I don’t think there is a “best” time for auditions but also agree it is a good idea to do a few early in the season - especially if the schools make early decisions. It is also easier to make adjustments early in the season if something isn’t working. The one issue that came up this year with my D was timing of on-campus callbacks - another thing to consider when scheduling senior year! She had kept her schedule lighter for Jan/Feb to accommodate audition season but hadn’t really considered what would happen if she had on-campus callbacks! She was in a show (as is so common with our kids!) and had to send in a videotaped call back for one of her top choices. Just when you think you’ve thought of everything…
@Sammy8028 , I don’t remember if this was mentioned upthread, but attitude is everything! This is an exciting adventure, one that will likely involve great things like exploring different places (even if this means just hotels, a couple restaurants, and a couple colleges), bonding with your auditioner (which was so precious to both of us), maybe meeting some new people, and having the opportunity to help your child and others in it by staying positive and lending a helpful hand when possible. Seem too innocent and Pollyanna-ish? Maybe, but it really worked for us. Sure, it’s still stressful, and, sure, there were some tough times, but there were many more fun, exciting, fulfilling times.
And, you know what? Maybe your auditioner will surprise you by her resilience and positive attitude. Mine did. I learned a thing or two from her: a couple times when I was secretly dangerously on the precipice of auditioning madness, her strong example set me straight. I like to think I did that for her, too, once or twice.
Also, this is a terrific time to delve into calming hobbies or learn some new ones! Ceramics and glass bead jewelry making were a couple of ours that were fun to learn and distracting–and sometimes it just felt great to squish our hands in clay, painstakingly paint something, or melt that glass into almost oblivion, lol!
Oh, and a sense of humor. You must try to keep a sense of humor, even if it’s as dry as all get out sometimes! Laughter is wonderful…
@Sammy8028 - @myloves has a great point about a hobby. I have said this before- D and I took up knitting/crochet (which my grandmother had taught me as a kid, though we watched a bunch of YouTube videos as refreshers!) It may sound cheesy, but it was super soothing, and easy to take to hotels etc.
@Sammy8028 - I think acknowledging it is a stressful process helps. And learning how your student best deals with that stress is key.
When on audition trips - let your student take the lead in what they need to prepare their best. For our D, that meant me leaving the hotel room for about an hour so she could get dressed and vocalize and practice without anyone else in the room. I would just go get a cup of coffee or go grab something for her to eat, do some work … whatever I could do to give her that quiet time she needed.
Also follow their lead after their auditions. Some kids want to talk through every detail of what happened in the room. Others may prefer not to. Respect what your child needs in this regard and don’t push them to talk or answer questions they don’t want to answer right then. Pick your times for discussions. Dont expect or ask them to talk about their auditions immediately afterwards. Wait until you are somewhere more private where they feel free to talk. This can be especially hard for the parent at home who is waiting on pins and needles to hear how things are gong. Hard as it is, wait until your child is ready to talk. You will get much better information that way.
When traveling, don’t assume they are going to want to go out to a nice dinner or check out the sights wherever you travel. Our D preferred hanging out at the hotel most times. Others may want to get away from the hotel. Again, follow your child’s lead.
If possible, don’t talk about how much the auditions and trips are costing your family once you start traveling. I think it is important for students to understand the finical boundaries your family has for applications, auditions and where to go to school. It is up to you to make these boundaries clear before setting up your audition schedule. But once you are on the audition trail, don’t make a child feel guilty about the money that is being spent on audition travel. That can be a lot of pressure and a heavy weight on their shoulders - especially since we all know many of these trips will not result in an admit to a program. Don’t make them feel guilty.
The biggest key to reducing stress in the process is to help them be organized. Help them set up a system for keeping track of their applications and making sure everything has been submitted. Help them come up with checklists for what to take to auditions. I think for most of us, take the lead on setting up the actual audition schedule. You know where you can travel comfortably. You may need to consider other work or family obligations before setting a schedule. So make those parameters very clear. Let your student do the actual work - but help with getting and keeping organized throughout the process is key.
