Hello! I am a junior in high school trying to make some choices about preparing for college auditions. My voice teacher is encouraging me to apply for summer intensives, as she feels they offer a higher caliber of training than what I can get locally, as well as offering a taste of what being in a BFA is like. I know that many people on this forum however swear by hiring nationally recognized college audition coaches. I see the merit in each one, but unfortunately my parents could not afford both, and I have to choose.
On one hand, I agree with my voice teacher. I think I could learn a lot from college faculty and it would also help me choose what programs to apply to. I have never spent more than a few days away from home before, and I think attending a 2 week (or longer) college program could help me decide how comfortable I would be going somewhere far away from home. She also has a friend who used to work as a professional actress that is a private acting teacher on the side. She has never really coached for college auditions though, so I don’t know how knowledgeable she would be when it came to finding monologues that are not overdone.
On the other hand, I feel like I could really benefit from guidance from someone who knew the best ways to get into college programs. My voice teacher is very active on online voice teacher forums, so she is not completely in the dark when it comes to college, but it has been several years since she has had a student pursue a degree in musical theatre, and I do not think she realizes how competitive it truly is. A college audition coach could help me to pick material that is well suited to me and not overdone, as well as coming up with a balanced list of schools that would optimize my chances of acceptance to a good program. I have also studied voice for several years, and am taking jazz and ballet, so I feel like I am getting some training at home, although it might not be as intense or high quality as what I would get at a summer intensive.
I was wondering whether a college coach or a summer intensive would be more beneficial to me/my situation, and figured that there were people on this forum with lot’s of knowledge and experience who could perhaps give me some advice. Thanks!
My D is a senior applying to MT programs right now. She attended a great summer MT program and loved every minute of it, but I just shared your question with her, and she advises you go with a college coach. Despite everything she learned at her program, she is finding that her MTCA coaches are guiding her with essential expertise. A good college coach (or team of coaches) will help you every step of the way, from selecting the right audition material to helping you determine the right balanced list of schools to apply to. You will also get solid artistic training from them, as well as advising. Good luck!
It’s a hard question. Both are definitely beneficial. We did not use a coach, but did several summer experiences and then a precollege program junior year. It was a great experience to be away on a college campus. If you are doing summer college programs those applications need to happen now. Some of the schools require a video audition which was great practice for putting your prescreen package together. We didn’t know how many people used coaches when we started the process. I think you need to determine how motivated you are to find material, do you already have a list of schools in mind where you’d like to apply, how much stage work have you done outside school? A coach can evaluate you to see where a good fit might be based on your experience. Are you interested in an urban school or more of a campus university feel. Another thing we did was to visit and spoke to people in the mt departments at 3 schools and one school where we weren’t able to speak with someone was eliminated. Good luck.
My daughter was fortunate to be able to do both summer programs (CMU and Pace) and have a college coach. IMHO, if you have limited resources, I’d spend them on the coach as opposed to a summer program. While a summer program might be nice to give you the feel for a school and get used to living on your own and being away from home, I don’t think it specifically prepares you for college auditions in the way an individual coach, focused on getting you ready for the audition room, will. A coach will also help you develop your college list and find audition material that suits you. You’re not going to get that in a summer program.
That’s a tough question but I will say that if you have or can find access to someone along with your voice teacher who can evaluate which songs will show off your best strengths vocally and you have help with monologues so you can avoid the same old ones , you can do this without a coach. We are and tons of people have.
My D attended a summer program before senior yr & it was great for getting a feel for college and dorm life before it happens. I think it would depend on how strong of a program you attend also and you should search to find the best at the price you can pay.
As for the college list, you can come up with this yourself and hopefully enlist a parent or other adults help but you must START NOW looking up info. It took us forever. It’s very time consuming to choose schools because you must evaluate not only the schools reputation / offerings but the costs and what you will be able to afford. To get a balanced list is totally possible to do yourself but you need to do the work involved. No one knows your family situation better then your family. I know the coaches are awesome for getting you on the track for material but unless they are grilling your parents on finances are they going to know what schools are affordable to your family? Yes I’m sure they ask but I strongly feel that if you have a carefully chosen list and are a talented individual you will be admitted to a program. But you can’t choose all the “Ivy League” MT programs to apply to. Choose a few of those that you could afford if admitted but also have schools included that audition fewer kids etc. balance is key and that is literally the most important step in my opinion.
