<p>I am currently a freshman in high school and have had a passion for theatre as long as I can remember, my current high school has great theatre program, but not really a whole lot of musical theatre, and I want to pursue this as a career, I'm contemplating applying for Interlochen but should I wait another year since I've heard most of the kids there are juniors and seniors? Is it worth it? Do they have good academics? Are they good with financial aid? Any information helps! Thanks!</p>
<p>Are you talking the summer camp or the academy (their high school)? For the summer camp, they have shorter (3 week) sessions of musical theater if you want to try it out. It’s less expensive than the 6 week camp but I must say their price is not cheap either way and, unless things have changed significantly over the last couple of years, they do give financial aide based on need but it usually won’t cover the whole camp.
That being said, Interlochen was a transformative place for my son (he’s a cellist so MT doesn’t apply to him). He started going there the summer after 8th grade and went for 5 summers. Thought about applying for the Academy but we live close to NYC and he was in a great pre-college program already and our high school was great so there was no real need.
His girlfriends brother (they met at Interlochen at age 17 and have been dating for almost 5 years) is an MT guy who went there last summer after his junior year and was so taken with the camp that he is spending his senior year at the Academy. He absolutely loves it there and I know he gets substantial financial aid to attend school.
About your when to apply question, I will say this about that, the boy we know who is only attending for his senior year is very talented but the directors there have told his that he has been cast as an understudy for 2 roles because they haven’t worked with him for all 4 years (and they implied that was the ONLY reason for his understudy status) so if you care about getting roles in musicals at Interlochen Academy, you might want to think about attending earlier rather than waiting a year or two.
Another great thing about attending the Academy, they are super helpful with the MT college application process. They know things regular high schools have no clue about. And you get to take classes in acting, auditioning, dance & voice training as part of your regular curriculum - kind of like a sneak preview of a BFA MT program at college.
Break a leg to you!</p>
<p>My son currently attends Interlochen, he went his senior year only and I wish we would have sent him sooner. I would say go early if you feel that you can cope with being away from home and also feel able to manage your own life well with out the assistance of your parents. It is a great experience! Actually reading the above post I think she maybe talking about my son who has been cast as the understudy twice even though he is very talented! lol! You DO get better opportunities if you have attended longer than just one year. As for my son and his understudy parts we have no hard feelings! I know what my son can do and attending the academy has been a wonderful experience for him! Go for it!</p>
<p>ellywelly, how do your parents feel about this? With due respect to the parents who make these kinds of sacrifices, I would not have sent my daughter away to school away from home during her teen/high school years for anything. There ARE other ways to get good training and experiences in high school. You say your school has a good theater program, so take advantage of it! Acting training is super important. Then, look into community theater. That is how my daughter got started in MT. All of her dance classes were after school so with rehearsals for community theater in the evening, it worked out nicely. Lastly, you can get fantastic MT experiences in summer programs that, unless you get a big scholarship at a place like Interlochen, ultimately will cost you less than going away to private boarding school. And yes, though they help with the college application process, being away from home senior year while trying to schedule auditions, etc. can be challenging. Pretty much all the info you need is right here on CC, and coaching CAN be skyped if you don’t have anyone locally who could give you some feedback. And there are no guarantees of leads even if you are super-talented and at one of these performing arts schools all 4 years. I’m not trying to dissuade you from looking into this - Interlochen is a great school I’m sure and if it is your dream and your parents are willing and can afford it, go for it! - but there are other ways to get great training even if you live in the middle of nowhere.</p>
<p>I can relate to Calliene’s reluctance and mychild did not attend boarding school and is now a BFA freshman. But, that being said, I think there are many kids who would be much happier in a performing arts boarding school and if it is in THEIR best interest to go, and assuming their parents can afford it, then I think we need to be careful not to appear to judge those parents who enable their children to attend. Parents of boarders tend to receive some harsh reactions. The reality is there are many kids, particularly in the arts, who need to be surrounded by peers who are as serious and passionate, and let’s face it, in high school, our group of determined and focused kids have to accept a lot of kids who are in theatre because they feel it’s an easy A. And,to be harshly realistic, many high school theatre teachers are lacking, to put it mildly. Additionally, there are many theatre kids, boys in particular, who are bullied and marginalized in traditional high schools, and are miserably counting the days until they are free. For them, a school like Interlochen or NCSA can be a godsend. I don’t think anyone should look at is as a ticket to a BFA program, but should examine whether it’s in their best interest in terms of their needs at the stage of their life. My child built a tremendous r</p>
<p>Not judging, lightingmom. For some kids it could be absolutely the best thing. It would not have been for us. But I wanted to point out that there are other, likely less expensive ways to get good training, even if you ARE in a rural area, as we are.</p>
<p>You are right Calliene. I didn’t think you were, but I just wanted to give voice o those parents who have felt a bit self-conscious about their choice to pursue boarding school options. They often get some dramatic ( no pun) reactions. But you are absolutely right that with some industrious and creative effort some fantastic opportunities can be found in the larger community or via summer experiences. So many hugely successful actors were raised in small, rural areas, so that in and of itself is clearly not an impediment.</p>
