Colleges For Musical Theater - Part 40!

<p>Thanks Theatremom!</p>

<p>I really appreciate your response.</p>

<p>Although I have a teaching degree, I've realized that I really want to be on stage and I think that that is where I truly belong. My singing is my best, followed by acting, then dancing. I have had 4 years of dance training (Jazz, Tap, Ballet) but I find that I am slow at picking up dance combinations compared to other girls at auditions. </p>

<p>I want a program (a non-degree, 1-2year program) where I can immerse myself in the Art and make connections towards a professional career. I really want to be in New York cause I am from Canada and can drive there. Perhaps a program with a showcase performance.</p>

<p>I hope this info helps... any suggestions would be GREATLY appreciated </p>

<p>Thank you,
Stephie</p>

<p>Soozie,</p>

<p>Thank you so much for the tip. I have been searching for so long for a 1-2 year program... I am glad I found this chat-site. </p>

<p>I'm going to look into the Circle program... If you know of any other programs, please let me know!</p>

<p>Thanks!
Sincerely,
Stephie</p>

<p>You could also study at studios in NYC. For instance, my D has an 18 year old friend who did not get into Tisch but is going to start Stella Adler Studio (that one is for acting). But YOU could study at CAP21 studio. It is a professional studio program for musical theater. Tisch students, like my D, study at CAP21 to earn a BFA in Musical Theater but other students of all ages can study at CAP21 too (but are NOT mixed in with the Tisch BFA students). That may be an option for you. There are other places to study in the city but not all are musical theater, such as Neighborhood Playhouse. I truly think Circle in the Square is an excellent option for you. The faculty members that my D studies with privately are excellent and known beyond the school. Another person I know who has a music degree and a teaching degree has studied there too, post - college. Some students go there straight from high school so there are various ages in the student population. </p>

<p>Let us know how things progress. </p>

<p>Susan</p>

<p>I am not nearly as knowledgeable on the audition process as many of these posters, but I did want to make sure that those of you coming up on a Senior year full of auditions know about a program that is at least available in the Southeast. Perhaps those of you in other areas of the country might be able to speak to similar programs in your own areas. We live in North Carolina and my daughter has been fortunate enough to participate in the North Carolina Theatre Conference (NCTC) as well as the Southeast Theatre Conference (SCTC). NCTC hosts a competitive one-act play competition for state high schools, sending the winner to compete at SCTC against winners from other states. As part of these festivals, college scholarship auditions are also held. </p>

<p>Current high school juniors can participate in an audition workshop and be seen by regional (and a few national) programs in a mock cattle-call style audition. They receive feedback and pointers for improving their monologue and song and most importantly are on these programs’ radar screen for the next year. </p>

<p>High school seniors can do a cattle-call style audition for scholarships and possible admission to the represented programs. I believe it is a 60 second monologue for acting and a 90 second audition monologue and song for musical theatre. After the cattle call, the programs hold call-backs and the auditionees have the opportunity to perform a longer audition and interview. Many students are offered scholarships on the spot. The best part of this process is that the student can be seen by dozens of schools at one time and you do NOT have to have applied formally to the school yet. While my daughter did not participate in either NCTC or SETC last year, in part due to conflicts with her other auditions and her participation in the one-act competition, many of her peers did and all students received at least 3-5 callbacks, many received quite a few more. And several of her friends received scholarship offers on the spot. While top tier programs like NYU or CMU are not present at these auditions, Elon, Catawba, East Carolina, and I believe even Florida State are present. This may be a cost-effective way for students to audition for second-tier and safety schools without expensive trips to the campuses or the Unifieds and even without the application fees. I have been searching for a list of schools that were represented at last year’s auditions and have come up empty, but here are the links to this year’s Conferences. I would think that information on the colleges to be represented will be posted shortly. <a href="http://www.nctc.org/programsprojectsevents/nctcannualgathering/%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.nctc.org/programsprojectsevents/nctcannualgathering/&lt;/a>
<a href="http://www.setc.org/auditions/secondary.asp%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.setc.org/auditions/secondary.asp&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>On a personal note, we leave tomorrow to take my daughter to BU to begin her first year in the BFA acting program. She is, of course, thrilled and we are, of course, going to miss her terribly but are so excited for the opportunities that are now before her. So again, I just want to say thank you to all of you on these boards who gave us so much information both directly and indirectly. I really don’t think my own daughter’s outcome would have been nearly as successful without the information gained through this community. Best wishes to each of you whether continuing in a program, starting out as a freshman, or entering the audition process!!! Give me a shout if anyone is thinking of BU. Go Terriers!!</p>