You are obviously on the right track by looking into either an intensive or hiring a coach. I know last summer U of Alabama Birmingham offered CAPI (college audition preparatory intensive). It was for about 5 days and cost $390. It obviously included college prep and a videotape of your materials and a resume headshot. I did not know about it or my D would have done something like this! I feel certain other colleges might offer this and you could have your college like experience and college audition prep all in one.
With respect to the opinions above - I disagree and think the summer program might be the more valuable LONG term option. And here is why- I have seen a remarkable number of young people embark on a BFA college program - and then not finish. The most common reason? They didn’t realize how intense it would be, and how STUDYING theater would be different from participating in it. Therefore, I recommend that any kid who thinks they want a BFA “try before they buy”.
My D went to a PA HS, so she and her classmates were fortunate enough to have some insight into training. I have seen multiple years of kids go by in that program and move on to BFAs. @artskids would have a better working knowledge of various classes, as she has had a S graduate the same year as my kid, a D who graduated last year, and another Ds currently in the same program. Some have used coaches, some have not. Just looking casually (honestly from social media right now) it seems like coaches are getting more common there. To my knowledge, no one in my kid’s year, or years just before her, used a coach. Kids from those years went to schools like Ithaca, NYU, Boston, BOCO, CCM, MInn-Guthrie, Indiana, BW, Otterbein, and Emerson (to name a few, that’s what jumping in my head). As a whole, they did just fine in the audition process. Most who go to BFAs stay -though some don’t.
But at the school where I teach (only a few miles down the road, but a different county - so not eligible for the PS HS) I have been involved with Drama there on and off for the 16 years I have worked for the district. Every year we have kids who go off to major in theater -and sometimes at the same schools as above. BUT- I can think of very few kids who actually graduated with a theater BFA in the last 16 years… b/c it turns out that being in your school musical, and loving it, has very little to do with a college program. Anecdotal evidence: My school sent a lovely and talented young lady to CCM the same year my D graduated. (super talented musician too- she actually played for my D’s prescreen video - still grateful!!) She barely made it through the 1st year. She had never done anything but HS theater.
So this is a long and rambling manifesto, but it does have a point. A coach may very well be the best use of $$ to help you prepare for college auditions. BUT - a college program may help you decide what you whether or not a BFA is right for you in the 1st place. And that would be good to know in advance, b/c if you think coaching and/or summer programs are expensive- wait until you try tuition.
I tend to agree with @toowonderful. My S did not attend a pre-college program but he was accustomed to the very long and intense days of school and rehearsal for multiple things at the same time. There was no doubt in his mind a BFA was what he wanted. In his case, had we had a clue (LOL), we may have used some directed college coaching.
D1, on the other hand, also attended the PA HS but we were less sure a BFA was the right path for her. She had more widespread interests (also around the arts but more geared toward costume design and other aspects of fine arts). She attended the CMU pre-college program primarily to test drive the major. I will say she came out of her program with 1. certainly that the BFA was what she wanted to pursue and 2. (bonus) an excellent head start on her audition package and had narrowed down her school lists - so much so that we did not feel the need to hire an audition coach.
Along comes D2. We are in the process of deciding her Jr-Sr year summer. We are looking at pre-college programs for her and have been discussing using a national college audition coach but likely on a limited basis. She is experiencing the BFA life in her schedule now 1/2 day PA HS, 5 academics and 2 shows rehearsing at the same time (arrives at school at 6:40 am and arrives home M-Th most weeks at 9:30 pm) but, much like D1 (and unlike S), I’m not getting from her “this is what I want my college experience to be.”
Both S and D1 made the right choices for them but they have given up (as you will hear from most of the BFA parents/students on this forum) a “traditional” college experience. Neither participate in Greek life, go to college sporting events or socialize much outside their company members and their roommates. The schedules are difficult and all-consuming; you need to know what you are in for and it is certainly not for everyone. It is certainly NOT your typical HS theater experience.
know the pre-college programs and coaching are pricey. As for the pre-college program, I wanted to be sure with D1 (and likely with D2) that they were all in for the experience. Tuition is crazy expensive but paying for 5 or 6 years of college for one student because one decides to change majors would be very difficult!
