<p>Illinsue, thanks for explaining. Your daughter seems to have a lot of direction. I have hopes for her to get where she wants to be. She surely has a lot of shows going on this year!</p>
<p>NYTheatermom, I'm not surprised to hear that about Otterbein. From just DoctorJohn alone on this forum, I am most impressed. Admittedly I had never even heard of Otterbein until this forum and my child did not know anyone else who was applying there. In her case, she wanted the east coast though made an exception for UMich, so never looked into Otterbein. I hope someone from this forum gets in there this year. Sounds like a great program. </p>
<p>Theatermom, I wholeheartedly agree that one would think schools would think about how they come across in the contacts and things of that nature. People DO make judgements from phone calls with the admissions office, tour guides, logistics with mailings, all sorts of "little things" and we are all consumers. There is quite a variation in how this stuff goes from school to school. The only thing I don't totally agree with is that when it comes ot the Ivy league schools, they are not concerned so much if you are picking them over the next Ivy or attracting students because there always will be PLENTY of students attracted to THEM no matter WHAT they do. It just is how it is, even if it is not right. They are sorta in the driver's seat and they know it. They don't have to attract the kids or worry about the competitive market for students. They've got more than they can handle trying to get into their gates. But in general, I very much agree with that these programs should think about how they come across. Schools that don't put care into that or are "arrogant" that the kids should be so lucky to get in that they don't have to reach out on their end, really do give a message. </p>
<p>I just have to share one more thing....She spoke to her counselor and told her the news. Her counselor told her that she was assured to get into theatre because of her academics. When my d explained that it was by no means assured, her counselor said she'd never heard of that. Yes, even at a performing arts school, we have a clueless counselor. I don't know what I would have done without all of YOU! Thank you!</p>
<p>I want to add to the kudos for Otterbein. My daughter was accepted also and received that wonderful phone call in advance of the written acceptance. She is auditioning for a BA in music and had absolutely no difficulties in setting up her audition date...one e-mail and a response the very next day. Our visits to the campus were also wonderfully coordinated and very welcoming.</p>
<p>Contrast that with two other schools that she's looking at. My daughter sent e-mails asking to visit and mentioning the sorts of classes she'd like to sit in on. She received e-mails back from both schools, telling her she would have to call the individual departments and make her own arrangements. Of course, that means Mom has to make the calls...do they not realize that the kids are in school? I made the calls yesterday and today, and spent more than an hour on the phone with each school trying to coordinate everything, and then recoordinate when the initial plans didn't work out between departments. I came away feeling as if I'd been asked to jump through multiple hoops, and I have to admit, if I were the one going to college, at least one of the schools would have been immediately removed from my list. Oops, that sure turned into a mini-rant...</p>
<p>The real point here is that Otterbein really does have it together, and it means a great deal.</p>
<p>I don't know the schools to which you are referring, but it must be kept in mind that the size of the school may have something to do with coordination issues. Not taking anything away from Otterbein because they demonstrably seem to have their act together, but it is quite a small school when compared to the NYU's, UM's and UCLA's of the world. I also don't think that it is unreasonable to expect a prospective student or parent to contact the specific departments involved in order to schedule class visits or individual faculty meetings. Although we are all understandably concerned with our own schedules and needs, these schools have hundreds of kids coming through and these requests, as appropriate as they are, create scheudling nightmares for the administration and faculty of these usually small departments. And the departments involved must also keep in mind the needs of the students already in the program, insuring that their classes are not disrupted by too many visitors at once or even in the same week. It's a tricky balancing act and the degree to which all of the folks getting ready to begin this process can keep in mind that both the visitors and the visit-ees have needs that must be met and that patience along side of persistance is the key to getting what you want, the easier the road will be to travel. We all have the right to expect our phonecalls to be returned in a reasonable time frame and to be treated with courtesy and respect, but believe me when I say that a little "sugar" goes a very long way.</p>
<p>mezzomom, I would echo theatermom's good advice here. In this process, it's best not to take such things too personally, in either direction. You'll find some schools, and individuals, that you have contact with will be wonderful and easy to deal with, and some won't. It is not always a reflection of the quality of the program so it's best not to allow it to influence your decision-making too greatly. :) Most here would agree that CMU's program is one of the best, and yet, every year you'll hear of people having big problems with their office staff in arranging visits, auditions, etc. That's just one example. This is a long road you moms, and kids, have ahead this fall and winter. Try not to let this kind of thing bug you too much! :)</p>
