Important Information to Consider Before Applying to Ithaca College MT

College Majors Musical Theater Major
1

<p>I believe that Ithaca has an overall good program, but after I auditioned on campus and did a visit, I now have a completely different idea of the program that I don’t feel was communicated online (on the website, etc.) If I had known about the following things before the audition, I most likely would not have applied.</p>

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<li><p>They discontinue students from the program on a fairly regular basis. At the end of each semester Freshman and Sophomore year (4 semesters in total) there are a variety of acting and singing reviews during which the students prepare individual pieces to perform in front of the faculty. I don’t know all of the specifics about the reviews because the details were not discussed at the information session, BUT, I know that if you fail one review, you are basically on probation. If you fail a second and the faculty deems that you are essentially a failure, they will DISCONTINUE YOU FROM THE PROGRAM. You will not be able to graduate from Ithaca with a BFA in Acting or Musical Theatre. Now, you may say “Oh, it barely ever happens” or “it won’t happen to me,” but after talking to the current students, it is clear that multiple students from almost every grade have been discontinued, mainly because they did not meet the acting expectations. It is my opinion that to grow, you must take risks and fail. If you are unable to fail, you cannot grow healthily. Also, the relationship between the student and teacher becomes strained in this type of environment. If my teacher could decide whether I stayed or left, would I feel comfortable challenging him/her? Absolutely not. On the upside, these reviews give you a good idea of the faculty expectations and help you get lots of advice and critique on a regular basis. It’s your choice whether you want to risk being discontinued.</p></li>
<li><p>Ithaca does not have a strong emphasis on dance. I heard straight from the chair of the program that after graduating, a student will most likely “not be able to be a ‘dancer’ in any shows like 42nd street or A Chorus Line.” If you’re sacrificing the opportunity to become a great dancer in college, they you are sacrificing the opportunity to succeed in all areas of musical theatre. It’s your choice - if you think you will never ever be able to dance, then by all means audition at Ithaca. In fact, because Ithaca doesn’t have a dance audition, it may give singer/actors an extra edge. Just don’t expect to be able to dance like a star after the 4 years.</p></li>
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<p>Please consider this before applying. If it’s a great school for you, then by all means, audition!!! But if you’re auditioning for CCM, BoCo, etc., PLEASE reconsider what you want in a college before you apply. This is not the standard MT program. In fact, it’s an actor training program with an MT emphasis.</p>

<p>GOOD LUCK!</p>

<p>P.S. They will give you a sheet at the audition that asks you to list, in order, all schools you are applying to. Please think about this before you go to the audition as it caught me completely off guard. And if you are planning on writing - 1) Ithaca, 2) CCM, 3) BoCo…seriously reconsider applying because those schools are 180 degrees apart.</p>

2

<p>I understand your opinions, and you of course have every right to voice them(that’s a given). However, I feel that someone reading this is not going to get a full or correct sense of the program with solely your analysis. So, in response:</p>

<p>1.) Yes, there is a process to discontinue a student from their track if the faculty feels that the program is not the right fit for a student…as is the same at most every other Musical Theatre program, though Ithaca does not “cut” as some other schools do. Also, in general, if a student is going to be discontinued from the program, they can see it coming. Nowhere is it said or even implied that a student will be discontinued if they risk and fail. Risk is encouraged. Also, if a student is discontinued from their track, they have options. They aren’t coldly kicked out of the school, as is the case at some other programs. Students can stay in theatre as BA Drama majors(which is in no way a demotion, but simply a more broad path to explore more facets of the art through) or find another degree program that suits them better. And the relationship between the students and the professor are some of the best I’ve ever seen, not strained as you predict. On another note, at most any MT program you will have juries for singing and review for acting. I’m not sure where you thought you were going to go that didn’t have these processes…</p>

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<li>Ithaca does have a dance program within its Theatre Arts Dept. and it is incredibly strong. And if a student has never set a foot in a dance studio in his/her entire life, of course four years is not going to make him/her into a Chorus Line or 42nd St. caliber dancer. Proper training to be at that level takes more time and commitment. What the program claims to do, and does, is to give non-dancers a solid technique that will pull them through at most any broadway dance call comfortably. And for those who have danced before at varying skill levels, they will be challenged and improved as well.</li>
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<p>Hope this sheds some much needed light on the situation to anyone reading the above post.</p>

3

<p>Some further insight on the original post, as a student at IC who has had many friends in the BFA program, a couple of whom have been discontinued. </p>

<p>1) The first response accurately sums up my view about review as well. And if you ask most BFA students at IC, they’ll tell you that the review process, while stressful, is ultimately a really strong training tool. You’re not put on probation for taking risks and failing; you’d be far more likely to be put on probation if you weren’t taking enough risks to begin with. Not to mention then there’s the technical stuff, like not showing up for class, etc. Also, to be clear: students can, and often are, placed on probation more than once. Probation simply indicates that there are multiple areas of concern in the actor’s craft, which the faculty wishes to see improvement in. If students are making progress in some areas and not others, they might still be on probation after a second review, but not discontinued. I know multiple students who were placed on probation for multiple semesters for different areas of concern, who did not get discontinued. I hope anyone applying to IC recognizes the use of review as an important diagnostic tool – not as a way to “weed out” students. </p>

<p>2) About IC’s dance program (and Lee’s comment at auditions). We have a number of students who could do Chorus Line in a heartbeat. And if you’re the type of performer who comes in with an extensive dance background, I promise you that you’ll find the dance program at Ithaca both challenging and rewarding. Go on Facebook and ask some current MT students if you don’t believe me. BUT, if you’re like a number of very talented actors and singers within any MT program who are not experienced dancers, the program will help you establish a strong foundation in dance that will prepare you for any dance audition and most musicals, although in only four years time, it’s true that you probably won’t be ready for “Chorus Line” right away. And I think any program that tells you otherwise is either exaggerating or not spending enough time focusing on the acting and singing part of your training. That’s just my opinion though.</p>

<p>All the best.</p>

4

<p>I completely agree with the two posters above - they give really great insight. Also, re-reading my post, I really hope that it didn’t come off negatively to anyone. If it did, it’s only because Ithaca wasn’t a right fit for ME, but there are many people who Ithaca is a perfect fit for. In my opinion, Ithaca is different from many typical triple-threat MT programs, so I encourage anyone interested in applying to Ithaca to read more about it in order to understand their philosophy.</p>

5

<p>First of all, all of these things are openly addressed in the information session before the auditions of Ithaca. Ithaca doesn’t hide any of these facts. Just saying. lol This makes it sort of sound like a secret. None of it is a secret, and I see it all as positives. And I’m fairly certain the dance program at Ithaca - while not the strongest - is quite strong.</p>