I believe if you are certain the BFA life is really for you, some directed college coaching could be very useful. Keep in mind you will get some of the benefits of coaching in a college program depending on which program you choose (I can only speak with personal experience to the CMU precollege program but most will publish detailed curricula from which you can discern whether it meets your needs).
College coach, a good one who really knows the business.
I think if you can only do one, by far you will get the most personal attention to your specific needs preparing for college auditions by hiring a coach. But do make sure it is a coach who really knows and understands the current college audition process. It can’t just be a great voice or acting or dance teacher. They may know technique – but a coach really understands the process of applications and auditions and what schools are currently looking for in terms of material and applicants.
I would still encourage you to visit as many college campuses as you can, whether or not they have an MT program. You will get a feel for if you like large or small schools, urban or suburban campuses, etc… Of course this won’t tell you anything about specific programs, but it may point you towards certain types of schools.
@MThopeful99, I agree with both points of view here–that both are essential each in their own way–but I have a third suggestion.
You write that you are forced to choose because of your parents’ budget. But did you know there is a huge range in cost in different pre-college programs, and also between different coaches? It’s possible to budget this to get the best of both worlds.
For coaches: There are some coaches who give scholarships based on need, but if that’s not possible, consider using the coach for critical parts of the process only. Interview a few coaches, and explain to them that you have only X budget and therefore can only use the coach Y times, and then ask what is possible with that budget. For instance, if you choose your own monologues, or at least come to the coach with 6 possible monologues to narrow down to 4, that will save a lot of time.
We did this for both my S and D, using limited sessions due to budget issues. Both coaches were lovely, supportive and helpful.
As to pre-college programs, there is a great variation in prices. I do agree that it is good to have a sense of what an actual BFA program is like. But consider different programs. For instance, the very well regarded Stratford Festival in Canada has a theater performance intensive that is $3400 Canadian dollars, currently $2500. That isn’t cheap, but it’s much cheaper than other US programs which run $5500 and up.
My own kids couldn’t afford even that, but instead went to a very excellent day program run by a regional equity theatre. Cost was $1595. We lived close so didn’t have to pay for room and board. But if you happen to live near an equity theatre, or can stay with someone who lives close, look into the theatre’s summer high school education programs. They are often excellent, directed by professional directors, and they usually cost much less than typical pre-college programs. It’s not the same thing as a pre college program, but it will certainly give you training, references, community, and also a sense of what rigorous training is like.
I can see benefits of either option. No matter which one you choose you will reap some useful benefits and lose out on others (opportunity cost 101). If you can find a way to swing a “downsized” version of both a summer program AND coaching, then great. My S is a current MT BFA junior in a competitive program. He attended a PA HS (which did very little to prepare him for college app/audition process). He grew up in the shadow of CCM and attended programs in their Prep Department for years (some parts more beneficial than others). Our family could not afford the pricey summer programs and while we thought we were getting excellent coaching on voice/acting - in the shadow of CCM after all - some of the advice was out of touch with the current competitiveness. We were not aware of national coaching until it was all over (CCM affiliates should be enough, right??)
We made do with local coaches and the ultimate outcome worked out just fine. But I think a few sessions with a national coach may have helped S choose better material and his school list may not have been so “top heavy” (again the outcome probably worked out the best it could be for HIS situation).
Like @artskids’ S, my S had no doubt in his mind that it was BFA or nothing. While his PA HS was of little help in preparing for the rigors of BFA college life - yes, many BFAs DO give up all semblance of a “normal” college life experience - because of the school’s location he was able to partake of tons of out-of-school skill training in dance, acting, weight training at the gym, etc. that made his HS schedule look very similar to that of a BFA student.