<p>Theatermom, you make some good points which are helpful to keep in mind along the way. I've been interested in the range of responses from the schools my daughter has contacted; the experiences have ranged from purely awful to stellar. I've found it necessary to remind myself on a few occasions that contact with admissions is a temporary thing and doesn't reflect upon the quality of the education.</p>
<p>To add to your comments, I think it's also important to keep in mind that if you're talking to a student (probably on work-study), they won't necessarily have been trained in customer service. I always make extra allowances for the students I talk with because of that, and have found that they usually want to TRY to help, even if they really don't know HOW to help. </p>
<p>I'm a little less forgiving of staff, but they'll never know...I'm a long time student of the school of "catching more flies with honey than vinegar." It's probably a good thing that I'm making these calls; some of my first impressions have not been great, but since I won't be the one attending, it really doesn't matter in the long run!</p>
<p>It's true that schools should give lots of thought to this sort of thing and first impressions. But by the same token, you gotta really just look at the actual school and program and try hard not to let the organizational stuff of the admissions process color your view too too much because it is not always a reflection of the program or how happy your kid would be to attend. (as an aside, lining up logistical appts....I had to do too because what active student is home during the business hours? Other contact like with professors a kid can do in email but not the appt. making as much by phone) Back to my original thought.....I can say from going through this with two kids that had I judged things by this or that procedure, and made preferences over that part, they might not even be where they are. I think, as hard as it may be, you have to just let your kid look beyond this stuff and really look into the actual experience of attending the school. Some of this adminisrative stuff is only part of the admissions process and not a reflection of what it is like to attend the school itself. I realize this stuff is important and one could judge the place this way with validity but I'm not sure if what happens at this point of the process with a school is always indicative of what it is like once you are there. Sometimes it might be but in lots of instances, it is not. However, it is frustrating at this point in the process when it occurs, no doubt about it. It is kinda like how some people say they didn't like a school because of the tour guide (I see posts like that on other forums) and really the tour is not indicative so much of what the school would be like for your kid. So, you have to make yourself look past this stuff and to what people say about the program itself once in it. I realize first impressions are important and schools REALLY should pay attention to this because parents and prospective students often come away with some negative impressions of how this or that is handled and they might want to look at that very FIRST point of connection that is made between prospective students and their school. So, I'm agreeing that schools should put energy into this part and the first impressions but that parents/students also must be able to look beyond those hassles and make sure they are looking at the "meat" of the school, where it will REALLY matter once they get there and this stuff won't. </p>
<p>Would Otterbein be considered more of a musically focused, acting focused, or dance focused school? Or does it equally emphasize all 3 disciplines?</p>
<p>What a pleasant surprise on a Saturday morning! I haven't been able to read the posts recently, as school has started and we're in rehearsal with Merchant of Venice. But I want to thank all of you--nytheatermom, theatermom, illinisue, soozievt, and mezzomom--for the kind words. It means a lot to know that our efforts at what theatermom rightly called "common courtesy" have made a difference.</p>
<p>We have always considered ourselves an acting-based program. MTs study acting alongside Acting majors, and take the same classes, which include work on Chekhov and Shakespeare. We see musical theatre as a style of acting, one that requires additional skills to be sure, but nevertheless one which still must illuminate truths about the human experience.</p>
<p>That said, we do--like most MT programs--try to balance the curriculum. Our dance component has become quite strong in recent years, and students who choose to pursue the dance concentration have done very well after graduation. Our liberal arts component, required of all students, is a critical part of the curriculum. Something has to give, and in our curriculum, it's music. We require somewhat fewer hours of music theory than some other schools--BW and UM come to mind--but we compensate by providing MTs full hour lessons with faculty from the beginning of the freshman year, and we require all MTs to be in choral ensembles for all four years.</p>
<p>Mel got into Otterbein too...academically. I know it is a long shot for their BFA MT program, and can't really justify the expense to travel to Ohio to audition when only 5 or so girls are accepted. She will attempt the unifieds, tho.
