Colleges for Musical Theater Major - Part 32

<p>"And if you don't like Throat Comfort tea, try Throat Coat."
Or add peppermint to disguise the taste of licorice in the Throat Comfort. Good ideas from newmtmom!</p>

<p>I'm wishing we could have another round of auditions - learned so much just doing the auditions the first time. I'm mindful of the students on this board (past) who actually did this after not getting admitted the first year they tried. I hope D is not in that category of being admitted at 0 schools, but the idea of doing this all over again next year, targeting only schools she really wants to attend, and being that much more "audition skilled" and wise, is really attractive right now. Just a vent...</p>

<p>Slippery elm always seemed to help my son the most. He went through about half of his auditions sick and this was a lifesaver. Also drink plenty of water and ricola herb throat drops help too.</p>

<p>Does anyone have any experince or knowledge regarding the Steinhardt Summer MT 3-week Program? Thanks.</p>

<p>For taking the suggestion to "head" your comments...it is a big help!</p>

<p>Vocaldad,</p>

<p>Just so you know you aren't being ignored......I have never even heard of this program and as a long time poster on this thread, I am pretty sure I've never read anything about it here. My D, who did the CMU MT program and who is currently a freshman BFA MT at Michigan, was very interested in Steinhardt and was accepted there and in all of our contacts with the program, a summer offering never came up. Could it perhaps be a NEW program? Checking with Steinhardt directly would be my best advice. Good luck!</p>

<p>Did anyone go to the University of Michigan's tribute to Arthur Miller at the Richard Rogers in NYC? It was incredible-- alumni of the university performed in broadway, opera, dance, jazz, and classical violin. Stars such as Hunter Foster (Producers), Jennifer Laura Thompson (Wicked) and Barrett Foa (Ave Q) all were there. Videos were played where professors and students at the college described the program. The audience consisted mostly of U-M alumni and prospective students. I saw some of my friends from SDM there, which was cool. The program looked wonderful. It definitely made me raise U of M on my list of favorite programs. They are building an entire new drama center dedicated to Arthur Miller which looks incredible. Theatermom- the one thing I've heard about U-M that I haven't investigated is that it's VERY competetive, more so than other schools. Has your daughter mentioned this? Is the competetion for roles fierce and unfriendly between students? Or is the environment supportive- and it's just the level of talent that causes the competetion? </p>

<p>Also- can someone describe to me how NYU Steinhardt is different than Tisch? My college advisor told me that I probably would want to go to Steinhardt over Tisch... but I only know about the Tisch program.</p>

<p>Thanks! Dani</p>

<p>What to bring to auditions?</p>

<p>Okay...I know there is SOME information on our FAQ section, but I seem to remember someone posting last year a list of "things to bring" to auditions after having made it through the process. I've done several searches to no avail. Anyone remember who posted it? Anyone remember what Part it might be in? Thank you!</p>

<p>Things to Take to the Audition</p>

<p>I think it was posted recently, maybe page 20. I kept some of the notes: backup attire including stockings. Carry all the essentials in a carry-on bag. Light snacks. Water. Spoon. How abouta shawl (or whatever they're called these days). </p>

<p>We're going to OCU on Saturday. Is anyone else going this weekend?</p>

<p>I'm happy to try to start a new list; I thought I had saved the old one but can't find it. </p>

<p>-backup audition outfit (or at least shirt/blouse) in case of disaster (coffee spills etc)</p>

<p>-water bottle
-throat tea
-extra resumes and headshots
-pen, in case there is a shortage in filling out initial paperwork
-quick energy bar(s) (sometimes the food they offer, if they offer it, is either at the wrong time or not what you'd want to eat on a nervous stomach)</p>

<p>Dani,</p>

<p>I am SOOOO jealous!! My D told me in passing about the scheduled UMich night on Broadway but she thought it was an "invitation only" event so I never even looked into getting tickets. I would have given anything to be there! Thanks so much for sharing what an amazing evening it was. </p>

<p>In regard to the new Theater Building, everyone in the program is all abuzz about it. Unfortunately, they won't be breaking ground for awhile and it looks as though it won't officially open for use until the year after my D graduates. Bad timing there.......But it is an accurate reflection of UM's support of the performing arts programs. And it's not as if they don't already have great performance spaces there now. They do. I think the building will be equally valued for its classroom and rehearsal spaces. It's an exciting time to be at Umich.</p>

<p>I want to absolutely state that one of the most powerful draws of the UMich program for my D and for our family was just how collegial the program is. The atmosphere fostered by the program is one of equality and nurturing. The students are each other's biggest supporters. Everyone involved with the program makes it very clear from the get-go that no divas, male or female, need apply. They are all there to learn how to successfully compete for jobs AFTER UMich. It's really all about the training and learning about how the life they all aspire to really works. I had this feeling from the first contact we had with the school. I went back to find what I posted after my D's audition and I'd like to share it with you because nothing in my D's experience so far has altered that initial impression:</p>

