<p>My recollection is that Michigan is VERY strict about time/length (not direct from D- she did not audition there, but several friends did) both in the prescreen and in the actual audition…can anyone corroborate? </p>
<p>In general the rule is you can do less than the time allotted but never more.</p>
<p>Michigan is extremely strict. The girl who was ahead of my D at Unifieds did a 16 bar cut first - but it was the last piece in the 16 bar section of her book. The accompanist turned forward in her book for the next song instead of turning backward. It was the correct song, but the 32 bar cut instead of the 16 bar cut. She sang the cut the accompanist was playing. Afterward she got a stern lecture about singing the number of measures requested. She was quickly dismissed and did not get in. So, do exactly as Michigan requests. And if the accompanist is playing the wrong cut, stop and politely show them the correct one. For Michigan no over, no under.
Interestingly, CMU made a comment saying if they were counting how many bars you were singing instead of listening to you sing, something is wrong. The two schools obviously have different philosophies about this. So although CMU wants you to stay as close to their requested number of bars as possible, they are more lenient with auditioners than Michigan.</p>
<p>From my experience with auditions (professional and community theatre) they just want it to be around 32 or 16 bars. I definitely agree with what was said at CMU. If they’re counting bars instead of listening there’s a problem. Yes it’s important to follow the instructions however if an auditioner is counting your bars instead of listening to you sing then it kind of gives off the feeling that they don’t really care about the quality or potential of the performer. Just how obedient you are. Maybe that’s just me… But of course it’s important to stay around the requested number of bars!</p>
<p>On a different note, I haven’t heard of pre-screens and it’s certainly making me more nervous… How do you know which schools will want it? I’m the type to extensively plan ahead and not knowing which schools on my audition list will want a pre-screen or not is definitely making me nervous. Also are the schools very clear about how to do the application process? This all feels very overwhelming tbh… Sorry if some questions are stupid just want to be as clear as possible on everything!!! :)</p>
<p>The only way to know for sure is by looking at the websites for the schools on your list. You should plan on having material ready and recorded for prescreens, it is highly likely at least one school on your list will require it.</p>
<p>Another tip for an Acceptd pre-screen is to go to the school’s Acceptd site and review the directions. Sometimes the directions are more explicit, and the guidelines for the “cuts” more clear. Also, one school wanted a personal statement, and that was not noted in the directions on the school’s website. It was no biggie as you can “save” your spot and return to complete the application, but it did slow down the momentum.</p>
<p>I was extremely nervous about the pre-screens as it would be the first opportunity for my son to be rejected! As it turned out, son passed all 3 pre-screens which reassured me I wasn’t crazy to help him pursue this major. He ended up being accepted by 2 of the 3 schools in March. Both schools provided a great audition experience for him, partly because they blocked off 20 min. for each audition. </p>
<p>We actually had separate umich cuts to get under the 16 bars. A week later, she accidentally sang the umich cut at another audition, but accomp was playing the normal cut. ((Which was 17 or 18). Luckily, it was not a complete disaster, and it was one if her offers. </p>
<p>We were also surprised by the request from Acceptd site for a personal statement that had not been listed on school website. We had already done the recording for everything else - scheduled accompanist, location, voice teacher etc. S went and videoed personal statement w/o telling me he was doing it and decided to orient the camera vertically. The orientation could not be edited into horizontal, so that particular clip was teeny, tiny compared to others, LOL. Perhaps there is some editing software out there that can do that can change orientation, but S wasted a lot of time trying to do it with what we had available. Bottom line - DO NOT wait until last minute to upload to Accepted/Decision Desk.</p>
<p>On the timing of monologues etc. - we were given the advice by both S’s acting coach and voice teacher to “keep it short”. Both have been on the other side of the process and have had to sit through reviewing hundreds of videos. Their advice was that there is nothing wrong with submitting a 60-second (or 70-sec) monologue for a school that limits it to 90. If there’s a good edit that is LESS than the required time, the reviewers may be thankful for the shortened timeframe. S’s coaches said the reviewer can generally know what they’re in for in the first 10-20 seconds.</p>
<p>One thing about prescreens, not sure if this was mentioned, some schools want you to do the same pieces at the live auditions, some just one, some may not say but make sure you are aware of those rules. Its early in the process and if you decide to change pieces be sure you know which school you have to use your prescreen material for.</p>
