, or had mock auditions with MT program people. My kid and many I know didn’t have those things and got in. I also know kids who had those things and received rejections. Believe in yourself and you will go far. Don’t let rejections or competition impede your pursuit of your goals.</p>
<p>broadway85, yes, if someone at a local college with an acting or MT program has faculty or grad students who can do some coaching, that is a very viable option. For artistic coaching, having someone in person is ideal. For college counseling (which is not the same as artistic coaching), being in person is not as necessary.</p>
<p>Thanks Soozievt. I am a big fan of hard work, years of study and a heaping dose of self-discipline, myself. I am so happy to see when it pays off.</p>
<p>I agree with soozievt - it’s the natural talent and poise that your son or daughter has. My D had a long resume of both community and professional productions, a vocal coach, 12 years of dance and a few months of monologue coaching. As we found out during this whole process, it was the package that would make or break you; finding the perfect vocal selections, and monologues. I say, let your natural person shine through - that is what they want to see. We heard that many, many times. I think my D is more proud of what she brings to the table on her own merits, rather than what she may have been “taught” to do. After all, she is going to college to learn and perfect her craft. One MT program head said that they prefer raw talent and “teachability” rather than kids who are too polished. Plenty, plenty of kids are successful at getting into BFA programs who do not have a massive amount of formal training. Don’t sweat it.</p>
<p>Re: Post 18:
Agreed. It kind of reminds me on some of the other CC forums where people will argue that you need to go to a private prep school to get into the top colleges, etc. I have a daughter who went to our no name rural public high school that rarely sends kids to Ivies/elites and she got into such colleges (and eventually “top” grad schools too). I do think that a hard working kid who is motivated and driven, can succeed coming from anywhere. </p>
<p>Actually, my MT D’s good MT friend for many years, from our rural state (different community) who had a very very similar background to my D in terms of training and experience prior to college, went to my D’s BFA program with her for MT (roomed together in fact) and she is now starring on Broadway. I know several kids from our rural state who have gone to well regarded MT programs and who have gone on professionally in this field.</p>