<p>Hi everyone! My name is Derek and the girl to my right is Kendall, and we’re current freshman musical theater BFAs at The Boston Conservatory. We’re just stopping by to offer any help, advice, answers, etc. about our program or about the college process in general. We know it’s a little difficult to get started with the college experience as music theater applicants (especially auditions) and thought it’d be nice to offer any insight we may have picked up along the way.</p>
<p>Hey!
My name's Sam and I just took a tour of BoCo on Monday. It looks like such a cool school! The one thing I was most curious about is what kind of spaces are you taking your acting classes in? Specifically how big are the classrooms and how many kids are in an average sized acting class. Also, the other main question I have that comes to mind right now is how many theatre majors are in your freshman class? Thanks for the offer for help! I live just outside of Boston so I've grown up knowing about this program and I have a few friends who graduated last year from BoCo. So, I'm very interested in the program as you might guess.</p>
<p>Hi Sam! We're glad you liked your schnazzy tour. To business: Our acting classroom specifically (all the freshman take acting in the same room at different times) is around the size of a comfortable dance studio. It's intimate, but not to the extent of feeling too close for comfort if you're working. You probably didn't get a chance to see our acting studio because it's at 181 Mass. Ave., a space that BoCo rents out about two blocks from the main campus. In the first week of school you are assigned to your "core" (Core 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5) which consists of 12 freshman in each core. The classes that you take with only the people in your core are Acting, Voice and Speech, Movement, and Ear Training. Other courses (Musical Theater, Intro to Theater, History of Musical Theater) consist of mixed groups of cores. Kendall and I are in Core 4, but we take Musical Theater with Core 4, 3, and half of Core 1 (because our freshman class is big they split our Musical Theater class in two). You also take your liberal arts class with completely random groups of people from all majors, not just music theater.
Our freshman class is an unusually large class of musical theater majors (BTW, we're called the "Theater Department," but we don't have an actual straight theater option). There are 59 of us, split into five cores of 12 (or 11) people. We don't know the details, but we believe our freshman class (Theater majors, Music majors, and Dance majors) totals up to about 230-250 students. Last year we were told they were going to take about 50 students, but it ended up that more people accepted BoCo than expected, and our class happened to be larger than previous classes.
If you have any other questions don't hesitate to ask us again. We really love helping everyone out.</p>
<p>-Derek and Kendall (and Whitney now, too!)</p>
<p>I asked these questions to another BoCo student on here, but it can't hurt to hear the same questions answered by more than one student! :)</p>
<p>In what you've viewed with fellow classmates what does BoCo seem to be looking for in a student? Like do they want full triple threats, voices, actors? This can kind of go with what they weigh with the audition acting or singing?</p>
<p>Can you explain the audition? I'm planning to audition on campus and I'm curious as to what the format is. I'm also REALLY nervous about the dance audition since I heard it was quite difficult and I'm not a dancer really at all! haha</p>
<p>Also is there any specific trend in the looks of students, like do most of them fit a specific type?</p>
<p>Have you found the talent pool accepted into the school to be consistent or are there a few classmates that really make you wonder how they got in?</p>
<p>How many transfers(that you know of) are in your entering class? I'm applying as a transfer and will most likely have freshman standing if I get accepted.</p>
<p>How do you like the professors there? And from your experiences with other classmates are some professors greatly desired over others? Like do students seem to gravitate towards a certain few and others are just not liked for some reason or another?</p>
<p>How come you chose BoCo over other schools you auditioned for?</p>
<p>Thank you so much for offering to answer all of my questions!!</p>
<p>Hey Breakintosong. I am a student at the boco as well. I am a sophmore in the MT department.</p>
<p>BoCo is very diverse in the students that it accepts. They do look at all of the audition portions equally, but if you are not as strong with one and very strong with another (ie. good acting with a decent voice) they mught take you regardless. There are a lot of people who are talented actors and singers, but not strong dancers. I am not a strong dancer, but i have been enjoying dance classes and improving all the time. </p>
<p>When I auditioned they did not have a dance audition. I don''t even know if they are going to keep it. But the dance part is slightly challanging, but i don't think they make their decision based on the dance. They just like to see you commit to what you are doing and that you are willing to try and be trainable. There are several freshman that i know who are NOT dancers, but they are at the school now and very happy. The rest of the audition is very laid back and my audition for the school was one of my favorite of all the schools i auditioned for.</p>
<p>Once again, there isn't really a specific type that they look for. There are tall, short, thin, fat, blonde, brunette people of all types.</p>
<p>Most people at the school are very talented, but in any case it is difficult to guage full talent levels in a 10 minute audition. So occaisionaly a person can work an audition really well and it is an unreal representation of their talent.</p>
<p>There are a few every year. the majority of students are straight form high school, but you will not be the only one.</p>
<p>I love the professors. I have learned a ton since i have started here. As in the case of any school some people will be more popular, but since everyone has the same teachers it is an even playing field.</p>
<p>I chose boco because it is in a great city and one of the best schools in the country. i won't say it is the best on this board because i will be yelled at, but you can get what i'm saying. I really do love it here!</p>
