<p>I know that some of you have either taken part in this or sent your daughters/sons. What can you tell me about it? MY D will be 15 and a rising junior next summer and I am already looking ahead! I have Interlachen and OCU on the short-list, but she will be too young for CMU. Any info will be appreciated. Thanks in advance.
(Before anyone reminds me about the "search feature", I am hoping to get current information from this year's session and trying not to push my already raging migraine!:( )</p>
<p>Heyl Lulu'sMomma, as someone who often navigates around the search feature to start threads, I am on your side completely! :) I, too, would like to hear some detailed information from anyone who either has attended the NYU/CAP21 summer program this year, or whose child attended. My D is also a rising HS junior, so next summer will be the big "prep for college auditions" summer, and I would like to help her find the program that is the best fit for her. (Of course, she also has to get in! :))
Lulu'sMomma, what did your D end up doing this summer? Did you find something suitable in your area? I recall that you were looking back some months ago. I am guessing she is very busy. :cool:</p>
<p>My S did the program 2 summers ago. We live on Long Island so he commuted every day, which became a drag.(running to the trains and being with all the commuters-some times there were no seats or a/c). I know they had dorms but only for rising seniors. Because he was a junior they would not provide dorms so keep that in mind (they thought they were too young as a junior). The program itself was good. You get put in different groups depending on your ability (My S is an advanced dancer so they put him in group 3, those with less experience would be group 1 or 2, so that kids were grouped according to ability and could learn at the same level). I am not sure if this applied to singing and acting, but it did with dance. They had classes in musical theory, several dance classes, theater games, mime, acting, music performance etc. They were in one building all day long, except for lunch and basically stayed with their groups. There is no performance at the end-they do invite parents to come near the end so that you could see what the kids learned in their 6 weeks. They had homework-character development, memorizing an act in a play..stuff like that. It is not a camp (My S did Stagedoor Manor and it was a completely different experience). I found the instructors very knowledgeable and helpful. They will suggest songs to sing, monologues etc. and so it is helpful for college auditions. Since it is a "paying summer experience" I found their critiques to be a little less helpful-I don't think they wanted to really tell you what they thought. You get a report card at the end and everyone I spoke to got an excellent report and an "A" in their course. That is not to say my S didn't learn anything and he got tons of songs etc. to use for future things. The singing teacher he had was an instructor at NYU Cap and we took private lessons from him for awhile-he was VERY helpful. The ballet dance teacher was also very knowledgeable. It is a good program but a serious one-this is not camp as I said, and at the end of the day, the kids were on their own-something to think about if they will be living on their own. Some kids rented apts. by themselves and some liked that experience and others felt lonely. The ones in the dorms found a bond together and did things on the weekends together. BTW, the audition is no big deal-you prepare a song and a monologue. I don't know anyone turned down. I think they just want to see that you have "some" ability and that you are serious about this. After you are in, they give a dance audition so they can place you in the appropriate class. If you need any more info that I left out, please PM me. Hope this helped.</p>
<p>AudiB4, that was very helpful, indeed. I know my D will look more closely at this program as we move out of this summer and into the next school year, and begin to plan long range for next summer. She has long wanted to attend CMU's precollege program, but it's always a good idea to research several programs.</p>
<p>I'm currently at the CAP program and would recommend it to anyone.</p>
<p>I am staying in NYU housing, which has been wonderful. I am on 14th Street, only 4 blocks away from CAP, and many of my friends live in the same Union Square area. </p>
<p>The program itself has been great. I have an acting class, vocal tech, vocal performance, improv, tap, jazz, and ballet. I tested out of music theory. In particular I feel I have developed most in acting and vocal performance. A big thing here is becoming comfortable with your "instrument"- yourself.</p>
<p>Thats very general, but I'd love to answer any specific questions you might have.</p>
<p>kirstensofie, thanks for stepping up to offer some impressions from your program. Can you comment on the level of talent/accomplishment of your peers in the program? I know one must audition into the program, so I am guessing that most participants have attained at least a minimal level of accomplishment, etc., if you know what I mean. (I am saying this awkwardly, and I apologize.) Do they level you in anything else other than music theory? How about dance? Are very accomplished dancers in their own class, or in classes with others who have spent less time on dance? Ditto singing, acting, etc.? I would love to know this. Thanks again, and I am so glad you are finding your CAP21 summer program wonderful and worthwhile.</p>
<p>OK, then, let me see if I understand this- you can ONLY stay in the dorms if you are a certain age-does anyone know for sure what that is? I am beginning to think that the only programs open to her will be Interlachen or OCU... Is there nothing for those kids that are a year younger (she'll only be 17 when she graduates!)?
My D opens tonight as "Lamchops" in "Fame" so things are a bit hectic here as curtain time comes closer!!</p>
<p>As I said, my S went 2 summers ago and you had to be entering your senior year of high school (I think 17 years old). Since my son was a junior, he could not stay in the dorms. As I said, some kids did sublet apts.-how I do not know, perhaps the directors of the program can help with that. My S became friendly with a boy from Ohio who did that. He actually was looking for a roommate to help defray costs. We decided to have my S commute each day since it was only 1 hour to our home, since the cost of the sublet was quite expensive. I don't know if they changed the housing rule since then.
