Colleges for Musical Theater - PART 39 !

College Majors Musical Theater Major
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<p>It's been a while since I've posted anything on CC; my oldest is just finishing up her freshman year at Syracuse (in public relations/political science), so all of my previous posts on CC have been related to her journey.</p>

<p>That being said, I've skimmed through some of the posts here on MT and am blown away by the number of parents posting, who have only high school sophomores. My D is a sophomore and has been researching colleges ever since her older sister began. Now that she's had almost a couple of years of high school under her belt, she's in the discernment process, I think leaning toward MT.</p>

<p>However, the poor child has been cursed with parents who know absolutely nothing about musical theater. Where she got her talent from is anyone's guess. This all seems so new to me, and after reading the posts I have, I wonder if I'm equipped to walk through this with her, if this is what she chooses.</p>

<p>She has a modicum of experience in acting/singing since about 4th grade; she's a member of our local community theater group, having been cast in several of their children's plays (their "adult" plays usually look for people 20+). She was a member of an audition only children's choir (not school affiliated) for four years (had to quit when rehearsals interfered with high school activities, but plans to return next year) that traveled to Hawaii and Italy (experience singing in different languages). The most significant and meaningful experience she's had, though, has been in the last two years in her school's show choir. We have a women's only group, and a mixed group. She was in both this year - making the mixed group as a sophomore is very competitive. Their show choirs have never not made finals at any competitions they attended, so their reputation is strong amongst the show choir circuit. She competed in our county's talent fair contest last summer, and was the highest scoring vocalist (the top winners were dancers); she got one of six solos in our high school's musical this spring (3 guys, 3 girls). She also competed in a solo competition at one of the show choir competitions in March, and placed 5th of all girls. All in all, I'd say she's pretty talented.</p>

<p>But, that's just me - an inexperienced parent! She is an incredibly bright child, and will score well on ACT/SAT next year, probably will be nominated (but won't make the final cut) of National Merit. But sometimes all the extracurriculars distract her from homework, so her rank is somewhere around 40-50 out of over 500 kids in her class. Hopefully that will move up next year as she starts taking AP classes. So any schools that weigh grades/GPA will look upon her favorably.</p>

<p>She has the looks and great stage presence, and passion. However, her dance experience is limited. She did poms in 8th grade, as well as took a hip/hop class. Other than that, the dancing she does, she learns in show choir. But she learns really fast. She's also taken voice lessons/theory for about a year now, and her teacher is encouraging her to pick up some piano lessons if she continues to be interested in pursuing music.</p>

<p>As we begin this process, what are the things to do to improve her chances over the next year and a half until she starts auditioning, if this is what she chooses? We're in the Chicago area, and about 45 minutes from Northwestern University, so summer programs there are a possibility. But are there audition only programs for high-schoolers, that are highly respected? This summer she will be doing a one-week show choir camp at Millikin University, as well as her usual community theater summer workshop. </p>

<p>Schools that we've talked about in passing are Ithaca College (we did a quick 30-minute walk around last weekend while visiting her sister in Syracuse), Emerson (people are trying to talk her out of it due to its lack of the "college experience"), and her sister is encourging her to consider Syracuse, since that's where she's at, and yes, their program is strong. A couple of months ago, I took her to NYC for her 16th birthday to see Wicked and Rent, and in looking at the playbills, it was amazing to see how many people came out of Ithaca and Syracuse... very encouraging. We also walked around the NYU campus so she could see what it looked like. Northwestern is too close to home, and she tends to thumb her nose up at schools that aren't situated in an "exciting" city (not that Syracuse is exciting). When someone mentioned Belmont, she stated, "I don't want to live in Nashville." So I assume she'd say the same about Cincinnati and some of the other not so well-known places. Part of my job is to get her to reconsider what she expects from the college experience - that she might have to make some concessions to go to a reputable MT school. That will come in time. She initially was opposed to Ithaca, but after the brief visit said, "Yea, I liked it."</p>