<p>Hello from Dallas.
Yes we have similar opportunites here.</p>

<p>Southwest Theatre Association auditions are in October with about 40 schools attending</p>

<p>North East Texas Drama (NETD) auditions are in November with about 30 schools.
NETD includes CMU, BoCo, CCM, OCU, OU, SMU, Otterbein, Webster, Evansville and many more excellent participants.</p>

<p>I always take my students to audition at NETD. It's an excellent way to begin the audition season. Lots of callbacks, offers of money, information gathering and a great confidence builder!</p>

<p>Dear Suzie,</p>

<p>I checked out Cap21's website today. It looks like an excellent program.</p>

<p>Do you know if their Professional Musical Theatre Program runs during the fall or the winter? (in addition to the summer.) From what I see, it looks like it runs only in the summer. </p>

<p>Thanks again,
:) Stephie</p>

<p>My d participated in SETC auditions as a junior. There were over 60 schools there...about 270 students participated. All had at least 1 "call back" and average was 14. FSU had a booth at the college fair but did not participate in auditions. Elon and Boston Cons. were there but just did "call backs" encouraging students to apply and audition. CMU was there just for tech students. Elon called back a good many students. Boston Cons. called back less than 20. It was a great way for junior students to begin the audition process and the workshops were very helpful and educational. SETC is in Orlando this spring. Also North Carolina Theater conference has a full day audition workshop for juniors and a performing arts college fair in the fall. It will be in Greensboro, NC. My d learned a lot there, too. Send me PM if you have any specific questions about these.</p>

<p>Just registered. My daughter is a junior in high shcool interested in pursuing musical theatre. She takes voice from an OCU alumni, and we recently visited the school while we were in town.</p>

<p>We are really just getting started, and I know next to nothing. This site seems like the place to get educated quickly!</p>

<p>Welcome! You will find very objective information on this forum since it is mostly posted by parents and students. If you read through this thread, you will learn a LOT and people are very helpful!</p>

<p>Thanks rossji. We have a number of concerns/questions that I am sure the board will help with. Probably the same ones most people (at least maybe parents) have...</p>

<ol>
<li><p>What can one expect in the way of job opportunities with a degree in MT or drama?</p></li>
<li><p>How much does it really cost, and do most people get some kind of finacial aid?</p></li>
<li><p>What kind of things would those of you who are in school now, or just entering school, wish you would have done if you could roll back the clock to your high school junior year.</p></li>
</ol>

<p>Hi Dramadad - although NYU tuition/room/board is about 47K, I haven't paid for any books yet. I'm assuming it'll be around 50K per year when all is said and done. From what I've heard, many students get financial aid, but not that much at NYU. My daughter got a 9K scholarship per year;also, Perkins and Stafford loans; I'm also taking out a Parent Plus loan at about 4% - tax deductible. I've heard of getting as much as 25K per year, but very rarely. As far as job opportunities, the MT program supposedly places 80% of their graduates. I don't know, however, if that means that 80% get a job, or 80% of them continue on with a career in theater! That's a big difference. As you know, shows close; they don't run forever. I can't help you with the last question! :)</p>

<p>Welcome to the Musical Theater Forum at College Confidential. I think if you take the time to read over all the threads on here (the FAQ link will link you to threads from the past as well as the ones you see on here at present....there were about 40 "parts" before the present forum) you will learn a great deal about the process, the schools, the field, etc. There is lots of information and resources on here, as well as personal accounts. </p>

<p>I will attempt to answer your questions in your latest post as best I can. </p>

<ol>
<li>What can one expect in the way of job opportunities with a degree in MT or drama?</li>
</ol>

<p>As I am sure you realize, it is very difficult to break into this field professionally. Also, shows do not run forever so an actor is constantly auditioning and looking for the next job, unlike regular careers. Some will make it in NYC and some might find work in regional theaters and so forth. There is risk involved and no sure thing but without going for it, you'll never know. My feeling is that these kids who majored in MT, are getting a college degree for one thing. If you talked to adults, many are working in fields that are not necessarily directly related to their college major. Their education, however, did lead to opportunities in life. So, the education alone will be something worthwhile that can be used in many jobs. Also, when picking a college, you can look into how the graduates of that program have fared. Perhaps a senior showcase is something you might value in terms of networking that might come immediately following graduation. </p>

