<p>Welcome to the new lurkers who have come out! I also lurked for about 6 months before my first post, and that post was over 15 months ago! Wow - we've been through a lot since then. I encourage you junior parents to make an effort, even if through private e-mails, to meet each other at next year's auditions. I can't express enough what wonderful new friends we have found as a result of this process. Now we have friends in all corners of the US, and most everywhere in between. It will be interesting to see our kids end up in programs together or in Broadway shows one day!</p>
<p>Hi. I found this group when I was Googling the acting schools at NYU in January I think. I have been trying to read the whole thing and keep up with the new stuff when I have time. It is soooo much that I am still not finished. It is like reality TV and its weird because I feel like I know some of you :) I am still trying to decide if a college acting school is the way for me to go. That is a long story and I will totally come out of lurk to put up another thread so I dont hijack this one looking for advice.</p>
<p>The juniors moms,</p>
<p>I hope we do have the chance to meet on the audition circuit next year! It will at least be nice to have some moral support as we go through this with our girls!</p>
<p>And junior guys too! :)</p>
<p>Absolutely! Junior Guys too! :-)</p>
<p>I am thrilled to see so many "lurkers" come out! Yay...join us! </p>
<p>And several of you are in the up and coming group and so now can meet up here because next year, you are sure to meet on the audition circuit and share this crazy journey.</p>
<p>I'm a semi-lurker, having posted only a few times but having read regularly (probably 5 of 7 days/week!) for about two years. This forum has been the source of some information I wouldn't have learned from my son's performing arts high school, which I generally think has provided good information. I can't imagine having a child in a school with few MT peers and no school support and surviving without this forum!</p>
<p>Kedstuff, the thing is, many of our children have not attended PA schools (our state doesn't even have any) and so nobody at school would have a clue about this process. We were on our own with it. We basically educated our guidance counselor about it, lol. I can think of about 3 kids in the past 8 years or so from our HS who pursued this. That is not too many. Last year was unusual as two students, including my own, auditioned for BFA programs, though her friend only auditioned for two. I learned lots by reading CC ahead of her actual admissions process (as I had an older child applying to college and so was reading CC for her but also kept reading the MT thread which is what it was back then, not its own forum, cause I knew this process was going to come up in our family). I learned about the NFAA awards here even. I see that many winners come from schools where many kids have applied/won. Not so here. While my D did apply and win an NFAA award, she was the only person in her state in any category to do so, that's how little we hear about this stuff here. I do not even know if her school knows she won one. The training and admissions process has been totally outside of school for us. She did chorus, jazz band, jazz theory, select choir, and band in school and our school has a good music program. They also put on plays and musicals but there is no drama department or classes. I imagine our situation is like many on here and that is one reason this board is a godsend as it brings together students and parents who are sharing a process that is unique AND when for many of us, is not shared by their local peers.</p>
<p>Hi soozievt - Even in our huge state-of-the-art high school, the guidance counselors are only aware of a few better known MT programs. My D and I are really on our own as far as researching schools for this.</p>
<p>Ericsmom, Thanks for your encouraging words. I'm already thinking that the new crop of junior moms will be a good team.</p>
<p>And thanks to believersmom for pulling us lurkers out of hiding. It's a good distraction as the seniors wait for results!</p>
<p>Junior Dads are out there too!</p>
<p>This thread has been wonderful. My D is a junior also and she and I gained so much knowledge from CC since last summer when I discovered it. I am constantly reading and passing tidbits on to her (like all our kids, she has no time!). Glad to meet all of you "junior Moms". Talking to Kaysmom has been great - your D is gorgeous by the way! My D is excited about meeting her at CMU Pre-College this summer and the rest of you at auditions! Here's to helping each other on next year 's road!</p>
<p>More lurker comments - even if you don't want to post, sign up with a screen name and write e-mails to some of the junior moms here, if you have a student auditioning next year. Don't be shy about it just because you aren't talking publicly. I've had people with whom I've communicated after auditions that didn't get in touch with others because they weren't a regular participant on the forum. Hey - none of us knew each other, either, but it is so much better to find a contact to help pass the time during an audition day than to just sit there being nervous and helping your kid get nervous! It's been so funny to call an online friend from my cell phone (happened before and again just recently), only to look right across from me and see her on her cell phone answering my call! You never know who you may be with in the room.</p>
<p>I can tell you from experience that you'll love meeting kaysmom and nydancemom, both of whom I've had the opportunity to meet in person and get to know online, and their incredibly talented and sweet daughters, both currently juniors. My son has some other junior friends who will also be auditioning next year. What a crazy process for all of us - find new friends to help you through it! </p>
<p>Find yourself a safety school, too - my recommendation to everyone. It will help ease this stressful time. I recently heard from someone who had been to Wichita State that it may be a great safety and is an impressive program. Do double check next year, though, in case they start requiring auditions for acceptance as opposed to being only for scholarships.</p>
<p>It is so fun and exciting to find out about all of you other junior students, moms and dads! Even as we nervously wait along with all of our seniors here to get their news, it is great to look ahead to next year with the next class! It is going to be quite a ride and it's nice to have all of you with us! My d and I will need all the help we can get!</p>
<p>hello, i am a lurker, probably because i don't have many questions. But i do think this forum is really helpful when i do have some.
Thanks.</p>
<p>EricsMom- what a great message and what a joy it will be to perhaps meet some of these folks. We'll have to put 'planning to meet <xx>' on the audition planning worksheet! </xx></p>
<p>My D is already planning her 'fall' auditions-hoping that she'll still be able to squeeze in NINE at a community theater group-and I am thinking"oohh, wonder who else will be there as well"? I realize it is way early but she wants to be prepared for fall to hit the ground running! </p>
<p>And to all the Senior Kids - HA!:) makes you guys sound old!- and their parental units - best of luck as the letters begin to arrive! Somewhere, there is a school and a program who NEEDS your talent! Have fun and enjoy it!</p>
<p>Boy oh boy.....</p>
<p>Nothing like a college acceptance or two or twelve to bring these lurkers out from under the covers!! Kind of like turning the light on in the middle of the night in a bad NYC apartment!! </p>
<p>(hope everyone here has a sense of humor !!!! Not suggesting that the lurkers ARE cockroaches, it's just that the last day or two it feels like a lot of scurrying going on......)</p>
<p>Congrats to all and welcome aboard!!</p>
<p>I agree, theatermom, isn't it great how many people are really here with us and we just haven't known them? </p>
<p>What's funny is that all our new friends are posting their audition results, and we've been sitting on ours for awhile, even though I post other things all the time! I hope to share the good news when all of it is known.</p>