<p>First of all I have to admit I have been lurking around this site for some time--It is the best , a little overwelming but THE BEST. I feel that through your conversations with one another you actually become a "family". That is the reason why I am finally posting. I would like to open a thread to the Junior parents out there to connect about Sats, college visits, summer programs and eventually the up and coming senior year with all its applications and auditions. As you can tell my by my name I am a mom (residing on the east cost and enjoying a snow day!!) with a D who has a passion for musical theatre. College searching is begining and we are in the process of plotting out our college visits. Looking forward to our conversations.</p>
<p>I am not a parent of a junior in HS (sorry!) but I want to welcome you out of "lurkdom" and am glad you started this thread. While my senior students are still in audition mode and in the waiting process for decisions, my juniors are stepping it up as this is the time to do exactly what you mentioned....prepare for SATs and possibly finish them up this year, research schools and formulate a tentative long list, plan and make college visits to help narrow the list, plan out summer activities and senior schedules, get organized and set up a time line, etc. And so it begins. The more you pace out all these steps, the better situation you will be in come fall. While I know the forum is heavy right now on seniors and auditions and waiting, I'm glad that you created a spot for the next crop...this year's juniors. Hope to see more posting. NotMamaRose also has a junior D and there are a few other posters in that grouping. Hopefully others will join you in coming out of "lurkdomhood." Welcome. Enjoy the ride!</p>
<p>Hello fellow lurker! Thanks for being brave. I didn't want you to feel all alone out there. I discovered this site a couple of weeks ago and I agree, it is a little overwhelming but it is better than being surprised when the process starts for us (before long!). My S is a Junior as well. We live on the other side of the country...Southern California. Sounds like we are spending our time doing the same thing. Making plans to visit colleges and spending a lot of time on the computer! Thanks for "breaking the ice."</p>
<p>My S is also a HS Junior. He is looking at acting programs and not MT, but I have learned a lot from this very active thread.</p>
<p>Hi, everyone! Hi, SoozieVT---I know you from another board, lol! My D is no longer very active in theater, but is still active in choir on a regional/state level. Don't know if she will audition for schools or not, because she may go for a chem major. Who knows? One day, she's a plastic surgeon, the next a drug rep, then a car salesman!</p>
<p>As a college MT program audition song coach, I want to give my best advice: if your children can start their material searches IN EARNEST over the summer, it is SO much less stressful for them! Then they can truly evaluate what is best for their voices and acting energies, "try things on" and discard them, and not feel pressured to "settle" for something. Some summer programs help with gaining a general sensibility for which material works best (MPulse at UM, CAP21, NYU-Tisch/CAP, CMU precollege, to name just a few), but there is still some of August left after those programs end. That doesn't mean material needs to be finalized in the summer - but my current students who began to build their song "books" then and also began to think about the approaches to really acting a song seemed much more relaxed once auditions rolled around! :)</p>
<p>And a special note for girls - often, the best audition clothes and shoes are summery or springy cuts and colors - wrap dresses, etc. - so start shopping for or at least THINKING about your outfits NOW!!! No joke - it might seem ridiculous, but if you shop in late fall, you are stuck with mostly holiday and very winter-y clothes (at least if you live in the Northeast!) ;)</p>
<p>I'm not exactly a lurker, but I don't post all that frequently (although I have found myself reading this board on almost a daily basis to keep up with the travails of the current crop of auditioners). My D is also a junior and quite passionate about MT. We're right with you, prepping for SAT's, lining up college visits, etc.</p>
<p>Thanks CoachC for that thoughtful advice (I always seek out your posts!)
So you are suggesting that junior girls shop now for audition clothing a full year from now? I just wanted to be clear that I understand your suggestion.</p>
<p>Not necessarily buy now - but maybe, as you decide what your D would like to wear and then think about when those styles are available. Even online "catalogs" from big stores rotate what's available by season, so if you wait, you might be out of luck if you want a lighter-weight skirt or dress or a non-dark color top, etc. But if you shop at the END of the spring or summer season, you can get several things on big sale (my fave way to shop) and then have a variety of options to wear, which will also serve your D well to take to college for auditions there and pro auditions. :)</p>
<p>After lurking for almost one year, I'm finally posting! I'm the mother of a junior D who will be applying next year. Glad a thread is starting for the soon to be seniors. We will be spending Spring break visiting BOCO,Emerson,Syracuse,Ithaca,NYU,Pace,Wagner and Marymount Manhattan. A lot of schools, but we are traveling from So. California. My D attended CMU pre-college last summer, She has been accepted to CAP21 this summer and will attend if the NYU housing works out.</p>
<p>Hooray for starting this thread! I, too, am the parent of a D whose <em>life</em> is musical theater. I have been on this forum for about a year now and am amazed not only at the quantity and quality of the information shared, but also by just how willing everyone is to help one another. Because of this, I believe my D will be better prepared this time next year than she would have been had I not been fortunate enough to stumble upon this forum. Not sure what else to say, other than it's fun connecting! (And yeah, SAT prep is looming LARGE in our house. Watching my D do practice tests and worry about it makes me realize how fortunate my generation was: most of the people I know never prepared for it at all, took it once and never thought about it again. Now, it's like this high bar that they have to fling themselves over to get into the college they want. Sigh.)