<p>For me, just thinking of my own kid, but this sort of thinking could be done about any MT kid, she also has other skills and interests, should she not make it on stage (though that is what she is opting for first). She actually has some experience and talent at creating/writing shows, directing/producing, musical directing and choreographing and I could see her being involved in these facets of theater at some point, as well. She has writing skills, leadership skills, and music skills (is a competent pianist) and can choreograph well....so there are other things she could do. I think most kids could say this but their list might be different. It is not like her degree means she could only be a performer. She will strive to be a performing artist but that does not mean that is all she can do. </p>

<p>Also, there was a great handout at the Syracuse BFA auditions concerning what theater majors learn. It demonstrated that theater-trained applicants in the job world can be seen as valuable employees because of the skills they bring from their training. This handout was from an article by Louis E. Catron (a professor of theater at the College of William and Mary), which was published in Dramatics in the Dec. '91 issue. I can't copy it all here but it gets into the skills or traits that theater majors obtain that can be valuable preparation for numerous careers. I will list the skills/traits/qualities but the article expounded on each of them:</p>

<p>Oral Communication Skills
Creative Problem-solving abilities
Motivation
A willingness to work cooperatively
The ability to work independently
Time-budgeting skills
Initiative
Promptness and respect for deadlines
Acceptance of rules
The ability to learn quickly
Respect for Colleagues
Respect for authority
Adaptability
The ability to work under pressure
A healthy self-image
Acceptance of disappointment
Self-discipline
A goal-oriented approach to work
Concentration
Dedication
A willingness to accept responsibility
Leadership skills
Self-Condifidence</p>

<p>So, a theater major may work on stage, do related work to theater and the performing arts, or use their developed skills in a myriad of other jobs/careers that value such traits. </p>

<p>You also asked:
2. How much does it really cost, and do most people get some kind of finacial aid?</p>

<p>You just need to look up tuition/room/board at each school your daughter is interested in. The cost varies from school to school. Most schools are in the ballpark of 40K per year if private. My D just started NYU/Tisch and it costs $48,000/year (cough). I have a D going to Brown and I think that school is something like $44,000/year. I am talking room/board/tuition. You must add in transportation, books, and personal expenses. Most schools have need based aid. I urge you to apply for that at every school. We did for both of our girls and do get financial aid. Some of these BFA programs also offer merit aid (in addition to need based). My MT BFA daughter got merit offers at every school she applied to and got into, plus need based aid. Some of these offers were substantial. The school she chose gave a $20,000/year scholarship (plus loans) and some of the others gave just under that, and some much less. So be aware that both merit and need based aid exist at most of these programs. As you research each school, most of this information is available. I must admit that I was not aware of these merit offers at my D's school so opening the offers in April was a wonderful surprise. I knew about financial aid, however. </p>

<p>Your last question:
3. What kind of things would those of you who are in school now, or just entering school, wish you would have done if you could roll back the clock to your high school junior year.</p>

<p>To be honest, I cannot think of anything we really would have done differently. We learned lots about the process and knew what had to be done and did it in a timely way. Actually, in my MT daughter's case, her junior year became her senior year as well because she opted to graduate a year early. This meant that her process began mid way through tenth grade (whereas normally I would begin at the start of junior year as we did with our older D) and so the only thing that we did not get to do in tenth grade that I normally would do the year before applying, is to get all the visits in but otherwise, she was on track like any applicant who was a year ahead in school. She still researched her schools and had her list set by the end of tenth grade and all her testing done (as one should by the end of 11th ideally). So, there is nothing I would change or have done differently really. People said not to audition at your top choice school first and we did heed that advice. One of her top choices, however, was her second audition and looking back on all 8 auditions, she felt that they got better and better as time went on and that she felt her best ones were toward the end. Her acceptances, actually, followed that pattern as well. Perhaps that one of her top choices could have been even later but who knows if it would have made a difference. </p>

<p>This was the pattern looking back on it.
1st audition: accepted to the college Early Action, deferred to April for BFA, ultimately not accepted to the BFA.
2nd audition: rejected
3rd audition: accepted
4th audition: accepted
5th audition: accepted
6th audition: accepted
7th audition: waitlisted
8th audition: accepted</p>

<p>Hope this helps.
Susan</p>

<p>HI dramadad!</p>

<p>Welcome to the forum! My D is also a junior and will be going through this crazy process next year as well. I cannot say enough about all of the valuable information that this given out on this forum....it is truly priceless! Read through...print out pages, take notes and go back to the beginning. It's time consuming, but so informative. </p>

