<p>It’s not a secret that this coach gets a large number of students into some schools. It’s not all schools or even most schools…and I never really thought much about CMU…but there are some where it seems to be very helpful. They are definitely talented, it just seems to give them a boost. Lots and lots of kids are talented.</p>
<p>Ok I want to say something that I think is REALLY important (especially if there are any parents of kids who haven’t applied yet on this thread).</p>
<p>You don’t need someone who calls themselves a “coach” to coach your child. I am the owner of a theater company and as an extra service, I coach my Juniors/Seniors. You just need to ask the person who has worked with your child the most, that you trust the most, that you think will push your child the most. That can be a drama teacher, a voice teacher, a dance teacher, anyone who can provide some feedback on how much your child is presenting their assets from the moment the walk in the door, til the moment they leave. You can create your own “coaching team” :)</p>
<p>Then, try to get seen by LOTS of people who don’t know your son or daughter. Again, this will help to get more feedback, but also make your child confident about being in front of strangers.</p>
<p>A student of mine who was really successful told me how she would send thank you’s to ANYONE she had worked with (classes, lessons, coachings, etc.) and she would often get offers for discounts, extra coachings, etc. Really smart! </p>
<p>SO MUCH of this process is the moments where you WEREN’T singing or doing your monologues. CMU takes kids with little training because they see something really interesting in THEM. Most of my coaching is just trying to be sure the kids let the panel know what is awesome about them that DOESN’T have to do with performing (an awesome sense of humor, super quirky, very sweet, VERY energetic-- anything). These schools really want a real person because real people make the best actors :)</p>
<p>My D used a coach for both vocal training and monologues. It is a smart thing to do. I would however, feel a bit better about any coach if they could put some daylight between them and the actual heads of MT programs. Having said that, those who attended master classes with the heads of schools used money and time wisely! It is hard to show what you are really capable of in the 3 minutes or so you get at an audition. If they have worked with you - you are in better standing, in my opinion (or not if you are not good enough - haha!). But how nice it would be for those who can’t afford these type of classes and coaching to have a more equal chance. I agree that you don’t get in just because you had this coach - you must be good enough as well - but in all fairness, you really do have a bit of an edge.</p>
<p>halflokum, one CHOSE cmu to go to. It doesn’t mean only one got in. </p>
<p>I totally understand how people are very angry about this and feel duped. But what if Barbara doesn’t get paid? What if she is doing this so she can find the most talented kids for her program? She obviously trusts this coach’s taste/opinion, so maybe this is a way for her to reach the most talented kids? And btw this is also done with Michigan, Pace and Texas state and others.
If she wasn’t paid, would it be more ethical?</p>
<p>Wow! Just logged in and caught up. I think my son and anyone else with a coach, especially Mary Anna, may have been insulted. That they think there is a payola scheme going on here? Wow! Very few, I understand turn down CMU. My son, is of course, enormously talented (would I believe otherwise?) and yes, despite that, I hired a coach to give him an extra edge.</p>
<p>Of course its ok to get your child training, if you can. </p>
<p>I think CMU and other major programs are potentially being insulted too if they think for a little master class money they will give up their integrity and accept a coach’s students over another. They are recruiting of course and teaching master classes helps get out the word about their program, their philosophy, etc. Mary Anna is an astute marketer. Her online website and program are well done and yes, she touts her success to build more business. As her business grows, she may assist more students preparing for college auditions. It is what she does for a living. I paid good money for it. Yes, its true I want to believe that it was worth it. I believe it was.</p>
<p>My son also attended a master class with Kaitlin Hopkins from Texas State AND DID NOT GET IN! So the fix doesn’t work there? Of course, theatremomma’s son also is a student of Mary Anna. Was that a fix? Please. Of course not. </p>
<p>No program is going to damage their reputation like this. The programs take who they want to take. And it is NOT all based on talent. They are putting together a repertory company of students. They need all types, all kind of voices, all kind of actors, ethnicities, etc. </p>
<p>No one is saying you have to have a coach. I thought it would help my son. It did. </p>
<p>Respect to all.</p>
<p>@MOMMY5 I said it could have been more than one in my post and also that there “is” just 1 on the website.</p>
