Does anyone feel auditioning early has an affect artistic admission ?
There are a couple of schools that my D just loves and so we want the best chance of getting a YES. Some schools have auditions beginning in the fall but offer later dates. Obviously later dates allow more time for preparing monologues/songs etc… But we want her top choices to know they are top choices so does auditioning early make a difference with that?
Also does it ruin your chance of getting in to MT if you select to audition for both MT and straight Theater, which some schools allow?
My recommendation would be to do some early auditions at schools you like IF they offer early decisions. Reason being, it takes a lot of stress off subsequent auditions if you get at least one early acceptance. Early auditions also give you a chance to practice your audition material prior to getting to the meat of audition season and should allow you time to make changes before you get into the heart of your auditions if you aren’t getting the response you want. Another reason to audition early could be to have the best chance at getting the most talent $. If the school is on rolling admissions and hands out talent $ as they go, there may not be a large pot of $ left at the end of audition season. So while you still may get in a program, your talent $ may not be as large as someone else’s simply because there was not a lot of money left to give out.
I don’t think schools judge you by the date you schedule an audition. They understand everyone has different constraints regarding time and budget that factor in to when you can audition for them.
So yes, audition early if possible, but I would save your top 2 or 3 auditions to somewhere in the middle of audition season. ( I also wouldn’t save them to the very end – my Ds last audition was just so-so – she was just burned out on the whole process by then.)
The only thing I would add to what vvnstar posted is that some people prefer to do one or two early auditions at schools that are not at the top of their list. Sometimes those first auditions are more nerve-racking because the student doesn’t know quite what to expect. In addition, vvnstar noted, it helps to run through the material at an actual audition and then make any adjustments as needed. That way when student is at that audition where it really counts, the student feels more prepared and less nervous.
I can only speak for JMU, but it does not diminish your chances of being admitted for Musical Theatre if you audition for both Musical Theatre and Theatre here.
I would assume the same at most schools.
I recommend auditioning for a couple not at the top of your list early to help “warm up”- especially if you can get feedback and/or an early answer. Other than that- I don’t think it really matters, any more than unifieds vs on campus matters. It’s just one of those things we do trying to figure out “the system”.
I agree totally with @toowonderful … my D had a couple of early ones that really helped to shake off some nerves and figure out how the whole audition process worked.
It also gave her healing time after she broke her foot at the Millikin audition. =))
Thanks everyone! Great to hear advice from those who have gone through this crazy process already! And @KatMT great to also hear that auditioning for both is possible and not seen as a negative.
S’s first two auditions in November were supposed to be “practice”. When the dust settled at the end of audition season, they ended up being his favorite two programs. It was nice to have an acceptance and a “wait list” going into Winter break and he knew no matter what happened in January/February he would have a place - possibly two - to go. He ended up with three terrific acceptances and is now a rising sophomore at the school where he did his first “practice” audition. If we had known that, we could have saved a lot of money and time canceling the later auditions at the “plum” programs he was “practicing” for (he did cancel his last one in March). The more auditions he went through at top tier programs the less he liked them, when he compared the atmosphere to those first two that in the beginning had seemed to be “lower stakes”.
@mom4bwayboy - I know people who experienced the same thing, schools that started out lower on their list (and therefore might have been used for “practice”) ended up being their 1st choice. BUT - I would still strongly recommend NOT having your 1st audition be your highest stake “dream” school.
HIgh stakes ‘dream school’ was our first audition and the only BFA admission. So one never knows…
Agreed. And there are a million anecdotes about being the 1st school, or the last school, the early date vs the late one etc- in the end, I don’t think those are generally the deciding factors. I know a lot of people (including myself) who put a LOT of energy into trying to figure out the right order of schools, the best time/place to audition, all that. It’s one of the things that- in hindsight, I think I should have not worried so much about. Schedule auditions to work for YOU (b/c it’s going to be a busy year) and let the rest go
Thank you all! And yes @toowonderful I completely agree. I have written down all the audition dates and are coordinating how to do them within our timelines. It is really funny how most of the time I am rational & organized and not stressed about this process bc I know we are on top of it. And then BAM! I start overthinking and questioning our plans and let myself get carried down that crazy road. Hopefully I am not alone in this! And that is another reason I am glad to have all of you to give a calming voice.
I think Ds two acceptances ended up being her first audition and her last … or close to it - I’m blocking out the trauma now, much like childbirth :-h
Hahaaaaa @KaMaMom It’s so true, my older D went for dance,so did the whole auditioning thing,my son wanted to play ball so did the whole showcase thing and now this one wants MT…I keep saying “cant one of my kids just fill out an app and mail it in like everyone else??” Please!! Thats what we get for raising kids to follow their dreams!