<p>It looked so lonely here, sitting with no thread so…</p>
<p>What do you all know about Hartt? Anyone have Andrew Levine or Jeanine Pardey for class?</p>
<p>My daughter and I visited Hartt last spring. The music school has a fine reputation. We have a theater acquaintence who goes to the school and is quite happy. I think they are in the process of building or planning for building of a new theater complext.</p>
<p>how is their housing? I heard it was poor.</p>
<p>the campus isn't too pretty to look at, if that makes a difference to anyone. i haven't been inside the dorms myself. i've been told they were poor as well by an aquaintance who is a vocal performance major there.</p>
<p>its not too important at all actually, i was just kind of curious.</p>
<p>We visited two years ago.....son was accepted for music performance.
Hartt's a strong school and they offer great merit awards. The campus is stark and cold feeling. We didn't see the dorms.</p>
<p>So I'm hearing from all of you...
Program gets a solid A, Campus gets a C-
Am I getting that correct???</p>
<p>So is anyone reading this a student there right now? How about anyone who is currently REALLY interested in attending? Jump on in here, we wanna hear from you.</p>
<p>We've heard that Hartt is a great school, but that the social outlets for the kids are poor to non-existent....has any one heard otherwise?</p>
<p>Hi, this is Gluemom's D - I am currently a second year MT at the Hartt School and my mom was reading me some of your questions and concerns about the campus and housing etc so I thought I would offer my opinion. </p>
<p>The campus itself is not the most beutiful campus I have ever laid eyes on, but it does have its pretty parts. The academic side of campus is especially nice. The housing, where not very appealing on the outside has an excellent set up on the inside. Housing is not divided up by program so you live with students outside of your major and outside of the Hartt School. Freshmen live in whats called the complexes. I found it to be a great set up for freshmen year. There are 2 double rooms and 2 triple rooms with 2 bathrooms and a common room that only the 10 people can access. Everyone in the suite is the same sex. The atmosphere of the suite is completely what you make of it. I became friends with my suitemates and doors were open and the common room was decorated. I have been in others where people barely knew their suitemates names and their common room was rarely used. A wonderful thing about our campus though is its location, smack dab in the middle between Boston and NYC. We're close by the bus station so there are many weekends that I've gone with a couple of friends on the bus to go see a few shows in the city. It's awesome to go and see exactly what your studying for. Also when people think the city of Hartford, there is generally some concern. Keep in mind that the university has its own closed campus in West Hartford. The surrounding area is beautiful. </p>
<p>This year I live with 3 of my best friends and they are also in the theatre program. We lucked out receiving an apartment with 4 singles, a common room and bathroom to ourselves. This set up has served us extremely well thus far. </p>
<p>As far as socially, most people in the theatre program form their closest friendships within the theatre program. There are exceptions as there are to every rule, but the theatre division is really its own community. Freshmen year you have all your Hartt classes with the other freshmen theatre students. You get to know upper classmen throughout the year through working crew for their shows, being in the same voice studio as them, as well as opening welcome events. The program is very welcoming and friendly and willing to help people become adjusted. The faculty is also very supportive and amazingly talented. If you go in with an open mind and are willing to be a sponge, you will learn so much not only from the faculty but also from your classmates. </p>
<p>I mentioned voice studio, there are many adjunct voice faculty as part of the Hartt Theatre Division. You are placed with a teacher your freshmen year and you have an hour long private lesson each week. You also have a weekly master class. The way each is run is slightly different but the basic idea is that you present in front of your teacher and his/her other students what you have been working on that week. A live accompanist is provided and you get a chance to do a little performance weekly. It's a great way of conquering bad nervous habits and gaining confidence as well as learning from the others you watch.</p>
<p>Along with that vocal training weekly, you also have 2 acting classes and 2 ballet classes as a freshman. Depending on the size of the incoming class, the freshmen are divided up into smaller groups. My year there were three groups and 13 people in my group. None of the classes are much larger than that. For ballet the freshmen class is split in half. While it is obvious that some people have had ballet for years and others have never danced a step in their lives, you are all still in the same class. If you want to and the teacher agrees, you can place out of Ballet 1 and move on to Ballet 2. However I had been taking ballet since the age of 4 and I still found things to learn in Ballet 1. It grounds your technique and while sometimes it was frustrating to slow down, it helped me overall. There are also jazz and tap classes available, but they are hard to enroll in as a freshmen. You