<p>Flossy, I think what you are alluding to is that Moonifieds is held near the time of the North Texas Drama auditions in which over 350 kids participate each year. However, to take part in North Texas Drama Auditions you must be from Texas. It is only open to Texas residents. I am not from texas, therefore my child could not audition at that event. Does that mean the North Texas Drama participants have an opportunity to meet with and audition for these schools that others dont have? yes it does. is that wrong? no. Moonifieds draws students from all over the country that are not eligible to participate in the North Texas drama auditions. It gives those students a similar opportunity to audition around the same time of year.</p>
<p>vvnstar, what I think concerns some people on the thread is that North Texas Drama Auditions, or Thespians, or boarding school auditions are different in the sense that they are not run by a private independent coach who is connecting with college drama program directors. It is simply different. Not unfair, but different, than these other examples. It gives an appearance to some that may not be intended or even have any true basis.</p>
<p>I live in a city with a nationally known performing arts high school with many, many kids with families who cannot afford the cost of travel, hotel and etc, to attend auditions. How does this school handle it? They treat them like field trips, hire buses and take the kids on mass to the Unifieds. Groups of interested kids also raise money for travel to āon campusā auditions. Wow, they would love the idea of schools coming them because parents canāt arrange it. Sadly, it is looking a bit like money talks a bit too much. Not sure how schools can level the playing field, but to stick to publicized audition their dates only.</p>
<p>vvnstar - I wasnāt alluding to anythingā¦just recall have seen that as an explanation.</p>
<p>So quickly hereās the thingā¦At Interlochen and the like they have a previously screened talent pool that would likely yield good results. I get that. They are not going to travel halfway across the country to make it easier for a for a small group of students unless they think itās worth their while. Since anyone can hire a coach, I donāt quite get that, yet.</p>
<p>There are many schools and coaching services who are āconnectingā with these schools. The theater world is small and colleges have relationships with all of these PA schools, conference and camp organizers and coaching services. And there are many schools, conferences, camps and coaching services who have very successful acceptance rates for their students. It is not fair to single one out saying their business āgives an appearanceā of something when you do not hold other schools and coaching services operating similarly to the same standard.<br>
likewise, the colleges should not be faulted for having relationships with schools, conferences, camps and coaching services. They all are seeking talent and of course will go to places where big pools of talent are gathered. This includes performing arts schools, thespian conferences, camps, training programs and yes, coaches. This does not mean colleges are not seeking that untrained unknown raw talent as well. But by no means should they be criticized for seeking talent from places known to produce talent. We seem to be wanting to make rules for these colleges to abide by-- but it is not our place to do so. They have systems in place. We can choose to participate or not. But we shouldnāt then criticize when the outcome is not what we want. We know the rules and the odds when we decide to play.<br>
And if you say you donāt know the rules, again, donāt fault the colleges. As I continue to say, there are many different ways to prepare for and audition for college. Yes it is definitely easier for those who have more financial resources. But as I stated above, there are free or very inexpensive books and videos that give you exactly the same preparation info these coaches are giving the kids who can meet with them in person. Each student must prepare and audition in a way that works for them and their family. It is true it is easier for those with more money to get better prepared and to travel to many auditions. But that is not the fault of the students, the coaches or the colleges. That is just life. I also think there is a misconception that all students who use coaches have unlimited resources. I know that is not true in our case. We have had to sacrifice to make coaching and auditioning possible. But that was our choice. It isnāt the right choice for every family but it is an investment we chose to make.<br>
I completely understand the disappointment and frustration experienced with the college audition process. Even with great preparation by a āconnectedā coach and a talented kid, we too have had our share of rejections. It hurts and it is not fun. But we cannot waste time looking for someone to blame. Our child did her best and felt great about her auditions. Those schools just were not meant to be for her. Not her fault, not her coachās fault, not the collegeās fault and not the fault of the kids who were accepted. It just is what it is and we must move on,
Please lets turn this thread and these forums back into what I think they were originally intended to be which is a positive place to share information, celebrate each others successes, sympathize when we hit bumps in the road and a positive place to learn. I think we all gain much more from being positive and proactive than dwelling on the negative. I have learned so much from all of you that I very much appreciate. But it makes my heart sad to read threads full of negativity, I am here to support and help anyone I can with what little knowledge I have from our personal experiences. I hope all of you find just the right place for your student where they can learn, grow and be happy because in the end thatās what this journey is all about.</p>
<p>And Flossy, to your point, , I am not sure if itās the case for all coaches, but our coach also prescreens her clients during an initial consultation. During that consult she can determine if she can help you and you can determine if she is a good match for you. She does not accept everyone nor does everyone choose to work with her. She would not have enough time to work with everyone. She does provide scholarships for talented kids who canāt afford her services. So in her case, colleges know that she has already determined these kids have a certain level of talent in which they might be interested - just as would be the case for a performing arts school or auditioned camp.</p>
<p>vvnstar, I could not have said it better myself. Having been around CC for a few years now, Iāve seen this debate happen every year. And it does tend to distract everyone from the waiting, but I really hate how it tends to create an āus vs. themā environment here.</p>
<p>CTownMom- I love the idea of a school sponsored trip to Unifieds, especially for a PA school (at my Dās school of 2500, I believe she was the only one her year who auditioned for MT). Unfortunately, when it comes to MT, money does talk to the extent that many, if not most, of these programs are extremely expensive, and due to the limited number of programs, many kids are going to be OOS. While there are scholarships out there, and some kids may find in-state public schools, for the most part, kids who can not afford to travel to schools for on-site auditions or to Unifieds are going to have a hard time coming up with the money to attend many programs. It is not impossible of course, but those kids certainly have one more hurdle to deal with on an already difficult road. I am very sympathetic to those kids, and I am sure MT programs are missing out on a pool of talented kids.</p>
<p>Okay, I donāt want to come off as a āNegative Nancyā here and Iāve also caught bits and pieces of this whole thing before, but there are also always interesting new issues raised. And every year somebody stumbles into this information and gets freaked, so itās not all that widely known. Iām sure there are folks learning a great deal. Thatās a positive!</p>
<p>@vvnstar, can I just say a big āAMENā!? Itās a long road ahead for those who choose the MT path in life. I feel no need to make it any bumpier than it already is! Better to keep moving forward instead of sitting here in a rut in the middle of the road - for us, itās time to move onā¦</p>
<p>Flossy, I donāt disagree at all! Itās a great discussion to have and raising awareness about the process is always a good thing. </p>
<p>I just also really love the community we have here at CC and it makes me sad when people start to fall into ācampsā over this issue, that I PROMISE you wonāt matter one whit to this yearās crop of seniors by this time next year!</p>
<p>Maybe itās just me, and I knew a lot of this already and itās too late now, but I found this really fascinating. Guess Iām bored.</p>
<p>Checked with my S who graduated from Interlochen last year. He only recalls that Baldwin Wallace came to campus. Every year, all the senior and postgrad theatre kids go by bus with their theatre teachers to Chicago Unifieds. The Interlochen students are talented, hardworking, and extremely motivated kids. Thatās why they are admitted to top theatre programs.</p>
<p>Also well trained, I imagine.</p>
<p>D received her rejection letter in the mail today. Knew this was a long shot. Congrats to all those who received acceptances!</p>
<p>Yeah, my son got his also. Though he was rejected from MT and he actually applied and auditioned for Acting, which is not reassuring.</p>
<p>Decisions are online, as wellā¦</p>
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<p>Instead of creating another thread, I thought it would be more efficient to add on to this one. And to distract you from the waiting, thereās a debate in this thread about audition coaches. Best of luck to everyone. </p>