<p>She's not the sports-loving, (although she did play soccer and run cross country) college spirit kind of person, so I don't think she'd really like the size of Michigan. At our high school now (as with many), athletics definitely gets a priority of attention (undeserving - they're not very good), resources and money over performing arts and that has kind of soured her attitude toward sports.</p>

<p>One thing I'm a bit curious about... and I'm trying to say this diplomatically. So many of you talk about how involved you've become in this process with your children - I worry that it kind of has this "pageant mom" mentality, due to the competitiveness of MT. I've always been strongly opposed to judging and awarding girls on their looks. No one will ever be able to convince me that pageants do not objectify girls, and even if it meant good scholarship money, I would not allow my daughter to compete in a pageant. I really don't want to get sucked into a pageant mom mentality in this kind of process. Initially I had a problem with show choir (all the "hair"/makeup/sequins/glitz), but it really does boil down to musical talent, and it's an equal opportunity provider (boys participate as well). On-line posts are impossible to insert non-verbal communication in, so please believe me when I say this, I am not here to provoke anyone here - my curiosity is genuine - I just want to know what we're up against if this is the route she takes.</p>

<p>Sorry to keep you (anyone who has read this far) for so long. I look forward to hearing from you. Who knows, maybe in two years, I'll be passing along advice to others!</p>

<p>Thanks,
Teri</p>

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<p>teriwtt - Welcome! You sound like you have a very talented daughter. Like you, when my son decided he seriously wanted to go for MT in college (after acting and singing for many years), I knew nothing much and had so much to think about. My involvement has been researching what schools would be good to visit and planning trips for him to see them. I've also been helping him with getting applications, etc. for the actual process that will start next fall for him. From here on out, I'll just plan the audition trips. He'll do on his own all the hard part - applications, essays, prep. monologues, songs, etc.</p>

<p>Pointers - Get her in ballet class as soon as possible, twice a week was recommended to us for my son to "catch up" in time for college auditions at about your daughter's age (maybe a year sooner). For you - go back and read from the very beginning on this very long thread from several years back. I cannot tell you enough how that helped me.</p>

<p>I agree with you that Ithaca and Syracuse are good choices. When you get to about 11/24/04 on this forum, you'll see my list of our visits. We've been 3 more places since then. In addition, (and fairly near you geographically) I would recommend that you consider Michigan (small program, even though big university), Webster, Oklahoma City University (OCU), Millikin, IL Wesleyan, and some of the Ohio schools (such as Otterbein and Baldwin-Wallace, but there are others). Go to the Big List that you can get to at the top of these sheets (FAQ) to see all the MT schools, but especially look at the ones marked highly competitive. Then also find at least one safety school that does not have an audition, as these audition programs only take about 5% to 10% of applicants. Drake may be one of these, but I think they may have some type of audition (maybe scholarship??). Others have posted good info. about other programs in your area that I'm not as familiar with. Lastly, although we love Northwestern, it may not be a good choice for a student who truly wants MT. You must audition for MT after being in theatre or music for one year, and they only take 15 from theatre and 15 from music into MT. I think the theatre classes have about 80 or 90 students, so the odds of being one of the 15 (when most of the students do this audition) are not very good, and you've already spent a year there. I think if straight acting were your desire, both NW and DePaul have good programs.</p>

<p>This forum can be addictive! I feel like I must check it every day like I do my e-mail!</p>

<p>If you have questions for me, click into my name and send an e-mail, as my PM box is almost full.</p>

