<p>I think I know the counselor you are speaking of. I had him as well, and I personally loved him, but he could get a little intense for no reason at times, which caused him to rub a lot of campers the wrong way… and there were a few issues with favoritism last year, but it really only involved the end of the session cabaret, which at the end of the day, is really just a fun thing for the parents. There are only two counselors for each camp though (Jr. high MT, high school MT, and VP) and they are handpicked by Dr. Herendeen each year, so I wouldn’t worry about having a bad experience with counselors, it is possible to happen since no one gets along with everyone, but my overall experience with the counselors in the last two summers has been very good.</p>
<p>I got a call from S last night. He will be the guy’s Jr. High Counselor for first session and working tech (I think) for second session. He’s excited; you guys will be in for a treat.</p>
<p>My daughter is curious if there is a facebook page for kids that will be attending the HS Session I?</p>
<p>arrdad, I found a facebook page, but I think it’s from last year. Just seach “Oklahoma City University Performing Arts Academy” on FB…maybe our kids can get it revved up for 2009! (My daughter is attending HS Session I, also.)</p>
<p>Hey – previous attendees! Does OCU send a packing list or more information before the program starts? A reminder for the 2nd half of tuition, or do I need to mark that one on my calendar in red ink??</p>
<p>They should send you a very informative packet here soon! I don’t know about for suessical, but for previous years (sweeney todd, les mis) they also sent us some music to have learned when we get to camp, and they usually send it with that packet!</p>
<p>Kitkatt, what happened with your voical crisis? Were you able to sing?</p>
<p>I was able to sing! I was all ready to just skip my senior solo until my mom bought this amazing throat spray called Singer’s Saving Grace that brought my voice back so much, and I was able to soldier through it… I highly recommend it for anyone who’s having a vocal problem. Thank you so much for asking!</p>
<p>What is the typical age distribution at the HS summer sessions?</p>
<p>Is it split fairly evenly between 9th-12th graders? </p>
<p>How many incoming college freshmen usually attend?</p>
<p>My D (who has attended two summers) says that there are a few Sophomores, a few entering College Freshman and mostly Juniors and Seniors.</p>
<p>I just wanted to say how incredible OCU’s Summer Musical Theatre Program is! My son attended for the first time last year and was accepted again this year for the second session. He is 17, and this program not only challenged him but gave him one of his most memorable theatre experiences. The students work hard and it is evident when you see what they accomplish in just 3 weeks! While exhausted when he returned home, he couldn’t wait to audition again for this year!</p>
<p>The faculty and staff are wonderful. Their professionalism, standards, expectations and challenging program make the training invaluable to students who love musical theatre. </p>
<p>I wanted other parents and students to be aware of this program. OCU’s reputation is one of the best in the nation and I certainly know first hand why!</p>
<p>I would agree with TXKatsmom, the majority of those attending are juniors and seniors, with usually 2-5 college freshmen, and around 5 sophomores usually… there is also the occasional freshmen! </p>
<p>I also would like to agree with vgswen. OCU’s summer program was one of the best and most challenging experiences of my life, and i loved every minute of it. It’s a huge reason why I chose to attend OCU next fall :)</p>
<p>Thanks to TXKatsmom and kitkatt565 for answering my questions. My daughter is anxious for Session I to begin.</p>
<p>So good to hear all the kudos for the program! Daughter can’t wait for Session I. She is filling her bedding box that we will ship ahead, and is copying a TON of music for her binder. Just an FYI – I wrote OCU about shipping things ahead for kids that are flying in. They said to send it to the Blackwelder address, in the kid’s name, but to make sure it will arrive no later than the Thursday before the program begins (they are on a 4-day schedule in the summer). They’ll hold things in the office for them.</p>
<p>Also – did everybody get the email about the crack-of-dawn fitness classes? Are you doing them? My D is NOT interested in morning “gym”…but was wondering just how “optional” they really are…</p>
<p>And arrdad, this is my daughter’s first summer there. She has just finished her sophomore year, and she’s 15.</p>
<p>Oh, we can send stuff ahead! Awesome! I thought I was gonna have to bring everything with me, which was gong to be a lot!
And I think I will probably do the morning fitness thing, just because I really need to start working out, haha 
I’m so excited! 2 weeks to go!!!</p>
<p>My D is going to attend Session I as an incoming freshman. She told me that she is very interested in the morning “gym” class but that it is TOTALLY optional. So tell your D, mommafrog not to worry. Lots of kids would rather sleep in after the long rehearsal nights! </p>
<p>PS did you all order or buy your Unitards yet? :)</p>
<p>I bought mine, but I bought it from DiscountDance.com. I haven’t tried it on yet, but it seemed to be a pretty reasonable price. Do they always ask for Unitards for the show? I’m very curious to see why we need them!</p>
<p>Discountdance is where we got ours, too.
No, they do not ask for unitards each time…I’m assuming its for Seussical. They said they plan to dye them and I think its going to be a very colorful cast! (Each summer its a different show…so diffferent costume. Although I think my D was able to use her same costume for Les Mis and Sweeney Todd…just modified a bit).</p>
<p>We’re promised the unitard will arrive in the mail on Tuesday. You were lucky to find one at Discount Dance, because it’s a difficult combination – long-sleeved AND cotton. Anymore, most are miliskin (a lovely fabric, but undyable) or nylon/lycra (same problem). The only one we could find that hit those criteria (and was also nude…) was made by Eurotard…and of course, our local dance store didn’t have it.</p>
<p>You know what mommafrog? You are right. We ended up buying the unitard (cotton) from Action Dancewear. We were GOING to but the unitard from Discount dance because the milliskin one says “easily dyeable” but decided against it just in case because Jo Beth specified that it needed to be cotton. Lots of websites say that milliskin can be dyed, so I’m a little confused on that one.</p>
<p>re the unitards…we asked at our dance store (and I trust them to know their stuff – heaven knows they’ve gotten enough of my money over the years!) and the owner said that cotton does the best job of taking dye, milliskin is okay, depending on the type of dye used, and nylon simply will not take dye. We went for the cotton to be safe as well, although D definitely prefers the feel of milliiskin (and its durability).</p>