Ithaca summer musical theater program?

<p>I know that someone here (or on another thread) mentioned at some point that Ithaca has a three or four week summer precollege program in musical theater. I went online and found the application on the IC Web site, but cannot seem to find much info about it! (I thought I was pretty adept at navigating the Web and finding info, but I could be having a blonde moment! :)) In any case, if anyone here has attended or knows anything about it, please either post here or PM me. I would appreciate having the benefit of your experience.
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<p>I'd also like to know about the program, seeing as I would love to attend Ithaca for the BFA in MT!</p>

<p>So has anyone here on CC done the Ithaca summer program?</p>

<p>I have not seen any CCers post in the past about attending Ithaca's summer pre-college for MT. But there are new CC members all the time, so you never know. I personally don't know anyone who has applied or attended. </p>

<p>A year ago, however, I had researched this program for a client looking for summer MT programs but this person never applied. LAST year, IC had a three week session for MT Performance. It had a different session (that overlapped so you could not do both) that was five weeks long for Acting. However, in looking at the site now, I see that they are ONLY offering the three week session (in terms of anything theater related) and you can take either Introduction to MT Performance OR Acting I and there is not the five week Acting session this year. There are other subjects/courses offered outside of theater but I am just speaking now of theater related ones. </p>

<p>Admissions is rolling but apps must be sent in by May 1 the latest. You must audition for MT by VHS/DVD (two songs) if you want to be admitted to the MT program (none required for the Acting one). There is college credit. It costs: $3655. The dates for this summer are: June 29 - July18. </p>

<p>The link to the program session is here:
<a href="http://www.ithaca.edu/summercollege/Session1.htm%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.ithaca.edu/summercollege/Session1.htm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>The descriptions of the two options in terms of which course you sign up for are:</p>

<p>
[quote]
Intro to Musical Theater Performance
An interdisciplinary, team-taught, performance-oriented course designed to integrate musical and theater performance skills through the development and presentation of scenes from musicals. Each student will be videotaped at the beginning and end of the class to benchmark the change that occurs during the course. Admission is by audition. Students need to submit a VHS tape or dvd of two songs with accompaniment, one uptempo and one ballad from a musical. Recordings of stage performances cannot be used. Tapes will not be returned. 3 credits. </p>

<p>Acting I
This course uses a workshop approach that encompasses theatre games, physical/vocal exercises, improvisation, outside readings, class discussions and script analysis. The basic concepts of place, character, relationship and action will be explored, resulting in performance of a monologue and/or scene. Rehearsals outside of class will be required, and some written work will be assigned. Most students in this class will have some prior acting experience or lessons, but it is not a prerequisite for the course. 3 credits

[/quote]
</p>

<p>I am a freshman MT major at ithaca...and while i don't know much if anything about the summer program, there is a girl who is also a freshman MT here who did the summer program here last year. She worked with one of the acting professors here as well as someone from the vocal staff. She said that it solidified her wanting to come here and she did EA and got in last year (doing the november audition) so i know, atleast in her case, it was very worthwhile.</p>

<p>Hmm. I don't think Ithaca has EA? I DO think they will accept candidates on a rolling basis (like my kid got in two weeks after her audition, when auditions were still going on).</p>

<p>Soozivt,
Are you referring to BFA admissions on rolling basis or acceptance to the summer program? My D auditioned for BFA this weekend and loved the school and the faculty! Is this a school that waits until March or April send accept/decline letters or is it possible to hear before then?
Thanks for all your posts!</p>

<p>I was referring to the BFA, not the summer program when responding to bwaychic who said a classmate got in EA to Ithaca and I do not believe Ithaca (the college) has EA. In my D's admissions year, three years ago, she auditioned the last weekend in Jan. and got in two weeks later to the BFA in MT. I knew others who also heard as the season went on and not at the end of it. That said, I have read stories on CC of some who do not hear from Ithaca (for the BFA) until April (and in fact, I have heard stories one recent year of people being notified well past the April 1 date which is not right in my view). So, I can't say for certain what Ithaca is doing NOW, but only that in the past, some got results as they went along (rolling basis) and some seem to not hear until April. Again, in my D's year, or in her case anyway, she heard on a rolling basis from Ithaca (it was the first acceptance she got in fact). </p>

<p>Crossing fingers for your child and everyone else here.</p>

<p>sualabama, my D also auditioned this weekend and we were told at the info session by Lee Byron, the chair of the dept., that though he would decide "yes" or "no" on a few kids immediately, most would be waiting until March or April to hear decisions.</p>

<p>Thank you NMR for clarifying the most recent "word" from Ithaca. That seems to be what I have observed in the past. Some hear on a rolling basis and some not until April. Let's hope that this year Ithaca doesn't notify anyone PAST April 1 (as happened in spring of 2006 with some CCers).</p>