have to go into credit overload and they are often already full of upperclassmen because that is who they are offered to (When I say upperclassmen i am referring to anything above a freshman). Also the dance classes often don't coincide with your already busy schedule. Along with voice, acting, and ballet, there is also voice and speech 2x a week, music theory 3x a week, and ear training 3x a week. You can see a complete list of all the classes you need to take by going to hartford's website at <a href="http://www.hartford.edu%5B/url%5D">www.hartford.edu</a>, continue under the Hartt link. Also the program I have just described is strictly for the MT division. ATs and MTs are together in acting and voice and speech only freshmen year. If there are specific questions about the AT program feel free to ask and I will answer to the best of my ability. </p>
<p>I hope this post has answered some questions some of you might have had. I absolutely love going to school at Hartt so when I read some of the questions I thought I should definitely respond. I will try to keep responding especially over this month since I am home for break. Happy Holidays :-)</p>
<p>Hi, gluemom and gluemom D. I am orignially from the area and return to visit family and friends. I've noticed that West Hartford Center is undergoing many changes and Avon/Simsbury is neat for shopping restaurants. But it seems to me that you would need a car. Do many
students have cars? Are they allowed first year? How is the parking situation?</p>
<p>Gluemom's D...Thanks for your thoughtful response. My D is very intrested in Hartt. They seem to be sort of slow getting their act together with audition dates, etc..., but this may only be my D's experience. We're looking forward to getting her audition date and coming to see the campus and the school for ourselves.</p>
<p>3boysnjmom : This is gluemom's D again. Having a car on campus definitely has its advantages as well as its disadvantages. Often times freshmen year i found myself longing to be off campus. In those instances I took the shuttle on the weekend that runs to the West Farms Mall (a very beautiful mall if I may say). It also stops at a smaller shopping area where there is a Blockbuster, Quizno's, Macaroni Grill, Bertucci's, Marshalls etc. The shuttle does not run to West Hartford Center but you are right, it is a nice place to go and shop and/or eat.</p>
<p>Freshmen are allowed to have cars on campus but it can be costly in order to receive a parking permit. To be completely honest with you, if you live on campus parking is a nightmare. The lot freshmen have to park in is a good 10 minute walk from where the freshmen dorms are. There is a shuttle at night so that people don't have to walk back that far in the dark. Even as you get older the parking lot is still pretty far away, your dorms just move closer to the lots. You are allowed to park in front of the freshmen dorms during the day but your car has to be moved back into your lot by midnight or else it will be towed. The public safety officers are strict about ticketing people not parked in their assigned lots even during the daytime. So if you have a class and want to park close to that building but it is not your assigned lot, you will be ticketed. However, if you are a commuter student you can park pretty much wherever you please. I say having a car has its advantages and disadvantages because it's nice to be able to come and go where and when you please. However it can be a large and costly responsibility.</p>
<p>thespian dad: You sparked my memory and I can remember Hartt being a little slow with getting me my audition date as well. It was frustrating at the time but I received the date within plenty of time before the audition. I'm glad to hear you're taking the time to come out and see the school for yourself. I wish your D the best of luck with her auditions :-)</p>
<p>Hey. I attended the Hartt Musical Theatre program for three years and am currently on what is called "Active Status" so I can complete work on another job. I would be a fourth year right now, and if anyone has any questions about the program and how it treated me, I would be glad to respond.</p>
<p>My daugher is in her final semester at Hartt as a musical theater major and she has loved the program. She auditioned in Los Angeles although we had visited the school in the Fall of 2001. She lived on campus the first two years and she was not in the freshman dorms the first year but was in the Village and I thought the accommodations were very nice. She moved off campus her junior year and we drove her car back there from California. Her off-campus housing is great "Clemen's Place" where a lot of Hartt students live. I have been back to see all the Hartt productions since my daughter started and I have been extremely impressed with every show. By the way, CHB loved you in "The Boyfriend" when you toured at Christmas in Orange County, it was great to see you especially with the Hartt contingent that is now in Southern California! It is great to know that Hartt students are getting National Tours!</p>
<p>HarttMom206, thanks for posting. I have heard wonderful things about the Hartt School and it's one of the schools my D and I plan to visit when we begin making those important excursions this spring. (She is only a high school sophomore, so we do have time. But her school year is so packed with stuff, including community theater, that it is tough to get away, so we are spreading the visits out.)
