High School Summer Intensives

<p>How important are high school summer intensive programs on an applicant's resume when applying to musical theater programs? My daughter has attended a college prep conservatory for the last seven years during the school year and participated in Stagedoor Manor this past summer as a high school sophomore. Should she continue to seek summer intensive or performance opportunities throughout high school? Thank you!</p>

<p>In terms of the resume - I don’t think it’s important. In terms of the preparation for auditions - I think if you can afford summer intensives that will build audition and performance skills - it is very valuable.</p>

<p>Thank you kategrizz!</p>

<p>I agree with Kategrizz 100% my S did 2, one a dance intensive and one a MT summer immersion. </p>

<p>You don’t need it for the resume. But the experience is worthwhile for someone who is hoping to pursue this field in college and as a career. </p>

<p>My own daughter, who is now a professional actor/singer with a BFA in MT, went to Stagedoor Manor for 8 summers (6 wks/summer) and loved it. She didn’t attend with college in mind but simply was/is very passionate about theater. The experiences there were extremely significant in her development. I mention this since you said your child went there last summer. My kid went there up until she left for college (though she was 16 at the time she started college). There are many viable options, and I am just mentioning one personal experience. </p>

<p>I think there is merit to having a variety of experiences. One of the best things that can happen from a summer intensive is kids get to “try out” a bfa curriculum. While camp experiences like stagedoor are wonderful, they seem generally more performance (as in “let’s get a gang of kids together and put on a show”) as opposed to curriculum based. Often they offer classes and training- But not generally the same type as college. Also, it can give kids a chance to “try out” campuses. While I would not say “never” I know it would have been hard for me to say “yes” to college in NYC if D had not spent a month there with a college program. And finally, some college programs offer credit, or a chance to audition early (maybe even both) My D just finished her 1st semester- and is ranked as a sophomore. She has credits from ap classes, and 6 credits from the summer intensive. According to her advisor, she could easily be done in 3 years rather than 4 (though she says heck no at this moment- she loves it and wants 4 years worth- but it’s always out there…)</p>

<p>My D is a HS senior just now applying to colleges and has attended a different summer intensive every summer after 8th grade. For her, going to a different camp each summer was the right choice. She made life-long friends at each camp and had vastly differing experiences at each. However, attending intensives based on college campuses has given her the opportunity to get a sense of the university and whether it is a fit for her. Also, she got to meet faculty members and determined whether she clicked with each. Of two of her latest college auditions (at schools where she knew the faculty due to meeting them at SI’s), she remarked, “I was so happy to see X director/faculty member again, I forgot to be nervous!” That alone makes it worthwhile in my book.</p>

<p>Summer programs are invaluable for many reasons. My daughter did so many of them over the years: MPulse, Interlochen, Artsbrige, OCU. First, you have to record the auditions for many, a skill you have to know for prescreens. They have an opportunity to work with kids from all over the world that love theatre as much as they do, friendships that will last for a long time and make college audition weekends so much fun (my daughter has done 2 audition weekends so far - both times ran into kids from summer programs, instant comfort). Many give you a chance to live on campus, see what type of campus you like. Most important, the ones that give you a chance to work with college MT faculty. These summer programs really helped shaped what my daughter was looking for in a college program. She had prescreen waive because she worked with a faculty at a summer program. It has been wonderful that she has a “connection” to faculty at the different programs when auditioning. My suggestion…look for a process based program, not a performance based. You learn so much more, in my opinion.</p>

<p>S went a slightly different route and did ballet dance intensives for two summers. This allowed him to focus on one particular skill and was almost like a year of after-school ballet classes. Aside from dancing, one of the up sides was that he got a taste of what it’s like to live on a college campus, away from family, dealing with his own day-to-day needs in a “protected” environment. Meals were provided in the campus cafeteria, but he had to manage his own laundry, and wake-up schedule. This six weeks in summer gave him a little experience of what it’s like to be away from home, surrounded by other kids as intensely passionate about something as he is, and the size/location of the campus gave him a small indication of what he might like in his “real” college experience. When he left for college this August, he knew what he needed to have with him and how to take care of his own daily needs - including dealing with bodily injury/illness and how it affects your ability to rehearse and perform. He also learned that while he loves dance, he did NOT want to be a classical ballet dancer, but that he could apply the same hard work ethic and discipline to his MT training and expect similar results/progress. So perhaps this did not help with learning a monologue, or preparing for prescreens, but in his first semester as an MT BFA those lessons are coming in very handy.</p>

Thank you all for your posts! My D has several years experience attending the Colorado Springs Conservatory. There is a set curriculum every year that includes voice lessons, dance, music theory, acting, etc., as well as several performance opportunities. The conservatory also offers a summer intensive that my D is finally old enough to participate in; however, with college visits and auditions in the future, I am somewhat hesitant to invest more money in an intensive. The conservatory is a tuition-based program and has given her so many wonderful opportunities. There are several successful alumni that come back to the school to mentor as well as teach the current students.

I have been reading and learning just how competitive most MT programs are and I was curious how important it is to have experience outside of that.

I think outside experiences are invaluable- if only so kids can see how strong the competition really is, and to see if the intensity of a full time MT life appeals to them

For several years, my kids did a summer theatre “camp” at our local State University. Prior to senior year of HS, they also did a couple weeks of performing arts camp out of state, but not one of the better-known ones. To be honest, I didn’t really know enough about Stage Door Manor or MPulse etc., when my kids were coming up through the ranks. Nowadays, I do notice that many of the supremely talented kids in my boys’ programs attended one or another of those well-known programs, as well as some of the newer ones like Broadway Dreams and TPAP. It all adds to how well-prepared the students are when the go through their college auditions.

My D auditioned last year to attend the Vocal/Choral Intensive at the Boston Conservatory. It was a wonderful program and she loved it!