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<p>Teri--Welcome to the MT forum. Ericsmom gave you some great information. She’s wonderful about researching and sharing information. I would like to address the concern you tried to address “diplomatically.” I understand that it's a different process (from face to face discussion) to communicate in an online anonymous forum such as this one, particularly when one is trying to get one's bearings. It sort of sounds as if you're asking us "pageant moms" if you have to become a pageant mom if your D decides to pursue MT in college. I think you'll find, if you take the time to read all the threads on this forum--some of them dating back a couple of years or more--that most of the regular posters on here have been taken on this MT ride by the passion of their children, not the other way around. Not all, but many of us (myself included) have begun from a position of total ignorance in this subject. My D has known for many years that she wants to be a performer--singer, dancer, actor--and that she would take the path that would get her there. She's the most determined kid I've ever met. I found that I had to try to rise to her level in some respects so that I could help her as much as I could with my limited knowledge and experience in the field. She has been the one driving this bus from the beginning. I'd say that this is the opposite of what happens with "pageant fever." I never in my wildest imagination or nightmares could have predicted this path for my D. In fact, this is one mom who would rather sit in a corner reading a book than get up on stage and turn red. Finally, as you said yourself about show choir: “Initially I had a problem with show choir (all the "hair"/makeup/sequins/glitz), but it really does boil down to musical talent, and it's an equal opportunity provider (boys participate as well). “
Show choir is a small part of musical theatre, IMO. That you recognize show choir as being about “musical talent” and not “glitz” is good; however, the theatre part is about acting and the ability to be a good actor is far away from the superficiality that you seem to be concerned about.</p>

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<p>Teri, I really enjoyed reading your post because I felt like deja vu, that could have been my post two years ago!</p>

<p>I originally read CC forums because of my older D, now a freshman at Brown, when she was starting junior year and we were starting to look into colleges. I kept reading the MT threads back then because I also had a daughter who was a freshman in high school at the time who I knew was gonna want to pursue MT in college cause of her long held passion for it. Eventually, I kept learning along the way, both through experience, reading and this forum as well. </p>

<p>First, let me say, speaking for myself, and also living in Vermont as I do, I have never participated in and am very UNinvolved and UNaware of the culture involved in pageants or competitions. I think that is entirely a different "world" from musical theater. Forgive me if anyone else on this forum is involved in that circuit (though nobody has ever mentioned it?) but it is foreign from my experience. I can only talk of my experience but after "knowing" many other parents on this forum, I think many of theirs correlates with ours and even what YOU have written above.....and that is, our kids were exposed to a variety of extracurricular activities growing up. For me, I have NO experience in the performing arts and never imagined I would have a kid who wanted to go into this. Theater and dance and music were just some of the many activities they participated in when younger. Both my girls did these things all their years growing up. But my younger one kept wanting to do more and more with theater and eventually the immersion took over and she had to stop things like her sports in middle school. But she has done similar things to your daughter but we have nothing like show choir (which I have heard about from midwestern friends and it sounds really cool and she'd have liked it). Our school has regular choir, lol. I think your daughter is doing the appropriate things if she wishes to pursue this field.</p>

<p>I would say that a kid would benefit from a mix of training and performance opportunities. For training, this might include private voice lessons, acting lessons or classes if you have them (we didn't), dance lessons, school based choir, music lessons (preferably piano but even another instrument would be beneficial), and any summer immersion programs or summer stock theater experiences. Performance opportunities might include: school musicals and dramas, other theater productions (community theater, regional, or even professional though the latter is not imperative), choral ensembles, and dance troupes/recitals. </p>

<p>I don't think the parents on here are necessarily well versed in the field to begin with but have learned along the way as their kids got more involved and when it came time to explore colleges and so forth. Now, that I have been through this process, yeah, I have learned a lot and had to be quite involved....as taximom for one thing and also just to be informed about singing and acting and all that jazz and then the whole college audition process, etc. It is not all that different than being a travel soccer mom or stuff like that sometimes. You learn what ya gotta learn as your kids do various things, ya know?</p>

