<p>newmtmom - My D is going to Tallahassee on the 23rd, too! I guess we'll be meeting up again. This time in warm weather and much further south.</p>
<p>newmtmom, you're correct that you don't have to spend a million on headshots for college auditions but I think you'll find that when your child goes through the process that a lot of kids have 'real' headshots, not just photographs. Like I said, any good photographer is capable of taking them, although some know them as modelling shots. I asked my D on the phone this evening if she knew what became of hers and she said that Tisch keeps them on file and that when the kids need a headshot for a playbill, they can use them if they don't have another. I think they became part of their school file and are not just used for identification purposes. Perhaps it's done differently at each school. When my D had hers done for college auditions, it cost us around $150 with a photographer friend. He did approximately 30 shots and we chose the ones we wanted, from proofs. I also ordered some for Christmas gifts that year! Real professional theatre headshots done in the city (several of my D's friends have had these done) cost several hundred dollars. Maybe Doctor John can shed some light on what he usually receives at auditions. :)</p>
<p>I applied to Michigan as a dual degree major, and I got my letter of acceptance for the College of Literature, Science, and Arts today, and I was wondering, for anyone who has applied to Michigan in the past, how long should it take for them to email me to schedule my audition?</p>
<p>Larry</p>
<p>Larry,</p>
<p>As you are hoping to do a dual major at UM, (MT & what?), you are dealing with not only two departments, but two entirely different schools, i.e., LSA and the School of Music. I'm assuming you've already spoken with the MT folks about your plan and they have told you that it's possible. During orientation last summer, they intimated that while choosing a minor to do in addition to MT was quite possible, a dual major may not be possible to complete in four years. I know of only one current MT who is a double major and he's doing MT and Vocal Performance, both in the Music School. A few other MT's have minors outside the school. Straight MT applicants are not formally accepted by the School of Music before they are invited to audition. Being invited to audition simply indicates that your application has been reviewed by the admissions committee and you have been deemed to have sufficient academic credentials to be accepted by the University if your audition results are successful. Acceptance to the University as an MT BFA candidate comes only after your audition and the acceptances come in two different envelopes - one from the University and one from The School of Music. So based on this, my thinking is that your acceptance by LSA has nothing to do with your invitation to audition, other than to indicate that your application to the Music School is more likely to be viewed favorably as well.</p>
<p>My best suggestion would be to call the Music School directly to make sure your somewhat more complicated application status is being coordinated by all the Schools/departments involved. Good luck!</p>
<p>Larry,</p>
<p>I almost forgot - Congrats on your LSA acceptance!!</p>
<p>Chrism: That schedule seems awfully tight to me. If I were you, I'd contact the school in the middle, and see if they can move you to another slot. That should open up enough time. Or if we're one of the schools, contact us and we'll do our best to give your D a more congenial time. In my experience, most of the colleges at the Unifieds are good, even on the day of the audition, about dealing with conflicts.</p>
<p>I should point out to everyone that there is no central scheduling office for the Unifieds. Every school handles its own schedules.</p>
<p>Headshots: I see everything, from very expensive professional work to Polaroids. The basic function of the headshot, as far as college auditions are concerned, is to identify the actor. So any photo which is (1) accurate, and (2) focussed on the face, is better than one which doesn't look like the subject, or is taken from too long a distance. We don't "score" headshots, and I don't really think it makes that much difference in the auditions. But I admit to disliking typical senior pictures, which seem to place as much or more emphasis on the clothes and the background and creating a halo effect than on capturing the personality of the subject. And anyone who gives me a cheerleader picture is implying something about herself which doesn't sit well with wanting a career in the theatre.</p>
<p>So no, I don't think you need to spend a lot of money on getting professional headshots. But yes, it's helpful to have someone, whether a parent or friend who's a decent photographer, take a roll of pictures, focussing on the head (or head and upper body) of the subject. Choose the one which seems to best capture the actor's personality.</p>
<p>For some examples of professional headshots which you could show to a photographer, you can visit this site:</p>
<p><a href="http://www.dickwphoto.com/%5B/url%5D">http://www.dickwphoto.com/</a></p>
<p>We use Dick Wieand to shoot our seniors, and we've been quite happy with his work. He now shoots digitally in color because LA likes color shots (NY still seems to prefer black and white), and with modern technology, it's a cinch to change a color photo to black and white. We tend to prefer b&w ourselves, because we go immediately to the eyes, and we're not distracted by skin tones and hair color. I think you'll see that Dick does a particularly good job of capturing the eyes of his subjects.</p>
<p>Hope this helps. I'll be offline for about a week--off to California to participate in the wedding of my younger son!</p>
<p>Just to let you know about this program, which has just been added to the Big List (<a href="http://www.geocities.com/musicaltheatercolleges/%5B/url%5D">http://www.geocities.com/musicaltheatercolleges/</a>). I received an e-mail this morning from their Dean:</p>
<p>"Dear Dr Stefano - Jerry Prell here, Dean of Musical Theater at the Hartford Conservatory. This past summer I was offered and accepted the position of Director of Admissions, so I am now wearing two hats! </p>
<p>"We had a great fall at HC we produced two shows, TomFoolery and our annual FALLies Showcase.<em>I had a great fall attending NACAC and local career fairs....am now visiting local and regional high schools.</em> We communicated last spring via email, when I first informed you about our new three-year diploma program in musical theater....happy to report that this new program has been approved by both the CT State Dept of Higher and our accrediting organization NEASC.* The new* curriculum was launched fall semester and we are already seeing positive results in our student's technical skills and artistic growth. According to NEASC we are the only post secondary school of its kind in the country, offering arts diplomas in Dance, Music, Recording Arts and Musical Theater.... I am finding that there are many students interested in training and careers in the performing arts and not necessarily interested in general education academics.* Our school is definitely a consideration and alternative for students not on a four-year university track.*<em>The Hartford Conservatory</em>is small, currently 60 in four majors. Nobody gets lost. We are able to keep tabs on our students....focused on their personal artistic goals."</p>
<p>I don't know anything about them, other than this e-mail, but they certainly deserve the same consideration as other programs on the list. Do note that they do not offer a bachelor's degree.</p>
<p>DoctorJohn-Congratulations and best of luck to you and your son!</p>
<p>Doctorjohn, congrats to your son and I hope you enjoy this momentous and special occasion! Have a wonderful time. </p>
<p>Thanks for all you offer to parents/students on this forum, as it is invaluable. Your perspectives and information are quite a resource to all. Your "outreach" on this forum is a testament to you and your program.