Once again, glad we can connect.</p>
<p>Thank you to all who responded already to my first post!! I am so excited to be able to share my thoughts and fall back on you with all my questions, concerns and ups and downs. Soozievt and CoachC I am so glad you responded to this site--I value all the information you have given to everyone in the other treads. So I hope you will continue to visit this thread often with your advice. For all the other Junior parents-- I know we wil be a sounding board or one another throughout the year. Have any of your S's and D's started applying to summer programs. Last year we did CMU, which was awesome, this year we have applied to Syracuse and am thinking about Northwestern. We also are toying with Governor's School for theatre. Over spring break we are headed out to begin our visitation--Organization is not one of my best attributes but it seems that it is a must in this major!!!</p>
<p>lamtmom, Glad you posted--It looks as if we already have something in common with both our D's at CMU pre-college last year. I know there is a way to PM one another but I am not sure how that is done--Can anyone advise:).
Also NMR--Glad you joined us--you are my idol on CC!!!--you are so informative glad we can go thru this together!!!</p>
<p>Wow, neat that there are more of you "coming out"...great to see you here. Welcome.</p>
<p>Tanyanubin....yes, we go way back online from another forum when the girls were young (er). Even if your D decides to major in something else, she surely can continue her interest in singing or MT at many colleges that have active theater opportunities. </p>
<p>Hi Brownsugar!</p>
<p>lamtmom...just in case you don't already know (you very likely might), NYU Summer Housing became available for registration a week ago and so you should get that in ASAP if you haven't already. </p>
<p>mtsmom....here is how you "PM" or Private message.....
Look in the upper right side of this window and you will see, "welcome mtsmom" and under that, there is a blue link that says "Private Messages". Click right on the words: "Private Messages". That will take you to your Private Message mailbox and its inbox and outbox. On that page, there is a "menu" in a column on the left. To send a message, click on the blue words that say "send new message". A window will open similar to the windows you get for posting forum messages. Enter the member name of the person to whom you wish to send the PM, and then type the message in the window and send it. To check your messages, again, click "Private Messages" in the upper right of the forum window. That little area in the upper right of the forum window also notifies you if you have any new messages, etc. Enjoy.</p>
<p>Susan</p>
<p>What a great start for all Junior parents beginning the MT journey. I have to admit that as I was reading your posts, I felt a little tug at my heart. It's amazing how quickly a year goes...especially with all that your student will be doing. My son has 1 final audition and then his college auditions will be over. It has been a wonderful year in soooo many ways!!! I hope you enjoy the process as much as we have and try to appreciate all the time together....I can attest to how fast it will fly and before you know it, you'll be on the other side. (waiting.....argh)</p>
<p>Hi Everyone, I have a junior D planning to major in MT. I have read CC for about a year and have posted only a couple of times. I look forward to visiting with each of you in the next year as we begin this exciting, but daunting task of finding the right school for our kids. Good luck to everyone!
CoachC, Thanks for all of your advice!!! Also, thank you to the veteran parents who have survived the audition year and offer their experiences to those of us that are just beginning this journey.</p>
<p>Greetings! Just like Louisiana mom, I have also been reading CC for about a year. I have not posted very much, but I have learned an abundance of important information concerning my D's journey next year. A few of the threads have been so eye-opening to me, especially the one where current auditioners are recounting their experiences at each audition. I am so glad that I already have an idea what my D will be going through next year. It will help me communicate with her teachers on what we need to get ready. It also makes me nervous. I think the one thing that I have truly taken away from reading CC over the past year is that truly being prepared is so important. Also, going over each school's requirements several times since every school is a little bit different.
I look forward to sharing next year with all of you. It will be exciting, won't it?</p>
<p>All:</p>
<p>As the person who posted almost a year ago a thread on this exact topic...well, it feels really funny to be on this side of the table. My D is done (and has been for a few weeks). It has been an experience and one which would have been much worse ( especially for me!) if I hadnt found CC. We are waiting for answers from a few places yet but I am really looking forward to May at this stage and knowing the FINAL ANSWER! </p>
<p>My advice: just keep on smiling! :)</p>
<p>MikksMom</p>
<p>Thanks for that advice Mikksmom! Thanks funny that you should post here today...I just got finished reading the thread you started last March (all 21 pages!). I'm so glad to have found CC and the wealth of knowlegde and support that is here. Best to you and your D and I'll be looking for her final decision. btw...how do you make those happy faces?!</p>
<p>gem: Just a colon: with an open paren) after it....makes this:) </p>
<p>There is an awful lot of stuff in those 21 pages and more everywhere....as a parent, I strongly recommend to read it, make notes and contribute when you can</p>
<p>IT is an E ticket ride for sure!
:)
Mikksmom</p>
<p>A couple of pieces of advice for you parents who are just beginning this journey. In addition to all of the important suggestions and information given on this valuable forum, there are two things that I'd recommend for all your kids, and they are things which will require your help. First, make it possible for them to see as much live theatre as possible over the next year. I'm sure that most of you have always done this for your kids, probably for years! However, it becomes increasingly important that these kids see live performances as often as possible. It's invaluable, truly. Secondly, invest in a subscription to the Sunday NY Times, or find a news outlet near you that sells it on Sundays. Have them read the Arts and Leisure section, if they don't already do so, which I know many theatre kids do. Knowledge about the theatre world, again, is invaluable. Best of luck to all of you this year!</p>