<p>As far as what it costs...it's expensive. Soozievt and rossji are there now...what they are telling you is accurate. But there are also state schools (especially if you would qualify for in-state tuition) that are certainly wonderful and competitive, CCM, OCU, UMich, FSU just to name a few. I don't know about your D's experience but in terms of scholarships, yes, they are there but I am not sure how easy there are to get for most of the kids applying. I think that soozievt's D may be one of the exceptions. She has an incredible resume, and is extremely gifted and talented both academically and in the performing arts. This is just from what I have read through the posts for the past year. I am sure she will be incredibly successful! </p>

<p>We are not counting on scholarships (but boy oh boy it would be wonderful)! At this point D will be happy to just get in to one of her top choices. It is extremely competitive with many schools only taking 12-20 kids in MT a year! </p>

<p>But read up...ask questions. Hopefully we will get to meet your d next year on the audition circuit!</p>

<p>UMich is EXTREMELY expensive if you are not in-state - just to clarify. (Not quite at CMU or NYU level of expense, but it comes close.)</p>

<p>Kaysmom, you are very kind but I would like to clarify a couple things. First, my D is not more exceptional than most of the kids I read about on here, I'm sure. In any case, we never counted on merit scholarships at these schools and did not even realize they existed until my D received these lovely letters. I have to say that many of her friends who were accepted also got scholarships, so she was not that unusual. I recall when she got a scholarship for $12,000 at Ithaca, that her male friend (who ended up at UMich) got an even higher one at Ithaca. He did not get that much at UMich which was VERY difficult for him but I don't think the state universities have as much merit money to give. I know Brent Wagner said so at UMich and of all the merit awards that my D got, the lowest one by far was from Penn State which I attribute to their being a state university (and I heard from accepted peers that the same was true for them). So, I really think that all of these programs do give out merit scholarships, and the amounts vary. I just know that ones were offered at each school my D got accepted at. But I must ALSO note that she is a financial aid applicant as well. Most of the scholarships were merit based. Then, some schools gave a need based financial aid award ON TOP of the merit one. Some combined the merit and need based award. For instance, the $20,000 Trustee Scholarship at Tisch was explained to me as merit based first (some kids have posted here as receiving this scholarship and are not financial aid applicants) but that if a student ALSO is on financial aid, then the merit amount would be increased. So, her total scholarship ALSO involves need at that particular school. As I said, some separated out the merit scholarship and then sent a financial aid award, and some combined it. Also, I have TWO kids in college right now. The financial NEED part is affected, thankfully. So, for instance, at my other D's school, Brown, which does NOT offer ANY merit scholarships (no Ivies do), her grant/scholarship portion of her financial aid soared this year because now we have two in college so her scholarship portion of her financial aid, not including the loans, is also $20,000. I hope this helps explain that one, the BFA in MT programs mostly all offer merit awards of various amounts and many get them (my D is not unusual in this way) and that there is also financial aid based on need and you do not have to be low income to get that either, but just demonstrate need. If you have two in college, the need is greater, lol. The state universities have less merit money, it seems. However, the tuition is often less than private schools even if out of state but of course, it is WAY less if in state, so a kid in Michigan or Pennsylvania really can get a good deal if applying to those state BFA programs! </p>

<p>Like you, Kaysmom, we were really nervous if our kid could get accepted into a BFA program, not because we did not feel she wasn't qualified but simply because the odds are so daunting. So, we were hoping that at least one would come through (you only need one....though a choice is nice). We felt she was a reasonable candidate so hung onto the hope that one would work out. She ended up fortunate to have so many choices and then to get scholarships as well but we were just as anxious as you are now about the possibilities! You have to somehow assess if your kid is in the ballpark and proceed from there. Also, while my D was a good student and seemed to also be achieving in the arts, who knew if a school might take it against her to be graduating in three years...she had that on her record and we never knew how that might be viewed. We did check ahead of time if every school would accept an early graduate and all said yes, but we really did not know for sure how she'd be viewed, plus she had one less year of preparation under her belt. I don't think she was ahead of the game more than many other applicants. We knew the "competition" was fierce because we already knew very talented kids applying to the same programs, and then were well aware of all the kids coming out of performing arts high schools, for example, nothing like she has gone to. There are kids with professional resumes, and so forth. She knew it was gonna be tough. I think you have to just focus on what you have going for you and be as confident in yourself as possible and go for it. You can see what your kid has accomplished amongst peers in your region, have other professionals give some assessment, and self assess as much as possible, but then just prepare and go for it. If it is something your kid has been doing for many years and is very passionate about, that already is something. I did observe some kids just getting into this in the later years of high school and I do feel that they had a chance but the odds were more difficult because there were so many kids who had been training and been involved in theater for much longer. Unlike some other college majors, where you can develop the interest in junior year of high school and apply, this is one field where you really must have the passion earlier and the training, to enter such a specialized program of study, particularly such selective programs. Talent is REAL important but some level of training and experience usually is important as well. Being a good student helps too. Most of my D's theater friends are also very good students, I have observed. This might be another reason for their successful admissions outcomes. </p>

