Musical Theatre Prescreens 2015

@SongnDanceMom - to second what others have said, we recorded each song and monologue with a slate and then did separate “combined slates” for those schools that wanted one video with a combined slate. We edited out the individual slates as required and patched in the combined slate where necessary. We also separately recorded “personal statements” as required for various schools. I think one school wanted everything in one take so we had to go back do that whole set separately as well.

We used Microsoft Movie Maker and it worked easily and perfectly (Save As “youtube video” creates an MP4 file), but the whole process was still a gigantic pain in the butt. It is unnerving when getacceptd or DecisionDesk takes a looooong time to upload a video, but all of d’s ultimately went in on the first try.

Echoing a lot of the above. We went in to work with the accompanist with a list of all the different requirements and did separate takes, slated and unslated for each of about six different songs. Then - of course - found, only upon uploading into Get Acceptd - that one college had different instructions on the Get Accept’d page than it did on its website - ie they requested slating. As that would have entailed rebooking a sesson with the accompanist, who is not nearby - more time and money, etc., for that particular one, which applied only to the vocal component) and would have jeopardized getting it in in time to get a decent audition slot if green-lighted, we just made a decision to submit it without the slate, hoping that since it wasn’t given as an instruction until the upload time, they won’t make a fuss over it, especially as the other components were done as requested. And yes, the uploads can take ages.

One other thing we encountered, uploading from an iPhone onto Get Acceptd is that sometimes, for no rhyme or reason, the uploads would load sideways - something you aren’t aware of until the whole thing is loaded. Others, recorded in the same session, same camera direction, etc. went in correctly. Also, occasionally on a re-attempt to load it, it then went in correctly, despite the fact that nothing was done differently. Several calls and emails to Get Acceptd Helpline later, there was no real reason why this happens, but they suggest always filming with the iPhone camera held horizontally, to avoid this issue. Luckily, eventually all of ours loaded correctly, but it took multiple attempts. My biggest advice is not to leave the whole Get Accept’d/Decision Desk input until just before deadline – it can take literally days longer than expected.

And, now that the prescreens are done - I have a question. Two of the schools that d. will be auditioning for at Unifieds will not have live accompanists and require recorded tracks. We will record them with d.'s voice teacher playing, and then hopefully have them loade on d’s iPhone and bring along discs as well. Does anyone know the best method of making a simple piano recording on an iPhone or iPad? Is is best to use an app? If so, any recommendations? Or is it easy/good sound quality on Guitar Band or other built-in Apple programs?

Also @theatremom603 - at least a couple of your prescreen schools (UMich and Ithaca) haven’t yet said yes or no to the pre-screens - to my knowledge, and won’t be notifying until at least mid-November - I thought. Did you hear back from either?

I meant Garage Band.

@rampions - Ithaca told her no today. Heavy sigh. Does anyone have any thoughts about non-audition theater programs at other colleges?

@theatremom603 - has your daughter been evaluated as to her competitiveness for an auditioned BFA program? If not, I would seriously consider doing this. If she has been told she is competitive, then I wouldn’t worry about the prescreen no’s. My daughter had 4 prescreens and passed 1 of them. However, we had her evaluated and knew she was talented but she was not as polished as some seasoned performers because she came so late to the party. You need to have a good mixture of programs based on your daughter’s strengths. Tell us what her strengths are and we can help suggest some schools.

Check out Skidmore, Sarah Lawrence, and if she has good stats, Vassar. All these schools have wonderful theatre BA programs with no auditions.

@theatremom603 I have a list of some schools we have looked into , some non audition and some less competitive with fewer applicants that draw from a more regional pool of applicants. Pm me and I can send some names to you. I wasn’t sure what area of the country you are in
Might I add my opinion about the getting your kid evaluated idea. I think that’s a great idea but who do you get to “evaluate”? Everyone’s opinions are so subjective. I mean sometimes it’s enough for you to sum up your child’s previous years of performing and the feedback she’s gotten in those years and say " well my kid is consistently told she’s talented" so I think she can be accepted. I hear parents say this a lot about getting someone to tell you if your kids good enough to be accepted…no one knows that I don’t think. I’ve heard horror stories about kid,s teachers telling them " oh she’s awesome. She’ll be fine and get accepted tons of places" and that kid ends up with no offers.

We used MTCA for the evaluation. Yes, they do not turn anyone away. Yes, they are honest in their evaluation and their evaluation is on a national level. I think spending $100 to find this out is very important. Why spend $1000s on auditions otherwise.

@theatremom603 Sorry to hear about Ithaca - my d. has not heard from them yet, but I would definitely not get discouraged at this early point. Many (most) performers come across better in person then in videos. My d. did not get into a video submission summer program but was welcomed excitedly into another of the same caliber after an in person audition. If she isn’t faring well with prescreens just make sure she is applying to enough schools that don’t require them. Also, if you are concerned, Get Accept’d has a new program where you can submit a video clip to a professional of your choice (from their stable of them) for an assessment. Yes, it’s subjective, but it is such a tough industry that external validation from a professional, before you commit to four years of a lot of tuition is, I think, a wise move.

@theatremom603 is your d working with an audition coach? They can really help with how to film prescreens, what kind of material works at each school, and just general confidence building. Also, Ithaca is a tough program to get into, so don’t let this get you and her down!

@LoveMyMTGirl …can I ask who you used to evaluate your daughter? What does this consist of?

@DVCmember - my daughter had an hour evaluation with the founder of MTCA, Ellen. She did this via Skype since we are in California and Ellen is in New York. She sang 2 songs for her, one showing her head voice and one showing her belt. At that time, my daughter was just learning to belt. She was told that her head voice was nationally competitive, but her belt was not, but Ellen felt she could work to improve on it. Fast forward 2 years later and her belt is a strength!