<p>Any thoughts in deciding between the two programs? Established vs new and hot?</p>
<p>They are both wonderful programs and there are a lot of factors to consider that may only be important to you. Have you visited both campuses? Taken in a performance? Talked to current students? Talked to MT faculty? I’ll PM you.</p>
<p>MttwinssinCA I got your Pm, but I don’t have enough posts to reply privately. Yes, we have visited both campuses and shadowed students at both places. Feel free to share here what you feel comfortable with!</p>
<p>We are still waiting to hear from Hartt (after having gotten a call from the school Monday asking my son to call, we have not been able to get through and our messages have not been returned – frustrating!). I don’t know about Rider’s program, but we’ve been investigating Hartt and their faculty and curriculum are really impressive. A friend of mine, in the theatrical education biz, who knows many of the Hartt faculty believes it to be one of the best programs in the country.</p>
<p>Also have no knowledge of Rider, but Hartt was on S’s short list for acting. The appeal included the opportunity to do summer theatre on the Cape at the Monomy Theatre!</p>
<p>My son is trying to decide between Hartt and Montclair for acting (BFA)…he is stymied too. Hartt does have a lot to offer besides the school…</p>
<p>Hello! I am a Sophomore Musical Theatre student at Hartt! You can PM me if you have any questions or I can answer them directly on here! :)</p>
<p>I know a couple of kids got calls, but are they still going to send out acceptances through the mail? Or are they done?</p>
<p>I don’t know Rider but D is a freshman at Hartt (acting, not MT). It has been just wonderful-- totally committed, inspiring faculty, talented peers, a sense of family, very comprehensive curriculum, production after great production. And yes, Monomoy, and connections to great regional theater. I used to live in Hartford and at first I didn’t even want D to apply, lol, but West Hartford turns out to be a great college town (for those rare moments when she’s not in class or at the theater).</p>
<p>Gwen Fairfax - I was raised in Hartford but haven’t lived there in 30 years – I, too, have had to get over my outdated perceptions of the University of Hartford. Everything about Hartt has impressed so far. Does your daughter find that the older students who live off-campus takes away from the cohesiveness of the student body? Is it true that MT students (as opposed to AT) don’t have an opportunity to study abroad?</p>
<p>fourkorz-- it is true that MTs don’t go to England junior year. There are study abroad opportunities during Winter Term that MT’s an AT’s can both do-- Italy is one that D is considering for next year. </p>
<p>D feels the student body is very cohesive. She knows and loves lots of older students, MT and AT. The theater school seems to be a really unified group, very supportive of each other, the older ones shepherding the younger ones along. The parties are theater dept. parties…often at an off campus apt., but everyone invited. And everyone is just conditioned to give each other rides, somehow. There seems to be a general friendliness and seriousness, all around.</p>
<p>My S is deciding between Ball State, Rider and Hartt (all MT). I’m interested to hear from anyone in these programs or anyone considering them. Feel free to PM as well.</p>
<p>My advice Cholula55, is to visit, sit in on classes and ask as many questions as you can. D is at Hartt and I just feel we got really lucky, because for all the studying we’d done in advance there were a lot of things we didn’t know. The two things she has at Hartt that I now feel I’d look for in any school are: 1. LOTS of performance opportunities, with professional directors. Each class goes through as an ensemble, and after freshman year each student is cast in 3-4 shows a year. I could go on about the nuances-- but it is all very carefully done so that rehearsals are intrinsic to the learning process and everyone is intensely involved. 2. They study the whole canon-- for actors this means from the Greeks to present day, for MT it’s the history of MT. And the shows are chosen so they have worked with all different kinds of material. </p>
<p>Did I know either of these things when D decided on Hartt? No. I didn’t even know how to frame a question that would bring these things out. I knew that it was a small program, on the East Coast, close to home and to New York, and that D had been inspired and excited by her visit. That seemed like plenty at the time. </p>
<p>I hope others can speak about Ball State and Rider…D didn’t apply to either though she had a friend who went to Rider last year and whose career went up so fast she left after the first semester. That can’t be too bad!</p>
<p>My S is a freshman MT student at Rider and loves everything about his experience thus far! His dance classes are both challenging and fun, his voice training is outstanding, and his first acting class with Meade Andrews (an internationally recognized senior teacher of the Alexander Technique) was invaluable. He has been cast in two musicals, and is impressed with the professionalism with which the entire process is handled, from auditions, to rehearsals, to performing the shows. The environment is supportive with an emphasis on hard work, dedication and commitment. He has bonded with his fellow MT students, and they all seem to share in the knowledge that they are lucky to be at Rider. The faculty are devoting themselves to making the program both competitive and dynamic. To that end, they have brought in many impressive industry professionals to conduct master classes, as well as inform and inspire the MT students. Rider’s location, about an hour to NYC by train, affords the students a lot of opportunities to audition, attend classes, see Broadway shows and enjoy being a part of the NYC experience. Although my S had many other MT acceptances, he has no regrets in his decision to be in the MT program at Rider. I cannot comment on the other schools you are considering but I think Rider deserves the buzz it has been getting as the new, hot “triple threat” school on the rise!</p>
<p>tcork128 – your son is a superstar! 
I will second everything you said about Rider!</p>
<p>Thanks MTTwinsinCA! I have not had the pleasure of seeing your S perform yet, but my S tells me he is incredibly talented and he is enjoying being his “brother” for “Seven Brides!” In fact, being surrounded by so many highly talented MT students has inspired my son to work even harder to be his best in every area. He was impressed not only with the singing, acting, and dancing talent but also with the fact that many of his fellow musical theater students can play an instrument or two, compose music, write scripts and so on. This in turn has fueled his desire to expand on his creative interests, which we as parents are pretty happy about! Hope to meet you when we fly up for the show in April, my son has told us how much fun you and your wife are!</p>
<p>Hi Rider parents-
As we make the final decision for MT, can you fill me in on Acting classes for MT majors?
Are classes with the Acting Majors? How many to they take? Feel free to PM. Thanks!</p>