How did you 2012 girls do it? How did you get in?

College Majors Musical Theater Major
1

<p>This one is for the ladies. We've been hearing about how hard it is to get into musical theater bfa programs, to expect only about 2 or 3 acceptances. But! some of you on here appear to be posting as many as a half dozen. What I want to know for the 2013 and beyond crowd is things like:
1. How many places did you apply
2. Were you a true triple threat, or stronger in one area over the other
3. Did you audition on campus or at Unifieds
4. Did you use a coach?
5. Did you attend summer intensives
6. What is your "type" if you can figure that out</p>

<p>What do you think was your secret? thanks!</p>

2

<p>I loved this post! Made me laugh. I’ll answer for my D.</p>

<ol>
<li><p>How many places did you apply:
14, all schools that offered merit scholarship money, NOT need-based. If money had not been an issue the 14 would have looked very different.</p></li>
<li><p>Were you a true triple threat, or stronger in one area over the other:
My D considers herself a vocalist first, but she is apparently a fine actor too, and she is a strong dancer that picks it up fast.</p></li>
<li><p>Did you audition on campus or at Unifieds:
BOTH. FIVE at Unifieds and the other EIGHT on location with ONE off site, but not Unifieds.</p></li>
<li><p>Did you use a coach?:
NO</p></li>
<li><p>Did you attend summer intensives:
NO, but D’s high school is a performing arts school.</p></li>
<li><p>What is your “type” if you can figure that out:
D doesn’t fit classic type. She is “Disney Princess, ingenue, tramp” depending on what she is wearing from feedback we’ve heard. She is alto-mezzo.</p></li>
</ol>

<p>What do you think was your secret? thanks! </p>

<p>Having gone through the process together I would say the secret is to BE YOURSELF ALWAYS! Do your program research carefully; figure out what aspects are really important to you and list them in order of importance, this makes culling the list fairly simple; and prepare your material well…material that someone that looks and sounds like YOU could perform right now. Spend you free time reading plays, watching performances, and perfecting your craft. Performance is a lifelong endeavor. Good Luck!</p>

3

<p>That is helpful…the rest of you, weigh in! Help make some sense out of this crazy process!</p>

4

<p>This was indeed a grueling process that started mid-junior year. I have an MT daughter

  1. How many places did you apply
    Applied 14. Auditioned 11
  2. Were you a true triple threat, or stronger in one area over the other
    Strong voice and strong acting. We were very nervous about the dance but she worked hard the last year with a dance coach to get her to an adequate level. She is teachable
  3. Did you audition on campus or at Unifieds
    Both. 1st three on campus, one of them was an early audition (I recommend doing at least one of those). My daughter was accepted at an early audition and it helped to take some pressure off. One more campus and the rest unifieds
  4. Did you use a coach?
    Yes. For my daughter the coaching helped tremendously. In fact, she really connected with these people on a deep level. You need to make a connection. A coach needs to “get you”
  5. Did you attend summer intensives
    Yes. My daughter attended CMU going into junior year. Nothing going into senior year
  6. What is your “type” if you can figure that out
    Leading lady or charachter actress. Not ingenue. Mezzo soprano
    What do you think was your secret? thanks!
    Passion and practice. Do not wait for the last minute. The more time you spend learning each piece and perfecting them, the better. Be prepared. Make sure you have a very well balanced list of schools. You have no idea what these schools are looking for to complete their freshman class. Get your applications done as early as possible. MT’s have added stress with extra essays. The earlier you take care of the applications, you will have the luxury of booking your auditions early and have more time to perfect you pieces. Several kids we know were denied from all of the programs they auditioned for. These were talented kids but they did not audition for enough schools and were not well prepared with their pieces. Also, if you choose not to use a coach, make sure you pay very close attention to the audition instructions for each school. It helps to devise a spreadsheet.
    Good luck. In the end I feel my daughter was well prepared but she worked really really hard for it. Hope this helps.</p>
5

<p>All 14 of my D’s programs were audition. She was accepted academically to all 14 schools, so she figured if she didn’t get into an MT program, she could still attend any of the schools and study a BA in Theatre Arts.</p>

<p>My D also applied to Honors Programs at all her schools requiring extra applications/essays/LOR’s AND all the merit scholarship programs available also requiring extra
applications/essays/LOR’s AND Interviews! Total LOR count was 42 from a total of 6 teachers/mentors, 3 that know her “artistically” and 3 that know her “academically” and the counselor did additional forms. </p>

<p>She applied non-binding early decision to every school she could and her first audition was in November.</p>