Anything you can tell us about your D's experiences as an MT student are appreciated by me and others. How strong is the acting component of the program, for instance? How large is each class (by which I mean, freshmen, etc.)
How competitive is it to get into the MT program there, and do they have a NY showcase?
These are my initial questions ...
Lisa</p>
<p>Hi Lisa,</p>
<p>My daughter's experience has been very positive. She has had some really good role's and has had the opportunity to do a lot of choreography for the shows. She is a strong dancer and has really enjoyed the dance classes as the dance instructors are really good. The vocal instructors have also been first rate. Each student has a voice teacher and a vocal coach with whom he/she has private lessons with each week. The acting component is also good with very excellent acting teachers. As for class size I am not sure about that. I do know the year my daughter started the freshman class was pretty large and they have reduced it over the last few years. In terms of competitiveness, the talent pool I have seen is pretty impressive. The MT's are all very close and very supportive of each other, my daughter has made life long friends as a result of attending Hartt. They do have a New York showcase for the musical theater majors and a Los Angeles showcase for the actor trainers. Since my daughter plans on moving back to Southern California after graduation she has elected to showcase in Los Angeles in May prior to graduation. This last summer she auditioned for summer stock and landed a great summer job in Pennsylvannia where they put up 4 productions in a great little theater. Three other Hartt students (all male) were also hired by the theater and they all lived in residence with other MT students from all over the country and had a blast, it was a great experience. Good luck with your search, it is hard to believe it has been four years already, it seems just like yesterday we were flying back for the beginning of her freshman year! </p>
<p>Paula</p>
<p>Hi! We live in CT and are very interested in attending a Hartt musical; are they open to the public? If so, when/what is the next musical? I'm not good at navigating websites... Thx!</p>
<p>Hartt just finished it's main stage Spring Musical which was "Sweeney Todd". They typically do one main stage perfomance in the Lincoln Theater each Fall and Spring. They also do several smaller productions, most often original musicals each semester. If you go to their website <a href="http://www.hartford.edu%5B/url%5D">www.hartford.edu</a> you can find the calendar information for the Hartt school.</p>
<p>Quick note- I just saw Hartt's production of Sweeney, and it was really amazing. I was completely impresssed from the aspects of the music, sets, costumes, and, especially the performers themselves.</p>
<p>I have to say, in general, Hartt was one school I didn't really have any interest in attending, but every time I visit, my oppinion goes up. My audition gave me a very good vibe and, as I said, I was thoroughly impressed with the quality of the production.</p>
<p>In regards to the dorms, I found them pretty disgusting when I visited, one of the biggest turn-offs for me, but my friend who is a jazz guitarist absolutely loves it there, so I suppose it's not a huge issue. One thing that I've seen commented on that she has said repeatedly (as she recruits me ;D) is that the mt students couldn't be closer and they have an amazing bond.</p>
<p>Also, my private voice teacher teaches voice to musical theater students at Hartt and she is a phenominal teacher, so if the other teachers are as good as she is, the training must be pretty good.</p>
<p>gluemom - My D and I visited Hartt yesterday and want to tell you that we met your lovely and talented daughter. All of the students we met at Hartt were so friendly they made my D feel right at home. We were fortunate to observe an acting class in which your D performed a scene with an another student. We really enjoyed watching them. Your D is truly talented ( great comedic timing!) and I loved the interaction between the actors. I am sure she will go far.
Pass on our thanks to her and a huge BRAVO to the sophmore class at Hartt MT! Talented kids who are also nice people>
Harriet (evasmom) and Eva</p>