And while traveling - reduce your own stress by bringing some backup/emergency supplies in your own stuff. Medicines, first aid, water, snacks, extra copies of music, resumes, head shots, tights, etc… and be willing to go run that errand for something that has been torn, broken, forgotten without stressing your child out. Whatever problem arises, help find a solution. And laugh about it with them if you can. There are great stories on CC of all sorts of audition issues - clothes that accidentally fell in toilets, glasses that flew off during the dance call, two different shoes… you name it, it has probably happened. Handle those things with speed, grace and humor.
All the advice here is fantastic. Our process concluded in a great place (D was accepted into a program she proclaimed was her ‘dream program’ at her ‘dream school’ during our Spring Break visit her junior year; We were upset she was so vocal about it, esp since that program has a very small class and hundreds of applicants…but it wound up working). That said, here are the things that stand out to me:
– YES, do everything early in the process-- your list, your prescreens, at least one live audition (a lower priority one)
– YES, be organized-- print out everything and put it in a folder or binder dedicated to that one school
– YES, have a cheat sheet on the school (alums from your area, facts/programs at the school, etc) for audition days
– GO TO UNIFIEDS-- we went to Chicago, which was fascinating for my wife, me and my D-- you learn the subculture, you have some supportive encounters (parents are genuinely supportive and affectionate to the other parents; it restores your faith in humanity).
– HAVE SOME FUN RITUALS-- to ease the stress, to make some memories, to make it fun. We went to a Thai restaurant after each audition (best tagline for one of the better restaurants: Roll Thai!).
– ENJOY THE AUDITIONS AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE-- seriously, that bonding time was phenomenal and while I found February absolutely exhausting, it was as much a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for me as it was for my D
– ASSEMBLE YOUR TEAM-- if you aren’t going with assembled coaching team, then make sure you have a good vocal coach and dance teacher in your corner. And (early on) find out who is the go-to person for the live accompaniment you might need for a pre-screen…if you are in a reasonably large community there are likely some MT veterans out there who are going to be happy to point you in the direction of the people who took great head shots, picked great audition material, shot a solid Prescreen (admittedly, production value is NOT IMPORTANT). Enroll these people on your team, with gratitude and updates and thanks.
My D starts her dream program soon, and we’re thrilled for her. But it started with a list that grew to 14 schools (including walk-ins at Unifieds), which meant 14 auditions-- 7 at Unifieds, 5 on-campus, 2 via tape. 6 of them required prescreens). She knew early enough to still have a great time in her senior year.
We’ll all continue to lurk on these pages to see where we can add advice, hope and encouragement. Good luck Class of 2021!
Backstage.com College Must-Dos Before Senior Year
http://www.backstage.com/advice-for-actors/backstage-experts/10-college-must-dos-summer-senior-year/
That backstage suggestion list is ambitious for summer before senior year! Lol . In June it says to continue acting & voice (a lot of voice teachers don’t work in the summer) AND take ballet three times a week …then attend a pre college program at some point and make your college list, prepare your material and have it all ready…And then of course secure your audition coach etc… Yikes! We will be lucky to get one of these things done! Along with taking SAT/ACT…any part time job…in some instances working on getting drivers license…actually taking a family vacation…
I think July before senior year is really late to first BEGIN researching colleges! I’m thinking that should be done junior year, with at least a tentative list ready by summer before senior year. (My daughter’s a sophomore and we’ve already done a ton of research and have a tentative list!)
Also, how is it possible to “find more performing opportunities and add credits to your resume,” “volunteer at an arts camp,” “take acting classes”, “take ballet three times a week,” AND “attend a performing arts camp”, all in the SAME summer? I really hope these are all just suggestions for helpful things to do, rather than a list of things that ALL should be done!
I was struck by the advice to hire a coach…coming from a coach…
Yes @toowonderful lol I thought this also!
@actorparent I know right! Like get in the real world here people …theres no way to do all that in one summer. Her advice seems off to me from the norm. Like getting performing credits I would think is low on the list as most college auditioners don’t seem to care about the quantity of work you’ve done.
I know making a school list is mega important for an MT major but it’s also important to find a common ground with that other stuff… Well rounded experiences here people…
@toowonderful
Hee hee, always looking at the source of information is a good idea:)
Note that she says get more performing credits if you have less than six on your resume.
I don’t think 6 is a deal breaker for performances. My D has more but she’s been doing shows since elem school , a lot of kids start later and are still phenomenally talented. Now I think if you had like 1 or 2 you would need some more experience .