Your daughter is wise I think to go the BA route, hopefully she'll have an easier time getting in, and it seems as though she is multi-talented at multi-tasking! That can only help :) Congrats and best to her and you!</p>
<p>As I have looked at schools Otterbien has become high on my list.I know it is a verrry long shot as they only take four girls, and those 4 are probably tippy top but what do you look for Docterjohn when auditioning students?</p>
<p>I apologize for the delay in this reply. I've answered this question before, and I began by looking for what I'd written, and couldn't find it. And then I realized that my old answer might not be all that helpful.</p>
<p>The reason is that there's nothing much you can do to transform yourself into what you think we want. Nor should you. It's the wrong approach.</p>
<p>Suppose I said we wanted the next Kristin Chenoweth. (Who doesn't?) Is that you? If not, should you try to act or dress like Ms. Chenoweth? Absolutely not. Should you try to sing like Julie Andrews, or dance like Gwen Verdon, or act like Meryl Streep?</p>
<p>The truth is that you can't really be anyone other than yourself. Once you accept that, and accept who you are, and value yourself for the talents you have, you're going to be much more attractive to directors than if you keep trying to second-guess us. Don't sing a song to show off your voice. Use your voice to illuminate the song. Use your body and your brain to share a vision of the song with us. Use your heart to touch ours. Make music; make theatre; make art. And have fun doing it. </p>
<p>Here's what I'm looking for from you: the most fulfilled version of DefyingGravity04 in the universe. Someone who sings like DG04, dances like DG04, acts like DG04, and smiles just like DG04. Got it?</p>
<p>Wow - what a great answer! Doctorjohn, nobody says it like you. I hope DG04 and all the other kids auditioning this year will find their way to your response and take it to heart. </p>
<p>When I've been asked by other parents what they can tell their kids to help them through this process, this is what I say. </p>
<p>Help your child understand that the only thing they have a chance to control in any audition is their own performance - not who they will be "competing" against, not who is going to be auditing them, not how the accompanist will play..........none of the outside forces. They need to prepare themselves to the best of their ability and then they need to walk through the door into the audition and by their work, with confidence and clear intentions, let the auditors know who they are. With honesty, with passion and with heart. EACH of these students is a one and only, an original. Help them believe that and trust in it.</p>
<p>DoctorJohn,
I read that your audition for MT includes a music theory aptitude test. Can you tell me if that is for placement purposes or if strength in music theory is one of the components of the admissions/audition decision? Thank you!
Susan</p>
<p>The music test is for screening and placement purposes. We need to know if students can--in ascending order of difficulty--match pitch, remember simple note patterns, read music, analyze chords, and so on. The test becomes part of the admissions decision if students really cannot do the simplest musical tasks, such as matching pitch. If they can't, we're reluctant to admit them.</p>
<p>Otherwise, we do use it for placement in the music theory sequence in the freshman year. We can waive the first term course for students with advanced skills.</p>
<p>John,
Thank you very much for that explanation. I am counseling a student who is looking into your program and it was unclear to the family about this part of the audition and I knew I could go right to the source, YOU! Thanks. </p>
<p>The more I know about the program at Otterbein, it just seems really wonderful. I never knew about it until I came to CC several years ago and read about it here. </p>
<p>My daughter (Broadwaywannabe) just found a phone message from Otterbein that she has been admitted academically. While her audition isn't until February -- and that is what matters -- she was very excited as it is her first admit.</p>
<p>NYTheaterMom, I think that is great. It is a positive piece of news and the kid can say "I'm going to college next year!" While it likely is not surprising that she got admitted academically, it sure feels nice to get an affirmation in that area. Onto the audition! </p>
<p>My D and I got back from a quick trip to Ohio yesterday. We had the opportunity to visit campus at Otterbein, take a tour and meet with admissions, and take a few minutes of Dr. John's time. The campus is beautiful. They have succesfully captured the history of the area with a blend of new and older buildings. Westerville is right outside of Columbus, and is easy to get to.The tour guide was great, and informative. Class was not in session so we didn't meet students but still felt like we got a good feel for the school.
The meeting with Dr. John was very good for my D, as it helped her focus on her audition materials a bit.
When we went to admissions we got the happy news of an academic acceptance from an extremely warm admisssions counselor.
It was a wonderful visit, and I would recommend that people who are just starting to look at schools seriously consider a trip to Columbus and Otterbein.
Now the real work begins.</p>