And yes NotMamaRose-they definitely grouped you according to dance so that you were taught at the correct level. They did not want to put experienced dancers with those with little training. The dance classes-ballet, tap and jazz were definitely geared for your level. I don't think the acting and singing was like that-there were many in my S's group with varied experience as well as types-sopranos, tenors, belters etc.</p>
<p>That is pretty similar to CAP during the school year. Dance is leveled. For each year of college, there are four levels within that year for each dance discipline. You audition the first day for placement. Singing and acting are not leveled. Music theory, like in summer, has a placement exam and you can place out (my daughter did too like someone on this thread) or be placed in one of two levels. </p>
<p>The funny thing is the age requirement for the dorms in the summer program because that is NOT the case during the regular school year. My D entered Tisch/CAP21 at age 16 and obviously lived in the dorms this past year. Lulu's momma....your D likely could attend the summer program as a rising senior but you'd have to ask about the housing options.</p>
<p>Yes, dance is leveled, and as a very beginning dancer, I feel like I have learned a lot, and my friends that are extremely experienced also seem to be challenged. Our acting and vocal classes are grouped to try and make balanced classes (ie, not all boys or belters or sopranos or character actresses) but not leveled.
As to the level of talent, honestly, its a mixed group. There are some truly incredible performers here, and a couple absolute flops. However, most of the people are quite good. I think there are a lot of people like me- I am a strong singer, a relatively good actress, but a poor dancer- people that are very good at one or two areas but are working on the others. And that's great- I mean, we ARE here to learn. Like I said though, there are some true triple threats... and some.... zero threats.
I think the audition functions to eliminate people that don't have any prior MT experience or absolutely would not be able to function here (not committed, etc.)- most everyone gets in, I think.</p>
<p>I just can't stress enough how much I'm learning here- not just about singing, dancing, and acting, but about life in a big city, life on my own, the business... its wonderful.</p>
<p>Lulu's Momma --</p>
<p>My daughter did the OCU Summer program when she was 15 and absolutely loved it. We chose it because of the excellent reputation of OCU for musical theatre. I'm not sure if the structure of the program has changed, but when she was there, the days were spent largely in classes, or master classes, with evenings devoted to rehearsal for the final performance of Cinderella. She learned a great deal and felt that the school was a nurturing environment.</p>
<p>She is now 17 and is doing the NYU CAP 21 program. You should know that there are two summer programs at CAP 21 offered to high school students.<br>
The first program is a six-week program offered through the studio itself -- CAP 21 is actually an independent professional studio in NYC. AudiB4 and Kristensofie described that program to you. That summer program is actually not affiliated with NYU.</p>
<p>The other program is offered through NYU, which, even during the regular school year, has a rather unique system of training its budding actors in professional studios throughout New York City. The summer program is no exception. In the summer, pre-college students (almost, but not exclusively, rising seniors) attend a four-week program where they take 28 studio hours at CAP 21 (courses include ballet, jazz, tap, acting, vocal technique, and vocal performance -- dance classes are also leveled according to ability); and two courses from NYU faculty, including one called "Theatre in New York." </p>
<p>This last course dovetails with the highly structured evening program -- the students are taken to three to four plays/musicals/operas in NYC per week. On evenings when they are not out, they have audition seminars, performance seminars or are expected to be working on homework assignments, final projects, scenes, songs and the like.</p>
<p>The program is intense, but again, she finds the faculty and students supportive and is truly enjoying her experience.</p>
<p>Please feel free to PM me with any questions about either program, or about the program at UMich, where she went between her sophomore and junior year.</p>
<p>I am at the CAP21 Pre-College Program now. I honestly can say that it has been one of the best experiences of my life. I have learned so much about myself and I feel as if I have improved SO much. I highly recommend this program to everyone.</p>
<p>Feel free to PM about the the program or anything.</p>
<p>Hey typecastme.... who are you? I'm sure we know each other...</p>
<p>1) About the dorms...you have to be 17 to live in an NYU dorm. </p>
<p>2) The "everyone getting in theory". That is not true. I am good friends with one of the guys who is in charge of the summer programs and he said that they turned down A LOT of people this past year. They had something like more than 500 applicants for 64 openings. </p>
<p>3) I did the program last summer, but have a few friends doing it again this summer (and have also met their friends doing the program this summer). I know I loved the program so much...and am attending CAP in the fall. And the kids I have been talking to this summer love it as well. </p>
<p>4) The leveled classes. The only leveled classes are dance and music theory. The other classes have numbers like Acting 4 of Vocal Perfromance 2, but those in no way mean 4 is better thn 2. It is just a way to separate them. But there are four levels of dance for jazz, tap and ballet.</p>
<p>PM me with any more questions.</p>
<p>If you are admitted to a program OFFERED BY NYU, you do not have to be 17 to stay in the dorms. NYU offers summer housing, on a space available basis, to students enrolled in programs offered by other organizations in the area. So it is possible for CAP 21 students who are in the NON-NYU CAP 21 program to live in the NYU dorms. This creates a lot of confusion and generates quite a bit of conflicting information. </p>
