<p>I just found this forum & am thrilled that maybe I've found a resource to help us help our daughter.</p>
<p>Our daughter is 15, a sophomore in HS. She was in the musicals at the middle school level, ensemble & then in 8th grade was Iago in Aladdin Jr. Last year she had a part in Fame, she was Grace Lamb. This year she decided this is what she wants so she auditioned for the fall drama & the musical. The drama was All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten. Our director only used 10 kids & they all played various parts, it was really cute, she had a blast w/it. Now they are in production week for Kiss Me Kate. She is Hattie, the dresser for one of the main leads. There aren't a lot of girl parts in this show. She is enjoying it but not as much as Fame.</p>
<p>We started voice lessons this year & are looking into getting her into dance classes. She took it when she was little but not since then. We also just found a studio nearby that offers some theatre classes, so we are looking into that. We are signing her up for a summer camp near us, Summer Stars (in Rochester, NY), supposed to have Broadway interns that work w/the students.</p>
<p>We are looking into some other community theatre. She is sending in an auditon for West Side Story, the auditions are the same time as her show this weekend. We're not sure what to expect w/that, we've never had to submit a monologue & a song this way.</p>
<p>So... we are newbies, wanting to help our daughter pursue her dream on Musical Theater & would love to hear any & all advice!</p>
<p>I think you are right on track! My son is a junior and we have pretty much done all those same things and he is doing great. I think dance is huge now that so many kids are applying to MT college. There is so much more talent that is required everywhere. A summer program with a diverse group can help you see how she compares to other dedicated students. Because in the end, these college spots do not go to the kids who have worked the hardest. That would be ideal. They go to the kids with talent who have worked the hardest. It is time to be objective and see where she first among other talented kids. Good luck!</p>
<p>My daughter’s a junior, so I can only tell you what we’re doing. She has taken private voice lessons for several years, she has been on stage a lot and has done three years of Summer Stock theater, and she gets a lot of dance in her show choir practices and competitions. So she is working at the things she needs to do if she wants to pursue this field.</p>
<p>But what I think is key is that we’ve solicited opinions from people in the field, people that are making a living at music theater, coaches that have been in the business for a while, etc, and they have been uniformly positive about her ability to get accepted in a music theater program. So given that I have given her my blessing, and my daughter is also realistic enough that she is onsidering other areas of study if she does not get a spot. If the opinions of those in the field were uniformly negative, I would have encouraged my daughter to take another path. So I would advise you to get those kinds of objective opinions.</p>
<p>My son is also a high school freshman on the MT path. I went to high school with a guy who is a musical director on Broadway. He just finished directing the Hugh Jackman one man show in NYC. When he spoke with my son after the show, he emphasized the dance part - A LOT.
He told my son dance class is as important as performing in shows or vocal lessons. So now we are looking for the right dance class for him.</p>
<p>The best advice I can give you is to READ, READ, READ! Read every thread here on CC going back several years, as you have time. There is a wealth of fabulous information here and it can be overwhelming, but take it a little bit at a time and you will begin to feel more prepared.</p>
<p>Speaking of which, I bumped a GREAT thread to the top for you. It’s called, “Preparing to Apply: Information for H.S. Juniors and Seniors” There’s a TON of great information there!</p>
<p>Not having any prior experience with message boards, it took me a while to figure out how to find high-value threads on CC fairly quickly (I got tired of clicking through the pages and pages of threads, and I couldn’t make much use of the “search” feature because I didn’t know enough to know what to search for). I finally figured this simple trick out (I am ashamed to admit how long it took me to figure this out):</p>
<ol>
<li><p>Click on the column title “Views” to sort threads by the number of views. While it is not always true, the higher the number of views, the more potential value there may be in the thread. At least its a good way to start. By default you will only see the top threads over the past year. Go to Step 2 to look back farther in time.</p></li>
<li><p>To look way back through time, you can go to the bottom of the screen and under “Display Options”, in the “From the…” list, select “Beginning”. This will show every thread from time immemorial. Combined with Step 1, it gives you a quick way to find the “All Time Most Popular MT Threads.” Looking through the first few pages you will find tons of good threads, some of which are difficult to find otherwise. For a long time I never noticed this option lurking down at the bottom of the screen. When I found it, my CC life changed.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>I still use this technique a lot more than the “Search” feature.</p>