<p>Hi NotMamaRose - was she morning or afternoon? We were afternoon. Did your D have a good experience?</p>

<p>My D auditioned for the program offsite in Herndon, Virginia at the Hyatt-Dulles. She was in the morning session. I believe that that day and at that site, MT and acting auditions were held only in the a.m., as Prof. Byron mentioned that they would be conducting interviews for the BA program there in the afternoon, and then would be heading back to Ithaca to do auditions on Sunday. My D had a very positive experience in her audition and it left her even more impressed with the program/curriculum and people than she was before. How about yours?</p>

<p>That's great. My D's experience sounds similiar to your D's. She loved what she knew about Ithaca before visiting and auditioning but the interaction and energy she felt from the school and faculty made her love it even more. The current students that were helping with audtions were so helpful and calming to the nerves. She said they talked with her for several minutes after her monologues asking why she's interested in Ithaca, how she liked the visit so far, etc...just general questions. She would be elated to be accepted to Ithaca.</p>

<p>I think Bwaychic meant ED, not EA about her friend. Ithaca does have ED for MT because one of my daughter's friends is a current freshman at Ithaca. He applied ED last year and was accepted.
Also, about the timing of notification after audition dates... Seems Ithaca does have some sort of rolling policy. At least in 2007 it did. Daughter auditioned in February, heard NOTHING until mid April. Meanwhile kids from the same audition date were posting rejections on CC, as well as we saw a few acceptances from other dates, places (off campus auditions), etc. Our feeling was that D must have been in some sort of unannounced deferral mode---wasn't an obvious rejection, yet not an obvious acceptance for Ithaca either. Finally received a rejection in mid-April. At that point it was moot, since she had long ago accepted Elon's offer and had turned down several others. Personally, I think they must lose a lot of talented kids by waiting so long to notify, unless Ithaca is a strong first choice for that kid. In our daughter's case, it was not high on her list to begin with, and the wait certainly didn't help.</p>

<p>FWIW, Lee Byron told the parents and students at the audition session that my kid attended last weekend that they would do their best to get decisions out by mid-March, but that sometimes things get held up on the admissions offices' end. He seemed to be saying that once the Dept of Theater Arts makes its decisions, the papers go to the Admissions Office, where things need to be in order and complete before decisions go out. Thus, he nicely reminded kids to get their applications and transcripts, etc. in. (He did note that the last date by which colleges are asked to inform candidates is April 15.)</p>

<p>The problem I've seen with Ithaca in the last couple of cycles is that they got out SOME decisions AFTER April 1 (like Mr. Byron says, by April 15) and MOST colleges notify by April 1 and they really should. That gives applicants one month to decide where to matriculate by the National Reply Date of May 1 and to do a visit or a return visit. I hope they can let all know by April 1. I think it hurts Ithaca to let anyone know PAST April 1 because the student is not weighing this school alongside other acceptances and their hearts and minds have turned to their other offers. I'm just talking about past April 1 and not April 1 itself which is a common admissions notification date by MANY schools. Notification past that point is missing the boat, in my view.</p>

<p>Also, sorry I was not aware of ED for the BFA in MT at Ithaca. I know they have rolling for the BFA (my kid heard in mid Feb.) and some audition early (fall) and may hear early but I didn't notice an ED option for admissions there. ED is a binding admissions process.</p>

<p>On Ithaca's site, they list Feb. 1 as the application deadline for Freshmen. They have a Nov. 1 deadline for Spring Admissions but I don't think you an enter in the spring for a BFA. So, I am unaware of an Early Decision option at Ithaca College.</p>

<p>I am puzzled by this mention of an ED for BFA programs, too. I scoured their web site and could not find any mention of it at all. And yes, 2/1 is the deadline application for freshmen. Hmmmmm ....</p>

<p>NMR, while I'm sure Lee Byron would like people to think it was something held up in admissions office I doubt that. My D had her completed application, test scores, etc. in by early September. She was academically more than qualified for Ithaca. When I finally called the theater department in April I was told by their own office that all decisions had not been made yet. So unless something has changed, I think he was just trying to deflect any criticism. LOL</p>

<p>Soozie, You are correct....there is no offical ED. I should check my facts first. Sorry!! I would have to assume that her friend auditioned in November and was a clear acceptance, because I KNOW he was admitted before Christmas last year and since it was his first choice, it was the only audition he did! We had heard he was accepted "ED" but you know how that goes....</p>

<p>NYDanceMom, I figured as much. The friend likely had auditioned in fall and heard early (they do notify some as they go along) and didn't do more auditions after that and may have inadvertently gotten known amoung friends that he got in some place "ED." So, I just wanted to clarify that to my knowlege, Ithaca doesn't have Early Decision or Early Action.</p>