<p>A spreadsheet is a must! Ours was 3-4 feet long and 18 inches wide and we just tacked it right to the wall near her computer. We included EVERYTHING on there. A few schools dropped off the list because there was no way to fit in any of their audition dates…others dropped off because we couldn’t get the prescreen material recorded and edited in time. This process is not to be entered into without the 100% support of atleast one parent to help guide along the way. </p>

<p>PM me if you want to know more about LORs, spreadsheet, etc. Friends with younger children have suggested I should set up a website for all MT parents and charge for the knowledge I gleaned in the last 2 years, but I’m happy to just help ANYONE save time and money in this process.</p>

6

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<p>Two things for future applicants to note;</p>

<p>1) At some schools you will NOT be able to attend if you are not also admitted artistically. Don’t assume that an academic admission will automatically enable you to fall back to a BA alternative if you are denied artistically to their auditioned BFA. This works at some schools, but not all.</p>

<p>2) Many people recommend against getting a BA at a school that also offers a BFA if you are a performer, as at many schools it is thought you will get inferior training and may be denied casting opportunities. This is not true everywhere but is worth investigating. There are BA programs at schools that do NOT offer a BFA that might be better options.</p>

<p>Just wanted to clarify this for future applicants.</p>

7

<p>I will respond for my daughter as well since she is tied up finishing her senior year and handling the beginning of a new show.</p>

<ol>
<li><p>How many places did you apply:
16, we had two “safety” schools. A few schools we considered very hard to get into and the rest varied. All the schools were places my daughter considered that she would be content to attend. </p></li>
<li><p>Were you a true triple threat…
Everyone, no matter how much training, is better in one or two areas over another. My daughter’s strength is acting first, singing and dancing, next, about the same but also strong. </p></li>
<li><p>Did you audition at Unifieds and campus…
Both, she believed she had stronger auditions at Unifieds. The frenzy associated with Unifieds totally fed her energy.</p></li>
<li><p>Coach?
Yes, probably one of the best decisions of the audition season</p></li>
<li><p>Did you attend summer intensives?
Yes. We didn’t make good choices though so I don’t really count them. We didn’t find this web site until way too late in the game.</p></li>
<li><p>Type?
Soprano, ingenue, think “Doris Day” or Disney Princess</p></li>
<li><p>Secret?
I highly echo others. Be prepared, be yourself, be organized, believe it or not, amid the insanity, have fun! This is moment in time. Don’t get hung up on any one school. It’s going to be a great year!</p></li>
</ol>

8

<p>I found this forum very late in the game to be of any significant benefit for my daughter. I certainly wish I had found this last summer! All in all though, things turned out well and my daughter is pleased with the choices she has ahead of her. </p>

<ol>
<li><p>How many places did you apply:
My daughter applied to 8 schools and was accepted to 3.</p></li>
<li><p>Were you a true triple threat…
My daughter is probably the strongest singer and actor. Her dancing is lacking but she is a really great mover and can pick things up quickly. </p></li>
<li><p>Did you audition at Unifieds and campus…
A combination of both.</p></li>
<li><p>Coach?
No but is at a performing arts high school - wish we had known about the coaching options out there!</p></li>
<li><p>Did you attend summer intensives?
Yes, she attended Mpulse and CMU’s summer programs</p></li>
<li><p>Type?
Soprano, blonde, very likely the ingenue. </p></li>
<li><p>Secret?
I think having a lot of audition experience helped. My daughter has auditioned for all kinds of theater and commercial work since she was little. We also had such a great time on the audition road together. I enjoyed every second of our time together!</p></li>
</ol>

9

<p>1. How many places did you apply
She either applied or auditioned to 21 schools, but it didn’t start out that way!<br>
Let me explain:
She decided to audition to 10 schools plus 1 safety. Then we found one here on CC that we’d never heard of and thought it sounded awesome and since we were going to be in the general vicinity, we set up an audition, so that brought the total to 12. After she was accepted to her safety, that school imposed an audition requirement so we had to find another Safety-13 </p>

<p>During the year we met faculty from a couple of other schools that really seemed like they would be a perfect fit, so we added 2 more. Then she thought she should at least LOOK at a BA school with fairly strong academics (non-audition, but NOT a Safety) so that brought the total to 16.</p>

<p>At Unifieds she did walk-ins at 5 schools for a grand total of 21. She chose not to apply to a couple of those, though.</p>

<p>She ended up with 7 artistic acceptances (plus her safety, which I just realized I never listed that one on the MT acceptances thread), and 4 wait lists. </p>