<hr>

<p>I posted this on January 27, 2004:</p>

<p>UM was terrfic. Extremely well organized and "user-friendly." We loved hearing from 3 MT students as a group at our introduction to the program. The Department Chair, Brent Wagner, was fabulous. He said everything I wanted to hear. The UM program is challenging, disciplined, diverse and nurturing. It also seems uniquely well-balanced, with equal attention given to acting, voice and dance. Also, they value intelligence and curiosity in their students. They do not have a cut policy. They believe that academic theatre is a place where students should be encouraged to take risks, as that is the only way to stretch and grow. Accordingly, they believe that an important part of their job is to provide a safe environment that supports the taking of such risks. I couldn't agree more. We had the opportunity to meet many other students over the course of the day as they functioned as monitors of the audition process. My daughter and I both came away feeling that this was a program full of hard-working, really smart, talented kids who had parked their egos at the door. They spoke of their classmates with pride and a sense of community. While they all seemed very highly motivated, there was no sense that these kids were made to feel that they had to compete with each other. They were working toward common goals. </p>

<h2>Dancersmom has written earlier of the specifics of their audition process. I can only add that my daughter felt they offered the best dance audition she has had - a full 45 minute ballet barre followed by a jazz combo. Both the acting faculty member she saw (2 different teachers heard monologues) and the faculty judging the vocal portion (she sang for Brent Wagner and one of the dance/MT faculty) did everything they could to put her at ease. We are especially interested in the UM program because it is housed in the UM School of Music and would allow (they would actually encourage!) her to continue to explore her interest in classical vocal performance. Several of the students expressed the opinion that UM actually prefers "legit" style singing. To my mind, that just means they appreciate singers who have learned to use their voices correctly, who don't strain or push their voices. We left there feeling like the UM program would be a fabulous fit for my daughter. </h2>

<p>I think that when you hear people say that UMich is competitive, they are referring to admissions. Last year's stats: between 800-900 applications yielded 24 freshmen MT's this year. </p>

<p>Can't tell you what a relief it is to read the old posts a year later. Honestly don't know how we kept our sanity.......... Hope you enjoy reading yours next year at this time just as much. If you have time and want to email me, I'd love to hear more impressions of the performances you saw at "Michigan Night." Thanks again for the post!</p>

<p>Dani,</p>

<p>Forgot this last part.....I think you'll get the most info about the differences between these programs by going back to the archives and doing a search on Steinhardt in the Musical Theater thread. The posts were many and quite detailed. Also, here's the link to this thread's FAQ website (created by the gal with the "mad HTML skills," our very own Shauna (WE MISS YOU GIRL!!)) that has a short description of the differences between the two programs.</p>

<p><a href="http://www.geocities.com/musicaltheatercolleges/steinhardttisch.html%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.geocities.com/musicaltheatercolleges/steinhardttisch.html&lt;/a> </p>

<p>Hope this helps!!</p>

<p>If you are looking for the last discussion regarding what to bring to auditions, see posts by Momfirst and Jasmom on page 13 and posts by me and Lovemt on page 14.</p>

<p>There was also discussion regarding audition attire with posts by me and Theatermom on page 8 and a post by Doctorjohn on page 10.</p>

<p>Are any of you having difficulty doing message searches on this new format?
I have found that even when I search for messages I have posted I have to look through each individual page on the new MT thread. Am I doing something wrong or is it just the new format?</p>

<p>It's probably just the new format - it must bring up the results as threads (so this entire 22 page thing) rather than by the page of the thread.</p>

<p>Has anyone auditioned anywhere yet? It'd be nice to hear about everone's experiances and how their auditions went!</p>

<p>Thanks Theatremom.</p>

<p>I am asking them for info, but just wondered if anyone on this thread had any additional information. Thanks again for the reply.</p>

<p>vocaldad</p>

<p>I will be at OCU on Saturday. My son is doing the dance audition at noon and vocal and monologue at 1:50.</p>

<p>In order to make the results of your search easier to find, you might try clicking on Advanced Search. Under Search Options, you'll see in the left-hand corner a box called Search Options. In that box, under Show Results as, click Posts. This should bring up individual posts rather than an entire thread.</p>

<p>Hope this helps.</p>

<p>Alldressedup,</p>

<p>Thanks! Your suggestion does help. I never noticed the option to search by posts instead of thread before. The search function is set to default to threads rather than posts. Switching to posts is definitely a plus.</p>