I don’t think any of her suggestions are hard and fast rules. They are recommendations from someone very knowledgable in the field. As with any expert or article, you can take their advice or leave it. Just be aware this author does know what she’s talking about so I think at least considering her advice is prudent. But aways, always apply it to your particular circumstances.
If I hadn’t found CC a few months ago, that list would have made perfect sense to me. Lucky for us, we have parents/students who are willing to impart extra, and awesome advice. I honestly never knew that a coach was a thing, before CC! And I knew very, very little about Unifieds, prescreens, etc.
To me, it’s not that the advice is bad - it’s certainly very GOOD advice! It’s only the TIMELINE that raised my eyebrows. If it had said, “These are things to do in the 12 to 18 months before applying,” it would make total sense to me.
But maybe Backstage gave her the assignment “Things to do the summer before senior year”, so she just tried to pack ALL the information into that limited period, just so all the important tasks would be mentioned, even if the timeframe was unrealistic.
I didn’t notice anyone mentioning getting your audition wardrobe together. D found a dress she really liked and so I bought two of them for peace of mind. It was a basic, inexpensive dress. She also got heels and rehearsed in them before auditions to make sure she would feel good auditioning in them. We also shopped carefully for dance wear that she would feel her best in. It’s also important to get your headshot and resume together by mid-summer. Auditors gave our D a thumbs up for having a headshot that “looked like her.”
So perhaps think carefully about what you will wear in the room, how you will wear your hair, etc., and let that somewhat guide choices you make with the headshots. I don’t mean “matchy-matchy.”
Our D used Mary Anna Dennard and felt it was money well-spent. She got acceptances from Moonifieds, Unifieds, and her ONE on-campus audition. Having to have her material ready for November Moonifieds was a great motivator and made Unifieds in February a relative breeze.
She applied to BFAs and BAs. She made her list based on the curriculums, the opportunities afforded at the programs, and the reputation of the programs. She read a lot about the programs. She watched their YouTube performances. She visited three campuses altogether before auditioning, just to get an idea of what’s out there. She did that Junior year. Visiting before the acceptances didn’t help her much. Visiting after the acceptances was a far better use of resources.
Finally staying organized is key. D did almost everything herself. I fed her, clothed her, sat with her while she worked so she could bounce ideas off of me but she did nearly every bit of leg work. One idea that has been mentioned on this forum is setting up an entirely different email to handle all the audition stuff and making sure both parent and child have access to it. I wish we had done that. It would have made it all easier. D did forget to pay an audition fee, even after auditioning for a program. Her audition was thrown out ultimately. This is a mistake that could’ve been avoided had I had access to her email. These are busy kids, juggling many balls at one time. She wanted to handle things herself but I know that I could’ve helped a bit by monitoring requests for additional/missing information.
Oh, and I completely agree about keeping your grades up (another reason to limit absences for visits, etc.). D got LOTS of scholarship money because of her grades/test scores. This is important when you are considering financial viability of programs.
Best of luck!
One more thing … About accepted school visits: Many acceptances come in late March/early April. This doesn’t give a lot of time for meaningful visits. So plan ahead and keep one week open in Late March and another in early-mid April to go on visits. Consider that many programs are wrapping up in mid-April and you will want to visit while classes are happening. You don’t want to arrive for a visit during finals week, so to speak.
@HappyDancer98 You said “Visiting after the acceptances was a far better use of resources”.I am curious how many acceptances/visits you were able to squeeze in late March early April. And did you have enough time to make final decision about University of Michigan before May 1?
@Notmath1, our D visited three schools after acceptances/waitlists came in. We were prepared to use our family’s Spring Break to visit others but it became clear early on that Michigan would be the choice. If she had not been accepted at Michigan, the decision would’ve been much, much harder and would’ve required visits to all of the accepted and waitlist schools. She had some wonderful options-- all schools that she would’ve happily attended and so the decision would’ve been difficult for her. Keep in mind that visiting a waitlist school can tip the scale in your student’s favor. I know two kids who got in off a waitlist after visiting with accepted students. I don’t think it’s a mere coincidence. So to make the most of your student’s waitlist status, you want to make sure your kid is available to visit at the drop of a hat and is not so tied up in school performances, etc., that he or she can’t get away.