<p>2. Were you a true triple threat, or stronger in one area over the other
Strongest in Singing. I would say dance is next. She’s a very good actor also, but it’s just not as strong as the others, at least by a little bit.</p>

<p>3. Did you audition on campus or at Unifieds
Five on campus, 16 spread over 2 Unifieds locations. Interestingly enough, she was rejected from almost all of her on-campus auditions. She just had way better energy at Unifieds and got more “in the zone” in that environment.</p>

<p>4. Did you use a coach?
Yes, and it was the best decision we made all year.</p>

<p>5. Did you attend summer intensives
Went to ArtsBridge the summer before auditioning. The best value there (for her) was meeting the faculty from several Universities she was interested in and getting a feel for what the training was like at their schools. Found her FAVORITE school this way and ruled out two of the “big name” schools she had initially had on her list. (DISLIKED the faculty from those schools).</p>

<p>6. What is your “type” if you can figure that out
5’5" fit, fair-skinned, green-eyed brunette belter with a beautiful but still-developing legit soprano. Fave roles have been Eponine, Peter Pan and Belle. Oh, and Janet Van de Graaf.</p>

<p>**What do you think was your secret? **

  1. She cast a very wide net. Her schools ranged from some of the “big name” schools to some that no one has ever really heard of. She auditioned for WAY too many, but that was mostly due to not having a good handle on what type of environment she wanted; big city vs. rural; true campus vs vertical campus, etc. (She’s still sorting that out!)</p>

<ol>
<li><p>GREAT audition material that she adored and that was truly a great fit for her and for the schools to which she was applying. (it changed depending on the school)</p></li>
<li><p>Spread her auditions out so that all her eggs weren’t in the Unifieds basket.</p></li>
</ol>

10

<p>My daughter auditioned last year, when the over the top numbers were just beginning. We were overwhelmed then with the numbers and talent auditioning, and I know that it has only increased. The process has become so competitive, that just like for top athletes, students who are the best prepared for the process, no matter their talent, are the ones who will rise to the top. In many cities you can find coaching for song choice and prep, and monologue choice and prep by contacting professional theaters in your area. Just make sure that the coaches understand that the college audition process and expectations are very different from the usual stage audition process and expectations. If you do not have these resources, I recommend you find the threads in this forum that discuss coaching resources. Personally, I would highly recommend MTCA (Musical Theatre College Auditions). They have been coaching for over 20 years, and their students consistently make it into the top programs in the country, and usually have a number to choose from. Using SKYPE (which we did from Oregon) or meeting personally in NYC, they will assist you in finding songs and monologues that best fit you and are not overdone, coach you in presenting your choices using skills colleges are looking for, and can provide legit or mix/belt voice instruction to augment your skill base. If you are close to NYC, they also provide coaching for the dance portion and a multitude of workshops to help you learn how dance auditions work. They also provide help in coordinating college lists to fit your talents, opportunities in NYC and California for ‘mock’ auditions prior to college ones, and supply a presence at Unifieds, for support, further coaching, and parent angst! Both my daughter and I could have never made it through the process without them, and continue to feel we are part of the MTCA family! If you would like further information or to check out their website (soon to have the success of this year’s class reported!) please personal message or email me, and I would be glad to help you out. Believe me, SKYPE works beautifully for this process and can be used all over the world! Costs are highly competitive with those of everyday voice lessons. We are done with this process (my daughter is at school in NYC) but I feel strongly that students and parents need to be aware of how difficult it can be and have the resources available to deal with it. Juniors, RIGHT NOW is the time to start coaching!
Good luck to all!</p>

11

<p>Christie2, your wonderful daughter met with my D and her friend, both MTCA students, and answered all of our questions! She was SO helpful. The MTCA family goes beyond just the MTCA coaches!</p>

12

<p>I agree and am happy she was of help! Where did the girls end up? After following along to see all the acceptances, I am eager to see the final report!</p>

13

<p>My D, and her friend (a boy) are juniors. So they are just embarking on their journey.</p>

14

<p>MTCA! So I’m not an MT major, but I am an acting major (currently a sophomore), but I have worked with their audition coaches twice! The first time around I got into a great program, and was glad to have other choices, but the place I chose really ended up not being the best place for me. So this past year, I auditioned to transfer into BFA Acting programs, and was really hoping not to start over as a freshman. So far I’ve gotten into three different programs and am still waiting to hear from one more. I’m so happy because I’ve been accepted as a junior into the acting program I’m most likely going to attend, and don’t have to repeat any semesters which is like a dream come true! Please please message me if you have any questions, especially about mtca. Check them out!</p>