<p>I have heard the same thing regarding Hartt being a suitcase school etc.. I had a friends sister who went there as a voice major and was not happy and transferred, unfortunately, I don't know the details. but I have also heard good things as well. Their facilities are worn out but they are building a brand new performing arts center off campus.</p>
<p>Thanks dancer101-</p>
<p>In case anyone is not aware, campusdirt.com is a good site to find comments from students that you wouldn't hear on a tour. You can find every college by state. I read the posts for Hartt, but when I went back to show my D, I couldn't find the ones I read before regarding it being a suitcase school. Many students said that there is nothing to do on weekends because everyone heads home, and the school is a ghost town. I guess that would make it hard on those who lived too far away to go home.</p>
<p>My son applied early to Harrt and did talk to a few students there when he auditioned. Though he did not like the university as a whole, it seemed to him that the Performing arts kids, the MT and Acting kids, really are a tight unit and because of the activity level that the major and program demands, they are busy all of the time and there is not the concern with what the rest of the school does. </p>
<p>Now, that was a concern for him, and an issue at a number of schools where he was applying. OCU, CCM, Emerson are not schools that would have caught his eye if it were not for the MT programs they have. Their programs are definitely top knotch, but the rest of the school and student body may not be the type of kids he would have been with had he been applying on an academic basis. That is a decision many MT majors do have to make unless they are fortunate enough to be accepted to a school that they love that harbors the MT program they love as well. </p>
<p>I remember that the student that was fielding questions on life at Harrt was saying that the MT/drama students tend to live together in the same apartment complex and because they work together on the same plays, that there is a lot of comraderie and that it is not unusual to take a road trip to NYC to catch a show or do all kinds of things. Though Hartford is not a great city, the West Hartford are is not bad at all. We had a great lunch at a shopping are that was quite nice, not far from the school. The area where the school is located was quite nice. And whether the university is "suitcase" or not, it is sizeable with many amenities, a good variety of courses to pick and certainly a campus. I would prefer it to a pure conservatory, at this point for kids, in that there are some choices and ability for some flexibility. I guess the next big step for those considering the school is the choice of housing. I do not remember whether they house the Performing Arts kids together or if there is a preferred dorm for PA kids given the travel necessary for theatre, dance and voice classes. I know that shuttle travel is a necessity for MT kids. The audition facility was some distance from the main campus and yet another PA complex was being built, again some distance from those two areas.</p>
<p>Allthatjazz - Congrat's on all of your great acceptances. Check your private messages. Good luck with your decisions.</p>
<p>First off, congratulations to everyone on the board for their acceptances to schools! I stop by and read from time to time and it is always nice to hear good news. I'm sure many us of continue to breathe more easily with every forthcoming mail day. That being said...</p>
<p>Has anyone recieved word as to their CMU acceptance, deferral, or rejection? I know someone mentioned that letters would start being sent out this past Monday and another mentioned checking their status online several days after letters were sent out to find that her son had be accepted. I've tapped into the "Where Am I in the Process?" website numerous times (and that is an understatement) only to find my "Decision" area blank. I was just curious as to what anyone else had come across. Thanks and take care.</p>
<p>JLActor86...It is blank on my daughter's webpage for CMU as well. Originally they said all letters would go out this past Monday and then decisions would be posted online three days later (today) but when I called to ask about that this past Monday (cause MTPop's son had a decision online that day and my kid did not), they said that the letters were NOT all mailed out on Monday and they were gradually going out and that my child's letter was not yet mailed so I have no idea when hers (or yours) will be mailed and then it goes online three days following that mailing. This is different than my other child's college process when her schools mailed the decisions to everyone on the same day. So, hang tight...it could be many days yet with CMU. I have not heard online, nor from my D's friends who auditioned, of anyone yet accepted to the BFA program (not that that covers everyone by any means, lol). </p>
<p>Susan</p>
<p>My theory with CMU is that the admissions cmte doesn't review drama applications until the end, b/c the drama dept sends their list to admissions for review after they have started reviewing the other (liberal arts, etc) applicants. It would be a waste of admission's time to review 2000 applicants when drama only intends to offer admission to 40 or so people. Once they have the drama dept's "wish list" they can go through and approve (or not) those people. The reason that we've heard about some MT rejections is that the drama dept. probably knew that they weren't going to offer admission to these people and so they didn't need to send their files to admissions, hence the faster turnaround.</p>
<p>JLactor86-</p>
<p>I had hoped that the CMU info would at least be online for most of you by today. That has turned out not to be the case. There could be many reasons for this.</p>
<p>If you go to the CMU thread, (under CC Top Universities) you will see that several students who did not apply to CFA did find out today, (they got mail). I think most of these students live near CMU.</p>
<p>Not one of my students have heard anything, online or by mail. We are on the west coast so CMU mail would take longer to get to us.</p>
<p>This is contrary to what happened with my S two years ago. Believe me, I feel for all of you waiting. I want to know the outcome as much as you do!</p>
<p>Sounds like most of you know more about UHARTT than I do. I visited 5 years ago with my oldest, not a MT enthusiast, so I didn't check out that part of the school. We have yet to visit due to my daughter being interested in out of state schools. (Aren't they all their Jr year?) We will check it out though, specifically their dance program which has recently changed, I think.
