<p>anothermom-w-q, please keep us posted. We are all rooting for your D. How these kids put themselves out there before judges over and over is beyond my comprehension. It's a sort of bravery I admire. Please give your D our good wishes, and tell her our fingers are crossed for her.</p>
<p>L</p>
<p>I've looked over the CMU summer program and agree it would be a great help and a wonderful experience. But it's nearly $6k and takes most of the summer. I'm thinking, if she can get in, some experience locally with a repertory company as an intern might be better and afford more unwinding after a tough junior year. There's really not much of a choice from our perspective. We do what we can. </p>
<p>On anotherbut similarissue, how many of you parents made the initial contact with a prospective school? How many parents followed through with the visit scheduling and/or audition scheduling? Does it make a difference in the eyes of the schools? My D is very busy at school and in rehearsal, doesn't have the time during "business" hours to contact the schools, and can't make travel decisions based on my schedule. I'm inclined to make those detailed contacts myself. My D has done the initital search and email contact with the various programs but she's got a full load of school work already. Is it bad for the parents to handle some of the chores of college admissions for their kids? Do the colleges react to it negatively? Just wondering. I'm not aspiring to being a stage-dad!</p>
<p>We've all navigated these waters in slightly different ways, but we do understand the fine line. Check out an earlier discussion here.</p>
<p>ProudDad....my kids did all the research of their schools, all the applications, and all the personal contact with current students or professors or personnel. I was more the support person. BUT there is one area that I feel a parent can take care of. That is the secretarial part of lining up visits, travel plans, and so forth. My kids had the input but I made the calls to line up the appointments for the info. sessions or auditions according to their wishes as it was in the business day and they were never home during business hours. However, if they wanted to observe a class or meet with someone, THEY wrote those emails and they wrote the thanks and so forth. I was not the one talking to people in the departments and such. I did do the appointment making and travel plans. I think it is just talking to receptionists and it doesn't reflect on your child's interest in the school. It is just the secretarial part. The "meat" of it....the actual contact with people in programs and the actual applications belong to the students' domain in my opinion. Contacting a professor is the job of the student and that can be done via email. I did not do that for my kids. I was a support person and we discussed each step of their process and time line but they did the work. I did secretarial things and the travel plans and appointments. I think this is pretty typical. I don't think the secreatary is going to care or note who lined up the info. session or audition appointment. Other sorts of contact, yes, ought to be by the student. The application should definitely be by the student and then the parent can look it over and advise. I see the parent also meeting regularly with a student to discuss each step of the process and what the student will take care of next....like an advisor...the student is not on her own but is still the one doing the tasks (except the secretarial travel and appt. making).</p>
<p>Susan</p>
<p>Proud Dad - </p>
<p>As far as the CMU Pre-college program goes,while I know that $6,000 is a lot to spend, it's better than spending a year's tuition to find out if this is for you. This advice was given to me and it was money well spent. The program is a true indication of what a BFA mt program is like. I found this to be of more value than the actual auditioning experience there. As far as auditioning goes, some advice that we were given when my D was young, was to audition as much as possible. The more you audition, the more comfortable you get with it. </p>
<p>Good luck to you and to all of those who are waiting to hear from programs - I remember last March was very intense, but exciting as well. </p>
<p>Tomorrow my D comes home for spring break - I haven't seen her in 2 months! This was a long stretch and I am counting the minutes until I can go pick her up at the airport. Who would have thought I would every look forward to driving to LAX!</p>
<p>illinisue,
Thanks for that link. If it had said "Dad's help" or "parental" I might have found it! Duhh, why didn't I think of that?</p>
<p>Thanks for your kind words. It's a hard couple of weeks. Luckily for my D she is busy with her senior project (which is insane), and with her school musical- Zombie Prom, which is a blast.</p>
<p>Proud Dad - </p>
<p>One of the main benefits of CMU Precollege, MPulse, and other summer programs that you don't get from other theatre work is specific college audition prep instruction. As an MT teacher primarily of high schoolers, I see many students who go through these programs gain not only in confidence but in actual knowledge of song repertoire and monologue literature, in knowledge of how to become skilled seekers of audition material which is great FOR THEM, and, most importantly, how to connect to pieces in a truthful way that really shows a student's acting skill or potential.</p>
<p>These programs are, of course, really expensive, and they do take up a lot of time. A student can sometimes benefit just as much from seeking out a theatre training program in her own geographic area that has faculty members who are familiar with college auditioning - which is a somewhat different animal than professional auditioning. The rep company which you mention as an option for your daughter might even provide this informally, if there are actors in it who are fairly recent conservatory grads - and they will often be excited to do some more formal coaching (for a bit of pocket money)! I have found that most grads of really good conservatory programs are not only excellent performers but also excellent teachers - and, having been a classroom teacher for many years, I am a tough critic of teaching. :) </p>