<p>I gotta go with grayhairedman on this one even though I’m from the no coach bucket myself. I said before on another thread, the metaphorical “matching tote bags” can be intimidating but I’ll be honest, it felt too tight for me to have that sort of a posse behind the personal journey my daughter was on and I didn’t want it but I in no way begrudge anyone who did want it. The existence of the posse didn’t mean a single thing to my an uncoached kid who also came in ready to play.</p>
<p>I guess what I really mean is: if you find fault with coaching tactics (and I know there is some history about this), find fault with the coach not the student. The student came prepared and is in for a reason.</p>
<p>Grayhairedman – I have no axe to grind here since these appear to be all MT students that got in and my daughter applied to acting so let me try to take a middle road here. </p>
<p>First, no one is saying you did anything wrong. And I think the payola comments are way to strong. However, what exists here is an appearance of impropriety. All you have to do is look at the reaction of this thread and see that it has a troubling appearance. Barbara can set up all the master classes she wants. And if they are set up openly and advertised and open to everyone, I see not foul. If some people did not find out about them, thats on them. BUT when hiring a coach provides access to the person who is gong to actually be doing the reviewing for a final decision, it has the appearence of impropriety. I mean if Barbara never accepted any of her students, would Mary Anna continue to promote these? There is a business incentive to both Barbara and Mary Anna to accept some of her students. Again, I’m not suggesting that Barbara actually favors her students. Its a problem in that it looks fishy. As a lawyer, if somone comes to me on advise on a situation, I can’t later sereve as an aribtrator in a dispute between that person and another person. I may have the greatest integrity in the world and be able to disregard my prior role but the other person’s confidence in the process is harmed. </p>
<p>To me, its a bad practice. I’m sort of surprised a broader story has not gone out about it. I bet it would be stopped in a heart beat. </p>
<p>Again, nobody is or should be questioning the integrity of you or your son or the talent of your son.</p>
<p>I’m trying really hard to stay out of this but… if you choose to be naive, you are heading into the wrong business. I was out getting my child seen for the last 2 years. Yeah me!</p>
<p>PS: Mary Anna’s master clases are open to the public, not just her own students.</p>
<p>Yes, there were always non-Moo Crew kids who signed up for the Master Classes; at least the two that my son attended. Totally available to the public. No priority is given to Moo Crew. </p>
<p>These professors get day money for teaching these classes and giving up their weekends. A friend of mine who teaches them told me. It is not very much money. This is no different than a college basketball coach who teaches camps to high school roundballers and makes some scratch on the side - except they are making A TON of money, not the laughable amount these college professors are making for these master classes.</p>
<p>Like theatremomma, I have been helping my son get ready for years. We have done theatre classes, dance classes, voice lessons, vocal coachings, private coachings from friends. He has been doing theatre from a young age. </p>
<p>There are no promises made to any students and the moment the student walks into the room, everyone is on an equal playing field - except if the student is a type or voice or ethnicity or dance diva the program especially needs. Then its not. </p>
<p>“Luck is when preparation meets opportunity.”</p>
<p>Famous quote from somewhere. Gotta go back to work.</p>
<p>Again, I’m not saying a parent should not try to do everything to help their child. I can’t even begin to add up the money spent over the years between private acting lessons, group acting lessons, dance lessons, voice lessons, casting director sponsored works shops, French Woods, Stella Adler Teen Conservatory, CMU pre-college, and an experienced audition coach that had some connections to faculty at some of the schools we applied to (though we did no learn that till later). So I feel quite comfortable my child went into this fully prepared. </p>
<p>I think its a slightly better set of facts than what I understood in that the classes are open to other students. Still, there is an appearance of promotion between coach and the person that is making the decision that is troubling. This well may be just an issue of the optics of it but the optics to the process matter. I happen to know a lot more about the world of college basketball recruiting than I do theater. I don’t think basketball coaches being fawned over by the world of AAU teams that want to place their players with select coaches in exhange for coaches promoting these AAU teams and funneling money to them is a model the theater world should aspire to.</p>