<p>As far as your college search.....my child applied and got into two of the schools you mentioned, the BFA in MT at Syracuse and at Ithaca, both of which were terrific programs. I think, however, that this college search that you will do with your second daughter (if she pursues a BFA degree program in MT), will be very different than the one with your first daughter...I can attest to that having done this back to back with two daughters now myself. The first child's selection process was more "normal" in that she picked from zillions of colleges out there depending on her specific college criteria. Contrasting that is my second child, whose college list was almost made before we began as there is a much more finite number of colleges that offer a BFA degree in MT. My D did knock out the west and south so that narrowed it down to the usual suspects when it comes to BFA programs, just about. I mean, even her friends going into this field, had quite similar lists, which I cannot say of my other D's peers. Like my first D, both these processes involved selective schools with difficult admit rates. But the first D had reach, match and safety schools and the MT daughter's schools would be classified all as reaches since they have approx. a 5% admit rate and yes, this is nutty to think about! I cannot think of a BFA program that is a true safety school. Anyway, another thing that is different is that the child is not really picking the college in the same way or using the same criteria as a kid picking a normal college. Rather than weighing size, location, yadda yadda, it boils down to having to go WHERE they offer these BFA MT programs. And then, you gotta really look specifically at the programs themselves.....more than a child who is looking to pursue a liberal arts major, because for these kids the program itself might constitute as much as 80% of the coursework at some colleges, so it is a major factor in deciding where to go. Besides all that, with such slim odds, you cannot always be overly picky about things because you might have to go to whichever school accepts you and the chance of many choices is not one you can count on. </p>

<p>I would advise you to read as many of the threads on here as you can.....go back into the arhives of past threads....it will take a while....but when you are done, you have just read the best book on the topic, lol....and you will have some idea of what you may be getting into and you will be armed with lotsa information to then take the next steps. Visit schools if you can in junior year. And then be ready for fall of senior year to be very busy because besides the work of the college applications and essays like your first daughter had, this one will have ALL of that AND will have to be working on audition material, likely with assistance from voice and acting teachers, and then come winter, will have to go to all these college auditions during a small frame of time.....it is a very different kind of college process, that I can tell you! But if your kid is dying to do it, you will just learn what it is all about and you'll just do it and support her (and DRIVE her, lol) and it'll be a fun ride. </p>

<p>While I am not familiar with pageants and competitions, I really doubt this is like that and I don't think it is the same people. Nobody I have met at college auditions (and I have met many this year) seemed to be involved in what you were referring to, don't worry. Musical theater seems like a different set of folks, not better, but just different.</p>

<p>Susan</p>

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<p>I thought I might get a couple of responses over the next week or so; you guys are on top of things!</p>

<p>So let me clarify regarding the "pageant mom" thing. I was not at all insinuating that any of you fit into that description. I guess I have this image of auditions, students waiting around, parents (usually moms) almost putting their lives on hold for a short amount of time, etc. Maybe my question was, do you run into these kinds of parents when you're doing your audition circuit? Does any aspect of this become cut throat in a demeaning sort of way? Are there politics involved?</p>

<p>It's funny, because one of my friends (whose daughter is also phenomenally talented and in show choir with my daughter) and I used to joke about pageants and pageant moms. Her daughter insisted on doing one, and won! I was sitting next to my friend when they announced her daughter's name, and she about died. Of course she was proud of her daughter, but we both knew that as a mom, she would really have to fake it. She can't wait for her daughter's "reign" to be over this summer. We laughed that the of all the contestants, the only one who had a mom so opposed to pageants, is the one that won. So I say some of this stuff tongue in cheek, because she's an incredibly talented girl (no talent portion in the pageant) and her mom is so down to earth.</p>

<p>I appreciate the recommendations about the dance classes; now that she's 16 and driving, it might be more doable. Fortunately and unfortunately, she's been in about every play (except 2) since she entered high school, and that keeps her busy after school. Show choir, this year, met three nights a week from 6:30-9:30. So during theater production cycles, she often has play rehearsal right after school, then sometimes has enough time to get "dinner", then be back at school for show choir. Next year, one of the show choirs will be a class during the day, freeing up one evening. Come January through late March is show choir competition season, and her director often adds Saturday rehearsals with clinicians, then there's traveling on the weekends to competitions. I sometimes wonder if I should research private dance (ballet) lessons... you know, not as much time, but more intensity per lesson. Has anyone had any experience with this?</p>

