I will be a junior this coming year and next year I am thinking about doing a precollege program. I was wondering if anyone had experience with a precollege program they LOVED that focused equally on all three disciples? Also, what is it like? Do you take classes? Average cost?
Our D participated in 2 summer programs - Oklahoma City University and mPulse at University of Michigan. Both allowed students to work with faculty of the programs. They did take classes similar to some college classes. And they did work on all disciplines. OCU had the added element of doing a show at the end of the program (which was rehearsed in the evenings). Both were at the lower end of summer program costs. However, I’m sure prices and the programs themselves have changed since then. (D graduated from college in 2017 so went to camps summers of 2010 and 2011.
If we were to do it now, I would also have D look at TPAP at Wake Forest. It has representatives from a number of different colleges there rather than being focused on just one school. I’ve heard great things about it. I know there are a number of new programs to be considered And it may depend what you wish to get out of the program. Baldwin Wallace has a one week program that focuses on preparing for the audition. NYU, Carnegie Mellon and Northwestern have great programs where I think you can earn college credit. But they are pricey. The one thing I always remind people considering summer programs is to understand that attending them will not help you gain admittance to the program for college itself. So don’t go with that in mind. Go with the intent of improving your skills, learning what it would be like to study MT in college and gaining valuable contacts and experience.
Another great program that really focuses on skill building is STATE at Penn State.
My D participated in Emerson College’s 5 week program and absolutely LOVED it. She worked with the faculty and the head of the MT program for the 5 weeks. She got to know them and they got to understand and know my D; which was incredible! She also took classes similar to the college classes and did work on all disciplines. Faculty spent extra time with her to answer questions and guide her to a position to where she is confident going into pre-screens/auditions this fall/winter. Emerson was already a college on her “list” but jumped to the top after living and breathing what a MT student would experience. They worked them hard and expected a lot out of them. They did do a dance audition on their first day and split the students up into groups based on their abilities and each student was assigned a vocal coach that they had lessons with each week. They had to write their own musical, write essay’s, research songs, learn dance choreo, had master classes, got to see “Moulin Rouge” and experience what going to college in a city setting would be like. It was pricey, but worth every penny after hearing about her experience and then seeing how she has grown as a performer vocally, intellectually and the confidence she has now knowing she survived a 5 week-college MT boot camp. AND she got to audition for the school, eliminating one pre-screen and live audition that we need to do!
Both of my Ds attending Carnegie Mellon’s 6 week program (one attended for Acting; one for MT). The MT did spend time in all three disciplines (assuming you mean acting, dancing singing) and took private voice. They also had academic classes (drama literature) and D2 took a playwriting course. At the end of the program, the students participate in a mock audition and get detailed, written feedback (which stays in your file should you ultimately audition). The prescreen was also waived for summer attendees. The cost was just north of $8,000.
Anecdotally, a friend whose D attended Northwestern’s “Cherubs” program said the large majority of the cherubs who subsequently decided to apply to NU last year (her D did not) were accepted, like 70% of them. Given the very low overalll acceptance rate of NU… you have to wonder strongly if the cherub connection didn’t help.
I personally attended the Cherubs program this past year and I highly recommend it. The faculty are so talented and you come out with a really strong sense of your strengths and weaknesses as a performer. However, the first 5 weeks are predominantly focused on straight theatre. While the MT Extension kids do take a dance elective, most of your time is spent working on voice, movement, and acting for the initial part of the program. I felt this greatly helped me as an actor, but if you’re looking to really be immersed in Musical Theatre, you may prefer a program that specializes in that exclusively.
@CaMom13 - did your daughter take the 5 week program, or the entire 7 week program with the last two being MT focused?
@CaMom13 a few years ago, a friend of my daughter’s attended Cherubs because NW was her dream school. She did not get into NW for college. She did go to Carnegie Mellon. I found that interesting.
@lovetoact - actually, I don’t find that surprising at all - as the programs are looking for entirely different things. Until a year or so ago (when they added the arts supplement) NW admission was based entirely on academics, essays etc, and CMU’s is based virtually entirely the audition. Apples/Oranges
@NewJeffCT - my D didn’t attend the Cherubs program! A friend’s D did. I don’t know which program she attended - I assume the longer one as she’s an MT girl. She decided not to apply to NU.
I attended Wagner’s SMTI this past summer and I loved it. They offered great training in all three disciplines. There was an hour and a half of dance every morning, and then improv, acting, an MT performance class and rehearsals for the showcase at night. You also had a half hour private voice lesson once a week. They only take 12 students so you get a lot of personal attention. I learned so much over the course of the 2 weeks and would totally recommend it to anyone! The total cost is $3500 which is not bad at all compared to some programs and it includes headshots and 2 broadway shows, which were nice bonuses.
@MThopeful99 Is there a way you could PM me? I would love to talk more!
My daughter did OCU and CCM summer programs. Both were well rounded. It’s a great way to help you decide if you really are cut out for the grind of a BFA program (some decided they didn’t want to pursue) and generally helped her going into auditions. They were both on the less expensive side but shorter programs. She made long term friends from both programs that she is connected to on social media and ran into at auditions so helped with that anxiety.
Hi I’m a high school junior too! You should really look into NYU’s tisch summer high school program I went for MT which is the New Studio on Broadway (NSB) and it was so much fun!!! It is a very pricey program but you get 6 college credits! You should definitely think about cmu and umich I hear nothing but great stuff about the pre college programs that have to offer. I’m actually applying to both of these programs for this summer! Also applicants are open for all three of these programs and I say apply ASAP! Wishing you luck!!!
I found most summer programs average between $1k-$1500 a week, inclusive of housing and food. They try to run the program like a weekly BFA schedule, and add master classes. Panels, talk backs as part of the curriculum.
Texas State has an awesome program called Nexus. https://www.theatreanddance.txstate.edu/Programs/Nexus-Summer-Camp
My daughter did the program at Pace 2 years ago and loved it… as a result Pace has been on the top of her “dream school” list ever since. Last summer, after bring accepted to MPulse at UMich, STATE at Penn State, ArtsBridge and TPAP, she chose to attend STATE and was very happy she did. She based her decision of first-hand feedback she had gotten from kids who had attended several of the programs, but the dates of the STATE program worked much better for her schedule, b/c they were early in the summer, she was finished by July 7th, and that enabled her to do work-study at a reputable city program that she has worked with over the years. So That was an important deciding factor. Overall, you need to consider if you are “ready” to show at the point you are doing the summer program. If you still need a lot of work I think the programs could negatively impact you b/c over the course of 1,2 3 or 4 weeks you are bound to have rough days and the faculty might remember those. So that is just the flip side of doing these programs to “be seen” and get an inside edge with the faculty. I do not think they help admission to the programs as we have been told that time and time again by those in the industry. But the training is top-notch and it would enable you to see if you really want to pursue a BFA after living that kind of schedule for a few weeks.
@elledaspitzer Did you ever apply to any summer programs? I got accepted into CMU’s Pre College MT Program a few weeks ago. The application doesn’t close until March 1st you should definitely apply.
My daughter attended Nexus at Texas State this past summer and really loved it. She learned so much and it really helped prepare her for auditions this year.