Susan</p>
<p>After reading DoctorJohn's most recent and as always informative posts, I was musing on what a great place this would be if we had, oh, say FIVE directors of MT programs posting on a consistent basis! An exchange of varying ideas would occur to be sure. We would be FIVE times more knowldegeable than DoctorJohn has already made us! Perhaps that will be my New Year's resolution (besides D getting a MT acceptance of course!)...to have another MT director join us! What do you think?!?</p>
<p>Congratulations DrJohn, best wishes to all your family!</p>
<p>Yes, I did contact the schools and one was willing to modify their time to make D's schedule more tolerable. thanks for the advice, everyone.</p>
<p>My D met with Jerry, the director at the Hartford Conservatory, quite accidentally when we were at the NY Performing Arts College Fair a little while back. She initially thought she was talking to someone from Hartt (part of University of Hartford) because the tables were connected to each other. He was very courteous and we took some brochures with us to look into the program. After the Fair was over, we went to the parking garage to retrieve our car and Jerry was in line waiting for his car. He called my D by her first name and said he hoped to hear from her soon. I was really shocked that he would recall one, in many, of the names he heard during the night. At this point, of course, we are only looking at BFA programs in schools. I really want her to get a college degree; but if I were basing any of this on the congeniality and personal attention of the school administration, I would say that Hartford Conservatory would be a school to look into.</p>
<p>Doctorjohn:</p>
<p>What wonderful news about your son! I hope that your trip to California goes smoothly and that the wedding takes place without a hitch. Christmastime is a lovely time of year for a wedding. Enjoy!</p>
<p>Newmtmom and Lynm,</p>
<p>We usually stay at the Collegiate Village Inn on Tennessee St. It's on the order of a Motel 6 or Red Roof Inn. It is very close to FSU. The Days Inn University Center is also on Tennessee very close to FSU. There are many restaurants on Tennessee across from FSU. There are also grocery stores and pharmacies. The FSU campus borders Tennessee Street, so the motels I mentioned are convenient. If you have any other questions, let me know.</p>
<p>You can find discount coupons for Collegiate Village Inn and other motels at <a href="http://www.travelcoupons.com%5B/url%5D">www.travelcoupons.com</a>.</p>
<p>Do check the local weather report before heading to FSU. The weather will probably feel like fall. You might not want to be bundled up in heavy wool sweaters and down coats unless Tallahassee is having a cold snap!</p>
<p>Doctorjohn--Congratulations on the marriage of your son! If you're coming to southern California, the sky is blue, the air temperature is the most optimal temperature I've felt in a long time, and there is the slightest breeze. It ought to be absolutely perfect for the wedding.</p>
<p>Thanks to all of you for the kind words. The wedding is in San Diego, on Coronado Island, on Sunday afternoon. Every weather report we've seen is favorable, and we hope it stays as lovely as it appears to be today. But even if a hurricane suddenly appeared, it couldn't take away from the joy of the event. </p>
<p>Happy holidays, everyone. And thank you. Speaking for my colleagues throughout the country, we couldn't do what we do if you and your children didn't want to do it too.</p>
<p>Best wishes for 2005!</p>
<p>Congratulations on the wonderful event coming up! And I thought your comment about thanking us parents for our students was so appropriate and touching. Happy Holidays!</p>
<p>DoctorJohn...
I don't know that I've ever been to Coronado Island that the weather WASN'T perfect! Isn't it ALWAYS 75 degrees, 20% humidity, and sunny? ENJOY! Glad the occasion will be so happy!</p>
<p>Dr. John, I hope you have a great time. Coronado Island is gorgeous; I have been there quite a few times! :-)</p>
<p>Just thought I would let everyone know that Dr. John has graciously volunteered to help me with some of the demands of the website. It will be easier next semester (just ordered my new computer, whoo hoo!) with i-net access, but it will also be a big help to have someone as knowledgeable as Dr. John helping with the upkeep!</p>
<p>I recently received an e-mail asking about putting up a links page. If anyone has any particularly helpful links concerning the MT admissions process, please post them or e-mail them to the FAQ address and we'll get to work putting it together.</p>
<p>Shauna</p>
<p>Shauna, you are an amazing young woman and it is great to see you back on the forum now that you are on break. At some point, you gotta share about how you have enjoyed your first semester. Hope it was all you wanted it to be. Enjoy the break.
Susan</p>