<p>Regarding Millikin... I'd be thrilled if she fell in love with the school this summer when down there for the week. I also had heard about Illinois Wesleyan's program, but she hears Peoria, and squirms. A good friend of hers just got into DePaul's program, and maybe she'll visit him next year and fall in love with DePaul.</p>

<p>I forgot to add that she's also an active member of our school's video broadcast group, and that has taught her some valuable skills both technically (directing and producing) and in front of the camera. Her teachers go out of their way to tell me how she has such a natural style in front of the camera (she co-anchors morning school annoucements that are broadcast throughout the school), that she seems so relaxed. I would think a lot of auditioning is about poise and self-confidence, and she definitely has that working in her favor. I've never known her to be nervous about an audition or performance.</p>

<p>I hope to get a chance to go back and read some of the archived posts, but looking at how many there are is intimidating! I'm sure it'll be an education in itself.</p>

<p>Thanks.</p>

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<p>Welcome to the forum. I'm a newcomer here, too, with a dd who is about to enter college and a younger dd about to enter a PA high school.</p>

<p>I have a few friends whose children have been involved in the pageant and competition circuit for several years. My own children did several national talent pageants when they were younger. It was not our "thing". MT parents seem to be very different from pageant/competition parents. </p>

<p>The one big difference I've found regarding competition/pageant vs. theater is in the competition among the kids and parents. It's been my experience that most theater "people" don't get overly competitive and everybody truly supports each other for the good of the individual production, i.e., chorus people aren't treated "lower" than leads. Everybody is needed for the good of the production itself. In competitions, it seems everybody is out for themselves and some children/parents go overboard. </p>

<p>Of course, that's my experience only. I'm sure there are several people, maybe even some on this forum, who have been involved with the competition/pageant circuit and found it to be very worthwhile.</p>

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<p>Teri,</p>

<p>I'm pretty new to this forum and my d is also a sophomore! She is in love with every aspect of musical theater beyond words and will be looking to attend college for MT too! I went back to the beginning on this forum and have spent weeks reading everything, printing helpful info out and keeping it together in an organized fashion for my d. This site is truly wonderful! </p>

<p>My d attends a performing arts high school and had to chose an area to specialize in and picked drama. I think it's great that your d is so involved in choir and the competition experience will be so helpful to her. My d does not have that same opportunity since her focus is drama so I do wonder if that will hurt her not to have as much competitive vocal experience. But she has taken private voice lessons for years and has been in many productions and really thought that acting was her weakest area so she decided to focus on that. (although she has been allowed to cross into the dance department for elective classes - the only one in the school so far who has been allowed to do that). </p>

<p>It sounds like your d is doing a lot over the summer to stay involved with mt. My d will be auditioning for a community theater play in a few weeks and will be attending a dance intensive at the broadway dance center in nyc. Many of the camps were out for her because she is dead set on auditioning for this show. Next summer she wants to attend pre-college at cmu. (I guess I should start saving now!) She took piano when she was younger and has switched to guitar 2 years ago and has been loving that - plays very well but she will be adding piano back again this fall. She also has had a difficult time with dance classes -- there is never any time. It seems like she goes from show to show, rehersals at night and that is the same time all the dance practices are. I got tired of paying and her never being able to go. But since she has been allowed to dance at school it has made a HUGE difference for her. We have been fortunate that she has had that opportunity. You can't beat 5 days a week of dance for free! Private ballet lessons may be a great option for your d!</p>

<p>I look forward to keeping up with your posts since we may be in the same boat together! We also went to NYC for my d's 16th birthday to see Wicked (terrific wasn't it!). What better gift for a mt junkie!</p>

<p>Kathie</p>

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<p>Not that this will help - having grown up in Illinois - but Illinois Weslyan is in Normal, not Peoria :)</p>