<p>Most of all, just keep learning about this process. Reading this forum itself goes a long way as to what to expect. </p>

<p>Susan</p>

<p>Not to be a kill joy, but shouldn't you all be posting on the latest, general MT thread (Part 40?, 41? I've lost track) as opposed to this thread that stays at the top of the forum? I'll find it and bump it back up to the top. </p>

<p>I know it's confusing for new posters, but let's try to keep some consistency in how/where we post or the the forum will become harder and harder to navigate.</p>

<p>Thanks all!</p>

<p>Bump - for use by all with more general questions.........as opposed to using the thread that's "stapled" to the top of the forum.</p>

<p>Thanks all!</p>

<p>Please Note
Back in July, I created a post that stays at the top of the Musical Theater Forum which is titled: "For Those New to the Musical Theater Forum". It explains where to start and how to use this forum. </p>

<p>I am going to paste the content of that post here because some might come to THIS "welcome" thread first, and so I want to make sure everyone has read the post meant for those new to the forum. See below:</p>

<p>07-29-2005, 09:40 PM * #1
CollegeMom
Moderator
*
Join Date: Aug 2004
Posts: 291 </p>

<h2>Suggestions For Those New To The Musical Theater Forum </h2>

<p>Welcome to this forum if you are new to College Confidential and to the search and admissions process for musical theater college programs. A good place to start is to first click on the link at the top of this forum that will take you to the FAQ's, which was compiled by a wonderful musical theater student, Shauna. It covers many of the basics. Second, take a couple of hours and read back all the threads (or at least the topics that interest you) on this forum starting on the FIRST PAGE of threads as well as the ongoing general discussions entitled Colleges For Musical Theater Major (which is in PARTS and currently up to Part 40).</p>

<p>If you want to start a new thread, please first see if there is already a thread on that topic rather than start a second discussion on it. Just continue the thread already on that topic. That way all the information on a topic is together. General discussions tend to go in the threads "Colleges for Musical Theater Major Part X". The way you can find all 40 "PARTS" of the Colleges For Musical Theater Major threads is to go to the FAQ link and when you get there, look on the menu to the left of the page and pick the fourth link, titled "The Thread". There, Shauna has listed the links to all 40 parts of the ongoing discussion on musical theater colleges, as well as a link to all the current discussion which is now divided into topics. </p>

<p>For more information on how to search this forum and the topics go to the the FAQ link. Once there, click on the link on the left side of that page that says "Where Do I Start?" and it will explain other ways to find information on this forum as well as how to find information on the original (old) forum. </p>

<p>You might also find it useful to click on the third link on the left menu of the FAQ page that says "The Big List" because this is a list of musical theater programs which is a good resource to start when researching the BFA programs in this field. </p>

<p>You will find some very knowledgeable people on this forum including current theater college students, high school students involved in the college admissions process, parents of students who have already gone through the theater college admissions process and are in these programs currently, parents of students in the midst of the search/application/audition process, theater professionals, teachers, administrators and faculty from some college theater programs, and those well versed on the college admissions process. People help others and are very willing to share experiences. </p>

<p>Happy reading and hopefully posting....join us!</p>

<p>Your Moderator,
CollegeMom</p>

<p>This is the thread to go to for general discussions that are not topic specific. For specific topics, try to find if there is an existing thread on the topic and use that so there are not duplicates. </p>

<p>To learn how to use this forum, please go to the post at the top of the Musical Theater forum that is titled "For Those New to the Musical Theater Forum". More is explained there. Further, also click on the FAQ list at the top of the forum. </p>

<p>The "welcome thread" is not the best place for discussions. Either choose this thread for general discussions or one of the topic threads. Welcome to ALL new posters! We want you to join us!
CollegeMom</p>

<p>Hi Mary Ann..
While we appreciate the thought, Oklahoma City University does not participate in any national auditions, including NETD. All auditions take place on the OCU campus in OKlahoma City. The first audition round is Nov 18th and 19th.</p>