<p>I’ve heard so much talk about the Big names MT schools wanting GIRLS to be able to belt and sing in the mix and also have a good legit soprano voice, but I’ve heard nothing about guys. What exactly do they want from us men???</p>
<p>In the auditions that my son did this year ( 5 - U of Mich, Penn State, Syracuse, Elon and JMU), the common thought was that the young male voice does not mature as fast as the female. The auditioners seemed to be looking for good intonation, good voice quality, good range and a confidence to show potential for growth. I heard in many sessions that the programs were looking for a unique performer, as they did not need any more “clones” of performers that were already working. They were looking for confidence without arrogance and a well rounded student. </p>
<p>A good dance background, especially in ballet seemed to be helpful when asked to do the same routine as all of the girls that have been dancing for many, many years. Tap was not required but some schools allowed those who could tap to have an opportunity to show that talent.</p>
<p>For the monologue, they were looking for something that was age appropriate. Many of the schools will say on their website that they do not wish to hear Shakespeare, however, they do not really want to hear something that is full of profain language even if it is written that way, so finding a good middle ground seems to be the key.</p>
<p>Now, bare in mind that my son only auditioned for 5 schools, so I cannot speak for all of the many many other schools and their policies or guidelines for seeking out their candidates. This is only from the personal experience that I give this advice. Also understand that this is a compilation of the 5 schools and many not apply to each one of them. </p>
<p>Please feel free to PM me if you have any specific questions that I haven’t answered.
Good luck with your process :)</p>
<p>I agree with britbrats comment above. S is an MT grad. If you are young and thinking of going MT - add dance and piano to your studies now! Both my kids regret not having piano in their back ground.</p>
<p>Thank you guys so much for your comments. I still do have some more questions though. As far as mixing or maybe even belting. Do u think they would like to hear me sing in a mixed voice or a belt or would just plain chest and maybe some head voice on the ballad be fine. And as far as the dancing. I am going to start the audition process next year, so should i just have down the basics of ballet (and maybe jazz) or should i be more advanced in ballet? because my main focus for the next year was going to be on my voice. Thanks.</p>
<p>P.S. Just to give you some background, I’m finishing up my first year here at Penn State but I am taking off a year then applying to MT schools.</p>