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<p>Welcome, Teri! Beware, it IS very addicting! Lots of questions; unfortunately, I only have a couple of minutes right now. Regarding dance lessons, I know I'm in the minority, but my daughter doesn't know left from right (well, hardly!) and got into NYU CAP21. They are one of the only schools with an optional non-dance audition. A friend of ours (a boy) got into all of the top MT schools (didn't audition for Michigan, though), is now going to PSU, and his mom insisted that I pay for private ballet lessons for my d. I'm a school teacher. Yeah, right. I pay $85 an hour for an occasional voice lesson when she has an audition ONLY. Can't afford any more!I would STRONGLY SUGGEST you find the BEST VOICE TEACHER. Ask someone on this forum for a suggestion about someone in your area. My daughter took lessons from someone who taught her operettic style and can now hit the high E. However, she wanted to belt, also. She found the $85 an hour voice teacher and in 10 minutes was able to SAFELY belt to a C#. It was worth every penny.
My d was in community theater/some professional in Nyc, too - ever since she was 12 (sometimes doing 2-3 shows at once). Think of it as free acting/singing/dancing training! Good luck to you and your d - I would keep in touch with all of us and we can give you feedback regarding all the schools our kids will be going to next year!</p>

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<p>...actually, Illinois Wesleyan is in Bloomington, Illinois, which is all of two miles from Normal, Illinois, where Illinois State University is located... </p>

<p>..but having lived in Bloomington and taught in Normal, I feel confident in saying that the line between normal and not-normal is very fuzzy in that part of the state... ;)</p>

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<p>terriwtt: Welcome to the Forum! You will learn more about the audition process and schools for MT here than anywhere else (probably in the world!) It is addicting. The older posts are really fantastic; definitely worth reading back as much as you can. Please keep in mind that almost all the posters are trying to help each other out. I've also found the same camaraderie among parents and kids at the auditions. I've met some wonderful people from CC at auditions and have also recommended this site to many others, as well. </p>

<p>I, too, don't know anything about pagentry, but from an outsider's point of view, don't think there could be any type of comparison. You'll find, if you keep reading for a year, that you are rooting for all these kids to get into schools, not just your own. If one student is having a difficult time finding a program, everyone pitches in with ideas and last minute suggestions to try to help. When things work out for that student, there's a collective sigh of relief among all the posters. It's almost impossible not to care about someone else's child, when you've been talking to them or their parent for a while. </p>

<p>A mom named Peggy has a daughter who is finishing up her Freshman year at Millikin now and absolutely loves it. (If you go back, you'll see her posts) Peggy would gladly help you with any questions you might have. Most likely, my D will be attending there in September. I will be happy to keep you updated on the school if she decides to go there. She really loved all aspects of the school, except for the distance (we're from NJ). I don't think your D would have any trouble getting into the MT program at Millikin. The students we met on campus were so helpful and friendly.</p>

<p>Good luck in your searches. I think you started in plenty of time. I agree with the thought that taking ballet would be a smart idea.</p>

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<p>Teriwtt--I'll add two cents also regarding the role of parents. Ultimately, you know your kid and will know how much you need to help her with this stuff. I think these days, the whole college process is overwhelming no matter what you want to study. Add MT to the mix and it is impossible. Remember, our kids are part of a statistical bulge and that makes everything even more competitive in an already competitive field. So my D started voice lessons in 9th grade and started performing at her high school in 10th, and somewhere during that year became very serious about it. Because I went to art school and am a painter, I knew something about life in the arts and knew that if she was going to be auditioning for college we were talking about a whole different process. So sometime last year, when she was a junior, I started to look around and by chance stumbled upon this web site. I can't say enough how helpful and supportive people here are. This is THE place to learn what the process is, how to prepare, etc. Do people sometimes get a little too obsessed? Of course. You'll find discussions ad nauseum about every aspect. And if you aren't careful, you'll lose perspective. so every once in a while you step back, breath, and remind yourself that your child's head shot is not the most important aspect of the whole thing. But for those of us who are parents, we can control who takes the head shot--and we have little control about this process in general. so everyonce in a while, I would step back, but I think the people on this site are wonderful. And don't always assume that those posting are parents. Some of the wisest postings come from the kids.</p>