<p>Having shephered many students through this often-overwhelming process over the last several year, my overall advice to your D and all other upcoming auditionees is no matter how they get it - anecdotally through young actors, from a college program or auditioning class or director/teacher/coach, from reading here and elsewhere - they should all seek to inform themselves more than a little bit about the process of auditioning and the material that will best show them off based on what colleges are looking for in general. </p>
<p>Best of luck to your D and all of the juniors (and those after them, too)!</p>
<p>Proud Dad, I just adore dads who are involved in this process like most of us moms are. I've gotten to know 2 such dads this audition season, and I really admire them.</p>
<p>I recommend that you look at OCU's summer programs. They will love your daughter, since she sings so well. Their programs cost less than some of the programs in the Northeast. They offer a one week classical music camp and a 3 week HS age musical theatre camp. We did the 3 week camp last summer and would recommend it. See the summer program information thread.</p>
<p>Also, I would recommend that you get your daughter into some dance classes as soon as possible to supplement that great talent in singing. You are right about the competition, so any additional training would be excellent. You should also go for any "reach" schools in which you are interested, as long as you also have a safety option, as previously discussed. Someone is probably going to love her. If she takes just one dance class, it should be ballet. My son is now a fairly decent dancer, after having started taking dance in HS.</p>
<p>Just discovered this College Confidential forum. What a wealth of information! My daughter has been accepted at Wagner (by audition)and Indiana (non-audition BA/MT - they're beginning a BFA MT by audition program next year.) She's still waiting to hear from a number of other schools, mostly BFA MT programs. Wish we had come across this resource much earlier. It's really a treasure. Perhaps I can lend some insights about her (our) experiences in other threads. It really has been quite a ride!</p>
<p>Grateful Dad - Welcome! Hope you will keep the group posted on what she hears.</p>
<p>It's raining Dad's!!!!</p>
<p>Grateful Dad- when did the Wagner letter come? We are waiting, but since we are in Ca, it may take a little longer for us.</p>
<p>Welcome Grateful Dad (love the name!!). Congratulations to your D already with Wagner and Indiana in the bag. I know kids at both those programs who are good at MT and enjoy those programs. Let us know how it all turns out for your D and where she ends up deciding to go.</p>
<p>For anothermom-w-q...My daughter received a phone call a few days ago from the department at Wagner, informing her of her acceptance. They spoke with her at some length. Nice personal touch. She hasn't yet received an official notification by mail. The timing was good, because about an hour earlier she had opened a letter with some news of the "other sort" from another school. I must say, that was quite an emotional swing for her. But, I guess that's the very nature of this thing she loves so...</p>
<p>Thanks Grateful Dad.</p>
<p>I'm always coming back to this board.... </p>
<p>I'm the girl from Skidmore who isn't happy with the lack of musical theatre here. I was planning on applying to Syracuse to transfer for next year....but I had some problems with auditioning...this sounds really terrible, but our car had some major problems the week before my scheduled audition, and my mom then didn't want to drive me to Syracuse in our car...I had no way to get to my audition...my mom was not very supportive about me going there at all, because it's far away, so I basically gave up, which is depressing. I guess I'm always worried about pleasing people, like my mom, so I decided to let go of a dream and stay here, where I am not content at all. :(
Yet, my dissatisfaction keeps popping up constantly....and i know in my heart that I will never be truly happy until I am studying musical theatre...and I REALLY want to be in a BFA program. It's too late for next year....</p>
<p>however, in my crazy mind, I've concocted an idea which just might work...I'm a freshman in college now...but in most BFA programs I would have to begin again as a freshman. I really don't mind that at all...because i'd be doing what I LOVE! I was thinking that I might take this next year off from school, and then I could focus on auditions and even work at home with voice lessons and dance lessons and just doing community theatre and working and such... Then in the fall of 2007...i (hopefully) would have been accepted to a BFA program and I'd start it then. I'd be a 21 year old freshman....does that sound like a horrible and crazy idea?? It sounds really exciting and desirable to me. I would FINALLY be truly pursuing my dreams...which I cannot live without doing. I guess a unique path is ok, right? I need some advice....I'm so distraught...it's only been getting worse all year...and I keep having these setbacks....help me, please!! I think I need to stop worrying about what "other people" think about my decisions...but I would appreciate some opinions from you guys since you know a lot about the world of collegiate musical theatre. Thank you SO MUCH for reading my long story. Hopefully someone can give me some advice! I received some in the past which was helpful...you all are wonderful here on this board!</p>
<p>Thanks!!!!