<p>On cuts for auditions and prescreens, these auditions for schools can be a bit different than professional or community theatre. We figured it was always best to err on the side of caution. If directions are explicit, follow them that way. If you’re uncertain at all about cuts for prescreens, try to contact the school directly by email or on this site through a current student or previous auditioning student to hear their experience. Sometimes guidelines for cuts are strictly to accommodate the volume of submissions when it comes to prescreens. Frankly, there is significant effort involved in the prescreen, so you want your efforts to be worth it, and not ruled out for lack of following guidelines. For in person auditions, volume of auditions and work environment for the accompanist is considered. Some schools actually have used timers in the past, so they don’t have to focus on how many bars are played or how long a monologue goes, they’re free to listen intently, but they certainly know when you’ve gone over time. As mentioned before, if you’re at this point of auditioning for this major at schools, your book should hold enough options/choices where you can get creative and make the cuts work. Our kids’ experience found that the school audition process is actually more rigid and not as loose as the outside world. Then, again, that outside world only allows 8 bars sometimes!</p>
<p>On how a student knows if a prescreen is required or involved, this site has a big list pinned to the main musical theatre forum which defines type of program, location, size and requirements. Also, you can go directly to the website of the school and navigate carefully to the appropriate department page to see application details and / or the main application page for the undergrad process at that school. Don’t hesitate to ask questions of the school by email or voicemail, especially if this is suggested on the site. This is a process with lots of steps, but it is manageable and can be very rewarding in the long run. If you are a planner, start early, take your list and methodically explore each school; most are very clear in how to apply for their programs. I would use this forum regularly and, last but not least, ask productive questions until you are satisfied with the answers. </p>
<p>Do you know when most college pre-screen requirements are posted on their websites? We are hoping to film all prescreens in July if possible or early August.
Thanks!</p>
<p>Most do not start to post updates until August, a few as late as September. I collected pre-screen info for several programs during S’s sophomore and junior years. Very few programs changed their requirements from one year to the next. Only caveat is that more schools have ADDED pre-screens to requirements. When S was auditioning in 2013-14, a few of his schools said they were adding prescreens for 2014-15, but subsequently did not do so (CCM and WSU were in that category) - wondering if perhaps they will for 2015-16. It is good that you are planning so far in advance. It would be great if you had all the information and could record before senior heats up.</p>
<p>@pursuethedream Now that I am in the middle of this audition season, I have to say that filming the pre-screen videos in August was the best thing we did. In the middle of July I emailed my daughter’s theatre director and asked if we could use the school theatre & piano during one of his teacher work days before school began in August. As soon as I got the go ahead from him, I coordinated the schedule with her voice teacher, the accompanist and one of my D’s tech friend’s for filming. I’m glad I started that early because it turned out that the regular accompanist for school was going to be out of town. I needed that couple of weeks to find someone else and coordinate everthing. Also, make sure you carve out at least 3 hours (depending on the number you are filming). We filmed 5. There were several versions of each song, different introductions, a short personal statement and we lucked out with only having one version of her monologue. We did the monologue last so that the accompanist could leave earlier if necessary. We filmed on August 20th and all of the info for all of the schools she applied to were already up on the school websites and also on Acceptd. I think that is the best place to check for the details. I found it really easy to use. Just be aware that some schools require you to upload headshots, resumes, transcripts and some sat scores as well. I would make an account now and just check it all out. Another great tip is to create a college only email and use it for all applications making seperate folders for each school. We just set up a gmail account and used it for the common app, all of the colleges, acceptd and decision desk. Last year I watched this whole process through college confidential and got so much great information!</p>
<p>I totally agree with MTRaleighmom. We have the gmail dedicated for college correspondence only. And, my D and I share the password so we both have access. Also, I echo prescreens early!! We also finished this in August and did it all at once. </p>