The missing pieces were, “what kind of campus?” and “how far from home would make me happy/comfortable?”. As a HS junior, my S did apply to two of the well-regarded summer MT intensives (not CCM’s) and was accepted. After evaluating the cost we had to pass on those wonderful opportunities. As someone else posted, just going through the video prescreen/upload and application process (over winter break) - and out-of-town winter travel for a dance audition - was VERY eye-opening, giving us a taste of how time consuming and frustrating it can be. Instead of an expensive MT summer intensive, S elected to attend a five-week ballet intensive on scholarship. The intensive took place in a professional ballet studio in a midsize midwestern city several hours drive time from our home, but students were housed in dorms on a small campus at a women’s college that was busing distance from the “city lights”. That experience reinforced his confidence that being in a BFA program was exactly what he wanted - the intensity was very similar to MT - but also told him that the campus setting was not that important. During that intensive we were able to visit two very-well regarded MT program campuses in/near the same city. S realized that the MT campus in the heart of bustling downtown area was not his “cup of tea” (he previously had thought it was NYC or nothing). Living on a smaller, VERY quiet campus near a college town was just fine - and even the “college town” environment was not a necessary requirement. Being drivable distance from home was pretty nice, too.
So @MThopeful99 - either choice you and your family make - or some version of both - will be fine. No matter what you choose, there will be some benefit - even if it’s finding out a “negative” aspect of your choice, or what you don’t like about MT. There will also be regrets and “what ifs” regarding the options you didn’t choose (we have several). This whole path is about taking what you’ve got and figuring out how best to make it work for you. Roadblocks and out-of-reach options are part of that. How you deal with this fork in your road will give you an inking of the “grit” necessary to keep traveling. Good luck.
@theaterwork Can I ask what intensive? I am leaning towards an intensive and trying to find some good options to look into.
@MThopeful99 i know you weren’t directing your intensive question at me. But choose a college you are interested in. My daughter applied for mpulse for two years but was declined but passed michigans prescreen. She went to NYU Precollege. We know people who have gone uarts, hartt, cmu. Summer programs are competitive but not as competitive as getting into college…BAA is good too and they have a coaching weekend for juniors too. Pace could be an option too
I think you need to clearly know what your objective is. If you want to see what life at college will be like and what the intensity of a BFA will be, choose a college-based summer program. They go from the shorter, more affordable (Indiana, CCM) to the longer, more expensive (NYU, CMU, Northwestern). If you want specific help preparing for college auditions, but not sure you want a coach you might consider Baldwin Wallace’ audition prep session. It is 4-5 days long and you will live on campus. Admittance is selective though as it is for many summer programs. If you need help with the entire audition process, I think you will get the most personalized attention to your specific questions and needs but using a coach. Your $ will go a lot further and will target exactly what you need with a coach.
I agree with … everyone! But, my final answer is, if I had to do last year over again, I would have gone with limited sessions with a national coach. Much as it pains me to write this because the rise of coaching as an industry and the connections between the coaches and BFA faculty deeply disturbs me in terms of equity for all, including those who simply cannot afford any of this. But I do feel that had we used a coach solely to pinpoint which songs would best suit each individual college applied to, because most schools do have preferences and the same two songs just cannot be the best choices for all schools applied to, my D might (big emphasis on might) have had more acceptances overall. We didn’t need it for info on the schools themselves or recommendations on where to apply, so we could have limited it to something within reason, economically, for us. That being said, my D did do a summer program, loved it and it guided her towards a resolution that the BFA was for her. It wasn’t cheap.
In terms of how much it simulated academic life though, I have to agree with @toowonderful - it seemed like it did before she actually went to college in terms of hours devoted to the program etc., but in actuality, what it couldn’t replicate was the “academic” demands of the program, ie the stream of papers required (and I’m talking about in classes related to theater, largely), projects due in a week, auditions to frequently prepare for, juggling of rehearsals and schoolwork, etc. etc., and the intensity of the finals period. She has remarked many times that “this is not about being in high school musicals and loving it” – it’s truly a demanding college degree - at least at her school. All of which she loves and thrives on – despite having an overwhelming day once in a while, but many, many kids are not cut out for it, and I’m not sure a summer program can simulate the overall BFA experience.
In our case, what I would have changed most of all was the “before acceptance” pricey visits to campuses. With admission rates so low, save these for those schools one is lucky to get into. That felt like our biggest mistake, and that money could have been directed at some coaching. Or, better, towards paying the tuition bills now! Just wrote out a check a few days ago – it’s real – you have to pay these enormous amounts – don’t lose sight of that in the quest to “get in”.