<p>To anyone who is on the fence about attending MSU’s MT program, I whole-heartedly recommend it. I transferred from a fairly well-known conservatory program and have noticed way more growth (not just in myself, but in all of my classmates) largely in part to MSU’s competitive, yet nurturing environment. The dance instruction here rivals professional classes in New York, and with the addition of the new School of Music, the voice faculty is helping to train some very talented young singers. I feel as if every year, each incoming MT class is better than the last one, and it’s very much due to the high expectations set by the program’s coordinator, Clay James. For me, the rehearsal process for a full-scale musical is worth every penny of my education. The environment is as close to professional as it gets at the college level, and not to mention the comaraderie among the students and faculty members is unlike anything I’ve ever experienced. And unlike most programs which seem to use a template for training the average chorus member, this school encourages individuality. There are no chorus members in our shows here. So now I’ve boasted for quite a bit, but what can say? I love it here.</p>
<p>Thank-you for posting your opinion, my s is really interested in going there he only auditioned for two schools. Mr. James called us to see is my s is still considering going there. We heard about dorm issues, can you tell us anything?</p>
<p>Dorm space is rather limited (or so I hear) since Montclair still likes to consider itself a "commuter school", although I've personally never had a problem with housing before. I have heard of some instances where students were too slow to register for housing and were housed anyway because they said they couldn't attend the school otherwise - sometimes, it takes a little bit of complaining to get what you want here, but as soon as you bring up money, they'll listen. Housing really shouldn't be a problem though. They really only turn away freshman who live within a reasonable commute from the school, but as I mentioned before, if you do enough complaining, you'll get housing.</p>
<p>And, btw, I heard that there were very few acceptances this year by the MT program (out of over 250 applicants) - so congrats to your s.</p>
<p>thanks he will be going there...he is already in contact with people on the accepted students page :)</p>
<p>jliloquy, do you know anything about the BFA in Production/Design? My d got accepted (looking to stage manage) and we heard it was a good program but doesn't really know much about it. We see Montclair just started an MA in Stage Management as well.</p>
<p>RB123 - I don't know very much about the BFA Production/Design major's curriculum, if that's what you're asking about. I do know that a lot of the education is "hands on" experience. SMs and ASMs get the chance to work on the shows here at MSU along with the director and production crew. They try to keep it as close to professional theater as possible, so they obey the rules of the typical hierarchy of power (which means when the show gets into the theater, it belongs to the SM). A lot is expected of the stage management during the course of production. It's a pretty tough major from what I've seen - it's a lot of hands on experience. If you really want to know more, I'd get in touch with a BFA production student. I'm sure they could answer your questions better than I can.</p>
<p>Thanks so much for the info. My d. has pretty much decided to attend MSU and wants just what you suggested-hands on experiences in theatre.</p>