<p>anyway, welcome. Don't forget to check out the link to FAQS. That has a list of schools by state that have MT programs, discusss the audition process, etc.</p>

<p>One more bit of advice. The discussion here tends to focus on certain schools. There are a lot of other schools out there which aren't as well known. I don't think that necessarily means they are not good programs. So don't forget about them.</p>

<p>One other suggestion. I don't know where you live, but every year, there is a college fair that travels to a number of cities, and it is specifically schools with programs in the visual and performing arts. It is sponsored by a national organization of college counselors but I don't remember their name. Good luck.</p>

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<p>Teri, welcome and congratulations for joining our group! It sounds like you're doing everything right at this point in your D's journey. I echo the suggestions to read through the many pages of discussions here and the archives. It is truly a wealth of information on every possible aspect of preparation for studying theatre in college. Many of us have been posting on the forums for a long time and ALL of us have been in your shoes, whether it was last year or several years ago so we have much information to share. It's useful to read all of it and then take what you need, for your particular situation, and go from there. :) All of our children have had different experiences and types of preparation, yet the one thing which they all share is a love for the stage. Many of us have children currently enrolled at the schools which are discussed here so it's possible for us to give perspective on the actual programs, as well as to put prospective students in touch with our children directly so that they may chat and get their questions answered. Have fun and if you have any questions, just ask! :)</p>

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<p>Terri </p>

<p>I, too, am new to the board - and the search. I had no idea what was involved until these very kind people opened my eyes. </p>

<p>My D and I went to the college fair this fall and it was very interesting. The web site is here: <a href="http://www.nacac.com/exhibit/fair2.cfm%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.nacac.com/exhibit/fair2.cfm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

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<p>Thanks again for all the information and encouragement. I don't have time to reply to everyone right now - got to get to work, but hope to reply later.</p>

<p>And please forgive the brain fart regarding Illinois Wesleyan. A good friend of mine lives in Peoria and when I wrote the post, I'd been up too late and must have been distracted by the e-mail I'd just received from her. But yes, I knew it was in Bloomington - we've actually been to Bloomington for a cross country meet. And thanks for the link to NACAC; I'm looking forward to checking it out more thoroughly later.</p>

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<p>Thank you for your wonderful post and for encouraging "newer" (since I'm fairly new) to read all the posts and not be swayed by some of them.</p>

<p>This has been a very trying period for all of us in our quest to get the best education available for our children. Those of us who have had to deal with rejections have perhaps gotten a little "over the top" with emotions and are trying to make the best of a bad situation. But, I've come to realize that even those who have been very successful in their college audition process are stressed in deciding WHICH school to attend, WHERE would they be the most comfortable and WHAT would give them what they so desire? It's a difficult process.</p>

<p>To Teriwtt: This forum is full of great people who truly love their children (and yes, like Newmtmom said, a lot of wonderful posts have come from the students themselves). Everybody is looking for the same thing.....happiness in life and fulfilling dreams through hard work, dedication and sacrifice.</p>

<p>God bless everybody and let's continue to support each other as our kids make their final decisions and ultimately begin their new journey. :)</p>

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<p>I just had to come on here and say thank you to everyone who has supported me on this journey. I don't want to be insensitive to those who don't want to hear about acceptances, so if you are curious about why I am posting this here please see the "Happy College Acceptances" thread. I am so thankful for the support I have found on this forum, through PMs, and email. I know that I couldn't have come through this without all the love I found here.</p>

<p>There are no words to express how grateful I am for everything.</p>

<p>Best of luck to all those embarking on the same journey!</p>

<p>Best,
Shauna</p>

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<p>Shauna, it is just like YOU to express gratitude. But baby, YOU did it! YOU got in....we stood by and watched and are so happy for you now.
Susan</p>