E</p>
<p>So, as of now, it looks like I will probably end up at Point Park. I have heard mixed reviews on the program. Anyone know much about the MT Program there? Please comment!!!!!!! :)</p>
<p>Broadway Blondie,
There is a current student at Point Park who posted awhile back on (college for mt, part 38 - page 8 #145). Her name is Caroline and she offered her e-mail and the opportunity to discuss the college, etc. I would definitely take the time to make the contact.
My d's have been in professional shows with point park grads who were very talented.
Congratulations and good luck!</p>
<p>Point Park - My son has also been in shows with talented Point Park graduates and knows 2 current students who are happy there. Congratulations to you!</p>
<p>broadwayblondie,
We live a short distance from Pittsburgh, and my D danced with Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre for a long time. She has older friends who attended Point Park, and loved it. (I think a few are still there.) I am always seeing graduates of Point Park in shows that I attend, the most recent being Fosse in Minneapolis. There were several Point Park grads in it. My niece is a senior at Pitt (University of Pittsburgh) and although not from the Pittsburgh area herself, has grown to LOVE the city of Pittsburgh as I have. She says there are always things to do, and that many of the college kids socialize/party at the same local hot spots, so she is always meeting people from all the other colleges and universities. Carlow, CMU, Duquesne, Chatham, LaRoche, and Robert Morris are just some of the colleges there. Its a very safe city with very few bad areas which unless lost, you would likely never see (the hill district from the old show Hill Street Blues is one I've heard about but never been to.) I don't know if its a certain arrangement with just Pitt, but the students get bus passes that take them all over the city, free. You can also get out of the city on the busses to the malls etc around the suburbs. There is always something going on in theatre there. Schools and the major production companies in town are always in the midst of something. I hope you love it as much as I've grown to. (I grew up in eastern PA, moved all over the country and relocated near western PA just 7 years ago). Congrats on your acceptance!</p>
<p>More on Pittsburgh - </p>
<p>I must agree with mama02girlz about how great Pittsburgh is. We spent a few days there last year spring break. Even though Point Park is downtown, the Pittsburgh Playhouse where the theatre kids spend their time is in the same area of town as U Pitt and CMU. In fact, it is an easy walk from the Playhouse to CMU, passing through U Pitt on the way and through a great college town area with restaurants, shops, hangouts for the college kids. I can understand how they would all know each other. We were most impressed and had a great visit there.</p>
<p>Hi,
Congratulations of the acceptance to University of Miami!!! If you have any questions--I am a freshman musical theater BFA--feel free to email me.
~Caitlin</p>
<p>Hey!! That's me--my email is <a href="mailto:caitlinobrient@yahoo.com">caitlinobrient@yahoo.com</a>.
If anyone wants information, pass this on! :)
Best of luck,
Caitlin</p>
<p>mamao2girlz, it's funny that you mention Hill St. Blues. I loved that show! :) My cousin went to school with Steven Bochko at Carnegie Tech, as it was then called, now CMU. Many who were involved in that show were fellow students there and went on to successful acting careers. Steven's first wife, Barbara Bosson, Charles Haid, Michael Tucker, and Bruce Weitz to name a few. CMU has produced so many successful writers and actors.</p>
<p>Steven may have taken the Hill St. name from that area of Pittsburgh for this reason but the show never specified that the city in which it took place was Pittsburgh. In fact, the exterior shots were all filmed in Chicago.</p>
<p>Thanks for the info...interesting! It's funny how back then, I had such a different perspective than I do now! With my D's interest in this field, I'm sure I will be getting quite an education!</p>
<p>Hey, was anyone at the CCM auditions a couple weeks ago? Did you hear the singers? There was one girl, a tall red head, did a duet with a guy. She was AMAZING. I heard her and thought, Wow. Someone said Kristen Chenoweth was there a few weeks ago doing a master class and this girl sang for Kristen. Kristen told her she would be HUGE some day, getting all the strong diva roles. People were saying she has the best voice there, all belt, and the favored singer of the faculty. Just curious. I also heard that CCM was accepting a lot of the kids who were cast in the national high school cast of Ragtime that will be at international thespian festival. Turns out the sister of this girl who sang is the lead in Ragtime and also got accepted into CCM. Just coincidence or are they that good?</p>
<p>ronchergirl, it was a great coincidence that you posted today about the girl at CCM who had "the best voice there, all belt, and the favored singer of the faculty." Why? Because I had logged on specifically to mention the lead story in the Arts & Leisure section of today's (Sunday's) NY Times, headlined "How Broadway Lost Its Voice to 'American Idol.'" The link is:
<a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2005/03/27/theater/newsandfeatures/27bran.html%5B/url%5D">http://www.nytimes.com/2005/03/27/theater/newsandfeatures/27bran.html</a>
The article is written by Ben Brantley, who I know is not a big favorite of all of you. But IMO he makes an important point, talking about big, often soulless, "Idol"-style voices taking over Broadway. Now, I love watching American Idol, but I sure don't want it to be the arbiter of what makes a great singer. This is a subject particularly near to my heart because my D -- like a number of you or your kids, I'm sure -- is not a belter. She has a truly beautiful voice, well-trained and extremely expressive, but it's what her school music director describes as a "Disney princess voice." Nonetheless, she was asked at one of her auditions, at a school mentioned very often here, to perform a belt song in addition to her two prepared audition pieces. She did, but both she and her voice teachers were appalled that she'd been asked to do so, and no one was disappointed when she didn't get into that program. Of course we all love the big belters, but there's more to singing than that, and I sincerely and deeply hope that there will continue to be more to MT than that -- not just for the sake of my D's career, but for the sake of musical theatre itself.</p>