<p>I can’t really comment on the Interlochen program, but I do agree that it is important to review your options and a boarding program might be perfect for some. But if not, I do think it is sound advice to really see what else is out there. My daughter really would have loved to attend a performing arts high school, but unfortunately the nearest one is an hour away and the daily commute would have just become impossible. Instead we discovered that the local school district has a campus located at the community college and offers a middle college program for high school students that have the ability to thrive in a more accelerated environment. It has been so wonderful for my daughter. As a student she can take any of the college classes and this particular college has a wonderful music and performing arts deparment. She is taking classes in dance, theatre arts, and voice. The head of the music program is affiliated with the leading local opera company and brings in many of their performers for master classes. And she will be taking ear training, sight reading and musical theory classes she could never find in a typical high school. So in essence she has turned it into her own performing arts high school! And best of all she was just cast in a lead role in the spring musical so she is getting the opportunity to perform with the college production. I’m thankful everyday we did our research and discovered this program.</p>
<p>My daughter also created her “own” performing arts high school locally by actually attending a high school out of our district that was even across state lines, but was, strangely enough, closer to our home than her designated high school. We had to fight for this on the state level, but found out that there is a little known federal law about vocational education that helped us. The administrators in our district did not even know about it. But the “other” high school had vocational education programs in acting and dance that our school didn’t have, so she was able to go there at no cost to us. And she crazily manipulated her schedule to do both while still getting in all the college prep classes she needed. Creative arrangements like this are sometimes out there if you research it! She also summered at Stagedoor Manor, ArtsBridge, a local youth theater camp, a few dance camps, and got college coaching from MTCA, mostly via skype. She took dance and voice locally. It was kind of piecemeal and she certainly doesn’t have the professional creds of some of her peers, but she had great experiences and was very well prepared for college auditions.</p>
<p>I see that ellywelly has started a new thread with essentially the same question. If I read it right, it looks like we’re not helping :-). The OP needs specific feedback pertinent to Interlochen. I’m sorry that I don’t have any so I’m out. Anyone have any direct experience?</p>
<p>As an Interlochen alum, and someone who has worked at Interlochen, (cellomon51, helenross, hi, couldn’t resist.) I have to say that for many programs it is possible to create your own Interlochen at home. In fact, if you study music and have a good private teacher, good youth symphony and you like your high school, going to the academy almost seems silly.</p>
<p>Musical Theatre/Theatre is NOT one of these programs. I have never seen a program that a high schooler could replicate like this at home. They constantly have three productions going on at once, they have acting technique every day, dance every day, private coachings every week, topics classes on things like directing, song classes…My brother performed in Spring Awakening, a musical no high school besides Interlochen would ever do. Not only was it done well, it wasn’t a community theatre production that had a ton of adult playing each part–it was performed by high schoolers the way it should be because it’s a show about high schoolers and it changed his life. </p>
<p>Sending your kid to boarding school can be hard, but unless you live right in New York City and your kid is on broadway doing pre-professional/professional shows you are going to have a hard time finding an experience that tops Interlochen.</p>
<p>ellywelly, My daughter attended a 3 week musical theatre program at Interlochen Summer Arts Camp the summer after her ninth grade. I attended the closing week-end of camp and observed first-hand the magic of Interlochen. The following school year (10th grade) she applied to Interlochen Arts Academy for her 11th grade. I knew that my husband and I would do whatever we could for her to attend. She was accepted into the theatre program and graduated last spring. Academics at Interlochen are top-notch. Financial aid is available as well as a merit scholarship. However, one of the questions for parents on the entrance application is ‘how much are you willing to pay for your child’s education’. Yes, it is expensive. Yes, we missed her terribly. And, yes, we would do it again. Will it get you a college of your choice? No one can answer that question. My advice: go to camp or at least visit during the school year. Make sure your parents visit, too. (This year, Interlochen is visiting cities around the country for auditions to the academy including theatre.) Good luck!</p>
<p>My son auditioned for Interlochen in his Sophmore year of High school, but we decided not to send him.</p>
<p>In hindsight it was the best decision.</p>
<p>He has had two years working in professional theaters, and was dual enrolled at our local university, taking tap, piano, and singing for High school credit, and also took 3 of the lead roles in the college productions.</p>
<p>And we have saved two years tuition money!</p>
<p>My D is a senior vocal performance major at IAA. She is also a piano accompanist for the MT students. I can honestly say that if you had asked me her sophomore year if I would send my only child to boarding school in Michigan (we are in Alabama) I would have said no way. But after a chance meeting at Oberlin, Interlochen entered our world and sending her as a senior has absolutely been the best thing for her. Let me say, she had a WONDERFUL voice teacher here and an Outstanding choral department in public school. But the total immersion in the art that she loves has made her even better and increased her love of voice.<br>
Also, the academics are very good. My D came from all AP courses and the rigor at IAA is the same.
If you can afford it, I would say go. Yes, there is plenty of aid. PM if you have specific questions.</p>
<p>I say this as a high school theater director - your child would receive no stronger, more well rounded, in depth training than they would at Interlochen. As a Boarding School, I often meet with students who want to succeed in the arts and I think our program is stronger than 99% of those around the nation - but we couldn’t hold a candle to Interlochen. In terms of quality of individual instructors and quality of production there are many schools that can compete - but the breadth and depth is unmatchable. </p>
I’m trying to delete my comment sorry