<p>Hello! I just had a few questions....at BoCo do they place a higher emphasis on acting or singing?! I know that seems like a totally stupid question lol but I just wanted to know because alot of the colleges I'm looking at are totally different! Like at CCM I heard they place a stronger emphasis on the singing and dancing than the acting. And at CMU I know acting is a bit higher than voice even though they distribute it equally. And also do the faculty look for potential above all else. I mean I've had around 5 years of vocal training and acting training for about 7 years and I know no one is going to be this amazing broadway talent yet at auditions but is it the potential they look for! And last question at Boco auditions was everyone extremely talented or do you get the occasional students who think their really good or just don't have the dedication? Thanks again soo very much</p>
<p>Sincerely,</p>
<p>Nate</p>
<p>Hey!</p>
<p>Jason here! Freshmen musical theater major. I was on these boards last year and they helped me so much throughout the whole audition process, so good for you all for finding this place. It is and extremely valuable tool.</p>
<p>Nate- I feel like BoCo puts an equal emphasis on acting and singing. We take acting twice a week for and hour and half each time, but then again we also take a musical theater performance class, which basically teaches you to work as a singing ensemble. In that class, you sing a variety of styles of music, mostly musical theater but also some operetta and classical, culminating in a freshman showcase at the end of the year, which is a great event and always well attended. In addition, you have a required 30 minute private voice lesson every week, but you have the option to take a second one. I'm doing that and it is a great way to go. My first half hour is spent on repretoire and the second is devoted to technique. These classes are supplemented by classes like Movement for the Actor and Voice and Speech for the Actor, which really help to give you a greater knowledge of the way your body and voice work and how to apply them to their fullest potential as a performer. In addition, you also have 3 hours of ballet and modern each week and an hour of Tap (although I am now taking two and a half hours). I feel like BoCo gives the student a great balance of work in all three areas.</p>
<p>Have to run now, but I will be happy to come back and answer some more questions and offer more insight.</p>
<p>Later!</p>
<p>~jason~</p>
<p>What jason didn't mention is that after your freshman year, it gets even more integrated. You have 4 hours of acting a week and 5 hours of musical theatre, which is a class for solo performing, acting a song as well as singing it. We still have voice and speecch and movement and music lab and lots of good stuff. And we have 3 hours of Ballet and Jazz plus one hour of tap per week. ]</p>
<p>So I would say that BoCo is and extremely well balanced school that focuses on turning people into the best individual performer that they can be, not just cookie cutter models of the same person over and over again.</p>
<p>And to your other question, sure there are a lot of people who show up at auditions, thinking they are great, but they really suck. In this case the parent has probably been telling the child how alented they are their whole lives out of not wanting to hurt their feelings. I hesitate to use American Idol as an example, but some of those people who suck actually think they can sing. So you never know.</p>
<p>What are the academic requirements, if any, for freshmen?</p>
<p>You have a required liberal arts class twice a week. What is nice though, is that because there are so many colleges in Boston, you can elect to take extra classes (if you have room in your schedule) at other colleges, like Emerson or Berklee.</p>
<p>Like Isaac said, there are going to be people at the auditions who are amazing, sure. But for everyone of those amazing people there are probably four that are delusional, who probably did a couple shows in high school and are suddenly like, "Hey! Maybe I should go into musical theater professionally!" The main thing I found with auditions is that worrying about other people's talent isn't going to do you any good. Worrying about what they CAN do and what you CAN'T do isn't going to change the fact that they can and you can't. You just have to go in there super confident, and be the best you can be.</p>
<p>As far as the dance audition, it was probably the most difficult dance audition I had, but also the most fun. I can't dance for sh**, but Michelle Chasse, the head of MT dance is fabulous and she makes you feel so comfortable. They just want to see if you can commit and are trainable. If you go in there and mess up every step, do it with confidence. Seriously. They don't expect you to come in and be incredible, they just want to see if you can be trained. The audition was three musical theater combinations.</p>
<p>The lib arts classes consist of reading a few books and writing a few papers. It is a pretty easy class. And if you have AP english credits you can get out of it. And i took online classes this summer so i don't have any lib arts this year.</p>
<p>Well that's good to know!! I'm soo excited to audition there!!!! I'm already looking for audition materials....my goal is to have all or at least most of my audition materials picked out for all my college choices by the end of this december or early january!</p>
<p>but I feel kind of dumb because i'm only a junior....but hey you can never start too early!</p>
<p>its never too early to start</p>
<p>Amen, better to start early. Good for you for being motivated.</p>
<p>Jason, your poker chips are at my place. You can come by and get them whenever.</p>
<p>Totally off-topic, but yes, yes I should! Why don't we just get a poker game together this week?</p>
<p>Back to your regularly scheduled discusssion. So, college, yeah.....</p>
<p>Bosh! Who cares about college!? How's about we get together a freeze out for this weekend probably, so we ain't in no rehearsals or nothin. Then I'll make you watch some Firefly + Serenity. You know it.</p>
<p>omg! i just saw that the app fee is $105! jesus!</p>
<p>Hi again!
I was wondering if someone could tell me more about the recomendation process at BOCO. I can't send in my app. and get an audition date until I've done their recomendation thingy which requires I tell them whose writing my letters and give contact info for the person. I was wondering, can I still have the letters mailed in through my school or does it have to be done elctronically. My school does everything through mailing so I was wondering how other people did this part of their BOCO app.
p.s. for anyone interested and hasn't started the app yet, Emerson is also the same deal with their application.
Thanks!</p>