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<p>Hi Terriwtt,
I'm pretty new to the forum and have a S who will be on the audition circuit next year. I just want to weigh in on the side of getting some dance before your D starts auditioning. I know that many/most people think that dance is the least important of the three MT disciplines. I know that there are kids out there who get into the very selective programs without any dance at all but I suspect (but don't know for certain) that these same individuals have what I call "stop the world" voices. For those very talented kids who don't have "stop the world" voices I'd like to suggest that a little dance could go a long way.
I teach MT at a local studio and it frustrates me no end when I get a talented actor/singer who can't fit in a dance class or two because they are so busy running from one community theater production to another, auditioning and peforming all over the place. When it comes down to the crunch at auditions, and the panel is looking at two kids who are equal in singing and acting but one has some dance and the other doesn't, the kid with the dance probably has an advantage.
From my perspective (I teach vocal music in our local public school system) I'm not sure that show choir is the best training for a potential MT student, especially if it requires the sort of commitment you talk about in your earlier post. I'm speaking now as the mom of a child who has worked professionally on several national tours and Broadway. I'm sure your daughter loves show choir but as she approaches audition time I suggest you and your D take a look at her strengths (acting? singing?) and areas that need building up (dance, for example) and try and find programs/lessons that will develop her talents and make her a stronger candidate for those very selective MT we all are looking at for our children.
I agree that you should find a vocal coach/teacher for your daughter. I'm not sure where you live in the country, but here in Michigan a good teacher is about $30 per half hour. If you can find some dance classes for your D I would suggest ballet and jazz. I'm always a little wary of looking at local community theater as "free training". In our area, at least, the people who direct these shows have little or no real training in theater or music theater. While some of the local shows are excellent, others are very "amatuerish". Again, while these shows are great fun to be in, I'm not sure how valuable they are in the long-run. My S and D's NY agent actually told us NOT to have our kids do community theater because she said they pick up some very bad habits and become very "stagey". Just her opinion I know, but she is a VERY well-respected agent who has represented some very famous performers when they were children (Britney Spears and Matt Damon among others).
I know it can be hard to find good acting classes and I have some suggestions. Sometimes the theater teacher/s at your local High School will be willing to coach kids who are preparing monologues for auditions. This year we had our S and D coach with the head of the theater department at a local university. Of course we paid him for his time but it was money well spent!!!
Getting ready for college auditions requires a lot of time and effortand we all want to give our kids the best training/experiences that we can. I wish you and your D all the best!
MTaussie</p>

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<p>I had to laugh when reading your pageant mom comments. By D nor I ever thought that she would enter a pageant absolutely no interest. She has always done everything around musical theatre. But she decided that she was going to enter a pageant. My husband and I were both opposed to the idea but she wanted to try something different and thought the idea of winning potential college funding was worth it. She entered her state pageant and won the title over 100 girls. She went on to the Nationally televised pageant and had an awesome experience in her year. So I guess I am a pageant mom but not a "pageant mom".But, let me tell you we have definately met some "pageant moms" from all over the country and they are not here! The parents here are very supportive no matter what path your child may be taking. The sight is a wealth of information I wished I had found it much earlier.</p>

<p>But, there were some great things that came out of that reign. She was able to use her talent even though the pageant had no talent portion in it, helping many of the charitable organizations she worked with as she sang at fundraisers all across the state. Through her performances she was referred to an agent and has since been signed with a management company and a modeling agency and one of NYC largest talent agencies. She also did the audition route and was accepted with a great scholarship to one college, wait listed at another, and was accepted in theatre BFA just two weeks ago to another great school. She has decided to defer college for a year both schools have agreed to hold her spot for a year with no loss of scholarship and no need to audition. She has also broadened her perspective on her career. It used to be Broadway or bust but she also realizes that there are many paths to success. She loves working in NYC, had her first call back for a National tour and did her first fashion show this past weekend by herself. Her dream is still to be on broadway she just might be taking a different path to get there. Good luck to your daughter and get ready for an interesting ride.</p>