As my DD starts the audition process I am reading that the judges will interact and ask questions. What types of questions should she be prepared to answer and what are they looking for in these interactions?
Hey @3Blessings - if you have audition questions you’ll get a lot of help by posting on the MT Majors board. It’s very active and then many people can share in the information provided. The interviews aren’t really interviews, more a short “getting to know you” time. The approach varies by school and auditor but you can expect she’ll be asked about career goals and past experience. They may ask what she knows about the program. I don’t know of anyone who thinks they weren’t admitted due to a bad interview so don’t stress over it.
It’s also a good idea to research the program and be able to tell them why it’s a good fit for you and why you want to go there. With students applying to 20 or 30 schools, auditors like kids who actually WANT to go to their school. (Obviously there will be some schools that are your top choices and others that are lower on your list , but at every audition, you should be able to mention two or three things about the program that make it attractive to you.)
It is also common for schools to ask about audition pieces, so be sure to have a full understanding of the material. Last year my D worked as an assistant during auditions at her school, (including spending part of the time in the audition room) and said it was shocking how many kids didn’t know much about where their pieces came from…
I agree that most of the questions will either be about your material, what’s on your resume, or the school so being prepared on those things is important. Another important thing is for the student to relax and be themselves. They just want to get to know the students. Some will spend very little time talking with your student- maybe no discussion at all beyond “Thank you”. Some will spend more time. Each program is different. Last year, and one auditor at unifieds had a 15 minute conversation with my son on what he liked and didn’t like about Hamilton. (The show was running at the theater right by Unifieds)
The auditors who do ask questions definitely want to get to know your student (as in “what are your hobbies/what do you do in your free time”?). I know they all do many shows but what else? D2 ended up in some great conversations about recent documentaries (she is a docu-junkie!) and herbs (no idea where that came from). I agree with @speezagmom - many won’t ask any questions. Also, your student should know WHY they want to attend a particular school so having specific notes about each school is important - especially at Unifieds where they can run together pretty quickly! Sometimes they ask where else your student is applying and that can get tricky when you have multiple different types of schools (e.g., university vs. conservatory).
Questions my D was asked:
What do you know about our program?
Why did you audition for us?
What do you consider your strengths? Weaknesses?
What do you want to work on?
What was the last book you read?
What school subjects do you like?
Tell me about (something on your resume)
Do you consider yourself a dancer? singer/dancer? Singer/actor?
Do you have any questions about our program? (This last one is fairly typical)
I would say 50% of the auditioners asked my daughter questions…lots at Unifieds but only 1 of her 5 on campus (the other 4 I felt spent less time on their on campus auditions than her Unifieds auditions, ironically)
My D had a cheat sheet for each school that included about 4 “pro” points on it as to why she chose each school along with the audition requirements. She studied the sheet before each audition and double checked that she was prepared to sing the right cut/requirements…(although she would talk to people who had already went in and verify if they were changing things up, which they do). She had a question in mind for each school…90% of the time was her go-to question, which they really liked.
The atmosphere for all her auditions in the room (except those 4 of the on-campus) was conversational and inviting. The 4 of 5 on-campus actually felt more like cattle calls where they shuffled you in and out to keep on schedule, but they were friendly. Most of the day was general questions, dance call and tour stuff. I wish they had spent more time with each student.
One of the on campus only let them sing one song that they picked of the 3 they were asked to prepare…no questions were asked. It wasn’t just her, it was everyone, as they sat outside the audition area together so she could see/hear the other students. She was actually waitlisted for them all the way to decision day, so it wasn’t because they wouldn’t be interested in hearing anything else.
By the way, my d was never asked in the room about other schools…it was on a few forms to write in. She would list 3-4 of similar type schools.
My D had a narrow three ring binder with pocket tabs for each school. In the outside clear pocket she had her printed schedule for Unifieds with room numbers and such. (The Google Calendar printed great and had everything.) The dividers with pockets were great for holding requested items to give at that audition (particular headshot, CD, weird things only that school wants), or to stow business cards and handouts from some auditions. In each section were forms we created that she filled out about each school. These notes included campus stats, program specifics, names of contacts, what she liked about this particular program, questions she had, audition requirements. Before each audition she only had to scan a page or two (or three). This notebook stayed in her bag outside the audition room. AFTER each audition she wrote a bit about the experience. This proved invaluable as they all started to blend in the mind quickly.
Typically before you go into the room there is a monitor person. It’s a great time to collect business cards and ask who exactly is in the room before you go in (cards on table don’t always match up, so add any names onto your cheat sheet). It also helps set your mental expectations before entering. Also, often the monitor will let you know what to expect for number of songs, monologues, verify cut lengths, are they asking questions, if it’s tracks or accompaniment, etc…sometimes this eases your anxiety. You can walk over about 20 minutes before and verify and then come back and sit about 10 minutes before the audition time. That way if there is a no show or they are running early you are there.