<p>Acting Dad, you pretty much hit the nail on the head here. I made a point to say that I am not saying that the parents or kids did anything wrong at all. I see nothing wrong with getting taught, mentored, having second opinions, etc. The problem that I have here is that this has a very murky feel to it. I remember on a previous Carnegie thread that others were saying how they wouldn’t want “coached” kids at the auditions. Now, we are all pretty sure that this is not the case, is it? As someone who has spent my entire life in education, I assure you that this kind of thing would be stopped immediately at my school, and the educator would have been let go or would have had something in her permanent file about it. When an educator is going on someone’s private business site, doing endorsements for her, working as a hired master teacher for the program and then allowing herself to take part in the audition process of students of the program, well, I’m sorry, but if that isn’t unethical, then what is? In the real world, yes, this happens all the time, but when I pay roughly $150 to have my child apply and audition to a program, I expect it to be a fair process. In the real world, actors aren’t paying to go to someone’s audition; here, they did.</p>
<p>Grayhairedman…I have no doubt your son is extraordinarily talented, has worked his tail off and earned his well deserved acceptance into CMU! </p>
<p>Even with a coach (who didn’t have connections) we knew my S would not in all likelihood be competitive at a school like CMU. He gave it a shot so he would never look back regretting he didn’t dream big. To be honest, it is the audition where he felt most respected and encouraged. Barbara and Gary were fantastic and earned his highest respect. Kids who utilized coaches with access may have gotten a second look, but I’m certain that just like grayhairmans son - we would see amazingly talented kids. I wish all our kids well wherever they land!</p>
<p>Prodesse - Having spent a few summers doing intensives in the D.C. area, and living down there while my parents teach around the area also during summers (this was before 2009 however), I couldn’t help but see you are from Northern Virginia. I am fairly familiar with that area (Arlington, Loudon, Fairfax) and was wondering what High School your son went too since I have many friends throughout that area. </p>
<p>Also, no Phone Call received. That is life. I know I’m still talented and have a bright future ahead of me. I have been doing dance and voice non-stop since I was 2, and have parents who are BOTH Alums. Do not feel bad if you or your child did not get in. It’s part of life. It’s almost a good thing to get rejection sometimes it should only fuel your fire and humble you. At least someone was honest with you which CAN BE TOUGH especially when your PAYING someone to tell you. And maybe there are other reasons. I’ll be honest, I am pretty sure I got a nice Scholarship to U of Mich because I knew someone there VERY VERY well. Sometimes there are people like me that get in the way of people like you. Today I am privileged, tomorrow I may not be. The time will come, you just can’t dig yourself into a hole. So many people I’ve seen move around and change teachers but keep falling into the same output and that’s because the variables remain the same. Change them and forgive yourself, maybe take a gap-year or transfer but honestly those shouldn’t be necessary. Someone my Father works with he thinks will be the next Sutton came out of a small school out of D.C. called Howard University. No one’s even heard of it. She kicked her butt during the whole program and rose above all. It’s what you make it. Don’t be taught, learn and innovate. Everyone will find their place, maybe on broadway or maybe teaching (like my parents). At least now you won’t have to worry about being in debt forever.</p>
<p>And I also slimmed my chances with CMU because I did not want to be an Acting Major and said that upfront.</p>
<p>The parents, the kids and I believe Mary Anna have done nothing wrong at all. Grayhairedman and Theatremomma, I understand why you are insulted and upset, but honestly I don’t think one person here thinks you did anything wrong at all and there is no doubt your sons are incredibly talented. </p>
<p>I think the ethics problem lies with these dept. heads doing this. </p>
<p>Even if these classes are open to anyone, you still need to pay a lot of money to attend. In addition to the fee, many might fly and pay for hotels, restaurants, etc.
And we are not talking about “a teacher” or “professor” . We are talking about the Head of the entire department. The final decision maker. </p>
<p>Can you imagine if the Head of Engineering at Carnegie Mellon or The University of Michigan was taking certain students under their tutelage to help with their application for several hours for $180? These schools are supposed to be need blind and the poor kid should have as much chance at acceptance as the rich kid. </p>
<p>If this was something other than tiny little, nobody cares, musical theatre, I think it would be a very big news story.</p>
<p>And about the whole coach thing…WHO GIVES A POOP!!! CMU specifically states in a packet that they sent that they don’t want you to be COACHED ON MONOLOGUES. They want to see YOU!!! SO F IT!!! However I was fortunate enough to be coached on my monologues :). But really tho that is exactly what it said. I was shocked.</p>
<p>Right, and then they work with an audition coach. It’s confusing, huh?</p>
<p>MTboy…exactly! So why do they say one thing and do another, should be the question, right? Again, this is just not done right. Signing off on the issue because I’m just disgusted by the whole thing at this point.</p>
<p>“Luck is when preparation meets opportunity.”</p>
<p>Enough said.</p>