<p>NYU has affiliations with several studios. NYU college students take classes at these studios with faculty approved by NYU. The studios, however, also have their own programs and offer classes to students enrolled directly with them. The admission process is totally different and it is my understanding that when taking classes at the studios, the NYU students are in classes with only NYU students.</p>
<p>The confusion with CAP 21 is that CAP 21 offers a 6 week summer program for high school students, while NYU offers a 4 week pre-college program patterned after 3 of their college studio programs, one of which is CAP 21! So it is easy to see why there is so much conflicting information floating. The other two NYU programs are Strassberg and ETW (Experimental Theater Workshop). </p>
<p>My daughter is in the NYU summer pre-college program right now. She is in the Experimental Theater Workshop pre-college program. She is only 16 and is not only staying in the dorms, but required to stay in them. So, obviously, you do not have to be 17 to live in the dorms.</p>
<p>I do not have direct information about what the NYU CAP 21 students are doing in their classes, but I can share with you what they do in conjuction with the other groups. </p>
<p>THERE IS NO UNSUPERVISED RUNNING AROUND FOR ANYONE AND THERE ARE CURFEWS. All students are escorted AT ALL TIMES and REQUIRED TO LIVE in the dorms, no commuting is allowed. Admission is very limited, Strassberg and ETW take only 16 students and CAP21 takes about double that. -- So as a whole, it is not a huge program and is very selective. Admission is based on academic, recommendations and resume criteria. There is no audition. (Admission to the other CAP21 program is by audition.) The programs are designed primarily for rising seniors, but they do make exceptions for a few rising juniors, my daughter is a junior.</p>
<p>The NYU program, which is 4 weeks long, will end Saturday 8/5. On Friday parents and friends can attend classes to see what the kids have been learning. I can tell you more after I visit Friday.</p>
<p>I dropped off my daughter at the beginning of July and met with her RA. My daughter's RA is responsible for 6 students, all from the same studio and she is a senior in that studio. The students, however, are housed with roommates from the other 2 studios. No two students are housed with students from the same studio. There are a few triple rooms. My daughter is in one, so she has a roommate from Strassberg and another from CAP 21. They are all housed at Goddard and the facilities that I saw were great. Her room was huge and the 3 girls had their own bathroom.</p>
<p>My daughter is having a great time and working very hard. She has met some great kids, loves her roommates and has said that the teachers have been very good. I have been impressed with the plays and musicals that they have taken them to see. They have seen an average of two per week, sometimes more. These have been part of a class for which they have had to submit reviews. The focus of the entire program is on familiarizing them with the college experience, not with putting on a production. This week they have had to do research and she has been spending quite a bit of time in the library. It is not a program to just have summer fun. It involves academic work and they had reading assignments before they got there.</p>
<p>The program is pricey but when you take into account the ratio of faculty and RA's to students, the level of supervision and the wonderful productions to which they have been taken, it is not over-priced. Let's face it, NY is expensive and attending shows is not cheap. Many less expensive programs in NYC do not take their students anywhere and have little if any supervision. </p>
<p>Sorry for the long post but I hope this helps some of you looking ahead to next year. I felt very lost trying to get information before she went. Feel free to PM me or to ask questions after I return next week.</p>
<p>We are back from NYC. I spent Friday at Tisch attending classes and meeting the faculty. I am happy to report that the program was worth every penny. The faculty members who led the classes were wonderful and obviously enjoyed what they were doing. My daughter, who attends a performing arts high school for theater, said that it was definitely worthwhile and that she learned quite a few things during the four weeks.</p>
<p>It was easy to see that the kids bonded and that they truly enjoyed working with one another. The atmosphere was one of cooperation with no one trying to upstage anyone else. It is important to realize that this IS NOT a summer camp where the emphasis would be on putting a show. All the summer pre-college theater programs at Tisch are geared towards familiarizing the kids with what their classroom experiences will be like in college. If what your child wants is to "perform in a production," this is not the program for them. They will perform in this program, but as part of a class exercise or special time where talents are shared with peers. During the four weeks at NYU, my daughter had plenty of studio time, did research and had projects due. The icing on the cake was attending so many Broadway and Off-Broadway productions as part of the program, at least 11 or 12. </p>
<p>The proof of how great the experience was became evident at pick up time. I arrived at the dorm at 10:00 am and while waiting for my daughter to come to the lobby to escort me to her room, I saw group after group of kids crying their eyes out saying goodbye to friends they had met only 4 weeks before. Not one student seemed happy or eager to be going home. </p>
<p>My daughters eyes, just like everyone elses, were swollen from having cried all night. The scene was the same when we got up to her floor. It was a genuine outpouring of affection and sadness of having to leave and despair that the month went by so fast. I have no doubt that many of these kids will keep in touch and that most will apply to NYUs programs as a result of a very rewarding and enriching four weeks. If you have specific questions I will try to answer them.</p>