<p>I was very curious if anyone could speak on the “vibe” one gets within the UMich MT program, and university as a whole. Is there a nurturing environment? Are the students supportive of eachother? Are the faculty one-on-one with each student…</p>
<p>My daughter is accepted and we have concerns about the “life” she will have there. If anyone can speak on that, and the education aspect, we would be very happy parents!</p>
<p>thank you -</p>
<p>If you read back through posts here, esp. those by theatremom, you will find eloquent and passionate descriptions of how incredibly nurturing the UMich environment is. I feel that I am a really objective judge of this since I have students whom I love like they were my own children at many different MT schools, and UMich stands out as the place where students are MOST nurtured while still growing and being challenged on a daily basis. The faculty at UMich are, across the board, remarkable and dedicated educators, all of whom maintain their "hands-on" work in the biz while still dedicating themselves to their students. I can speak more fully about this in another post, or feel free to email or PM me. My coaching music director just graduated from UM's MT program this past weekend and I also have students who are rising juniors and seniors there, as well as 2 incoming freshmen - so I have seen the program from many perspectives and know a good bit about the non-MT curriculum and university life, also.</p>
<p>P.S. And Michigan's Senior Showcase this year is INCREDIBLE - I saw it twice in Ann Arbor on Sunday - so right now morale in the whole program is esp. high and excited!!! :)</p>
<p>One of the incoming students at UMich has created a Facebook group for the "MT Class of 2011", and many upperclassmen already in the program have posted warm and enthusiastic messages of welcome to the incoming students. I have been surprised by the warmth of the welcome- and my son isn't even there yet!</p>
<p>Thank you all for your generous and thoughtful words of wisdom. After much reflection -- and research! --- Holly HAS decided to attend the Universtiy of Michigan this fall.</p>
<p>Her mom and I are thrilled -- nervous, yes -- but very excited and proud.</p>
<p>Thank you again,
Barry</p>
<p>My D took a 3-day workshop from Brent Wagner last year (while a sophomore in HS) and he talked to kids and parents afterward about Michigan's vision, he spoke a lot about the "nurturing environment". I thought that's well and good, but any school can write anything in their brochure, how do you really KNOW?
This year we visited during my D's spring break in April.
I was SO impressed. We knew one freshman MT, she showed my D around a lot. She observed several classes and we got to see their production of Tommy. During the day I probably met 40 kids, who came up and introduced themselves to both my D and to me and asked "Do you have questions, can I help you, do you want a tour?" and on and on! The person we knew talked to us about the auditions for one of the shows, and how supportive the kids were of each other, other students said the same thing.
That's not how it always is at many other HS and youth show auditions, so I think they have created a wonderful environment for their students.
But we were just visiting, and it was just 2 days.</p>
<p>My son attended mpulse last summer and was anxious to attend again this year. A family conflict arose and he had to turn down his acceptance. But, Brent Wagner still takes time to email him whenever my son has a question. He has given directions and advice throughout the school year and is always accessible and helpful. He believes in his students and they share that with others. At orientation this year the upperclassmen had a barbeque for the incoming students. Of course they shared all the "stories" but they also made everyone feel very welcome.</p>
<p>Just a quick update for those who may be looking at this old topic. My daughter is so enjoying her first semester at the university of michigan! Aside from some horrendous losses suffered by the football team, she has told me she is having the time of her life and loves all the new friends she has made. As of this post, she is working HARD, in psych on a paper due tomorrow! Yikes.</p>
<p>All in all, she loves it. I was a bit concerned to hear that her voice coach is a grad student and a guy ---- the jury is still out on this, but her first meeting was "awesome." 'nuff said for now.</p>
<p>I can only extend my sincere thanks to the many parents with whom I have spoken, and assure potential families interested in the MT program at UMich.... don't worry, it is an amazing privelege to be enrolled!</p>