Amy</p>
<p>I think you should do what is going to make you happy, and if pursuing a musical theater program is it, then go for it. My daughter, a freshman BFA MT student, presently has a 21 year old, and a 24 year old in her freshman class. One was a transfer that was unhappy with her first college experience. The other returned to school to follow his dream. I believe that taking a year off, to improve your skills with voice and dance lessons will benefit you greatly. Then you can apply to those programs that really interest you. My oldest daughter (who has a BFA, but not in MT) originally decided not to go to her first choice school as it was far from us, and she was frightened. She went to a state school, assuming she could take classes in the regular BA program. Needless to say, she had so many prerequisites to take prior to taking the actual classes that interested her, she had a miserable freshman year. We looked to take her out of school until she decided what she really wanted to do. She decided to pursue her goals at a less prestigious school only 4 hours from us, but one that she decided she would be happy at after touring the program. She transfered, and had a most successful college experience. She finally was doing exactly what she wanted, and enjoyed the remainder of her time in college. She received her BFA, got a job in her chosen career, and is doing well. So, sounds like your plan can work. Good luck with it!</p>
<p>Do it!!!</p>
<p>You sound really self-aware and as if you have maturely thought through the extent of your MT passion. Many, many theatre programs are delighted to admit students who are not fresh out of high school (CMU to name just one), because they have greater life experience to inform the roles they explore, greater maturity, etc. Make SURE, however, that your "gap year" training is EXCELLENT. You certainly won't be judged by a program's standards for its upperclassmen, of course, but having had many students apply to theatre schools who are in your exact situation, I believe that schools subconsciously expect there to be a bit greater sophistication and polish to an older student's audition. Part of an older student's "type" in a college program's casting pool IS "life experience." Make sure if you do community theatre that is worthwhile from a true learning perspective (for your necessary level of learning) and not just performing for the sake of doing so.</p>
<p>In addition to the experiences of my "older" theatre students, I speak from extremely personal experience about going "back to school" to pursue your passion. To make a very long personal story a bit shorter - 2 undergrad degrees, 1 graduate fellowship and abandoned PhD program, 1 public school teaching career, and 1 educational theatre career later, I am in my 2nd of 6 graduate semesters to get a master's degree in voice therapy, at the age of 36, and extremely happy coaching and simultaneously working with singers from a medical perspective . Although I think I needed to explore all of my career avenues in order to build the experiences that led me to my "final" career (in which I get to combine teaching, theatre, coaching, medicine - all things I have done or studied before), I often look at my 22-26 year old classmates and wish I had pursued my passion earlier instead of taking a "safe" grad fellowship, which ended up costing me money anyway in lost years of income. I am not a parent, but I know what's it like to have great personal debt (in loans) but finally be in a field where I feel like I REALLY "fit." For that reason, I always tell my students to go for their theatre passion if it's at all possible, because true passion for any field dies hard, and pursuing it usually leads you to how YOU fit into the professional world of that passion (like me being an advisor to singers, which I love SO much more than I ever loved performing myself!!!)</p>
<p>Good luck, and feel free to PM me to talk more...I'm feeling old and wise - mostly old. :)</p>
<p>Coach - I vote for WISE!!! Your insights are amazing...and your journey is inspiring. You sound pretty young to me :))</p>