<p>Hi all, I need your opinions/input of these 2 conservatories. Which one of the 2 do you feel would be best for an acting major? Any and all opinions are welcome! : )</p>
<p>Have you visited both, proudmomNnc? We did–but we were never able to get a fix on the acting curriculum at Shenandoah. The place was warm and students seemed happy and involved-- but they were all MT’s and no could answer questions about the acting program. (Though they did say you could minor in MT, which isn’t true at Hartt.) </p>
<p>The curriculum at Hartt was very thoughtfully laid out and D had a full day of classes after she was accepted, found them very challenging and interesting, really liked the teachers and students. (I wrote in more detail on the thread about “up and coming BFA’s”. ) She didn’t end up applying to Shenandoah and is going to Hartt.</p>
<p>Yes, we visited Shenandoah in Jan and he was very impressed with the campus as well as the students and faculty. He visited Hartt this past weekend and didnt find it quite the same. It started with a call last monday from someone from admissions stating that they had to cancel the scheduled tour and asked if we could reschedule, unfortunately we couldnt because by that time we had already had everything booked and paid for. I then asked if he could do a “self guided” tour and they said sure. Then friday i received another call telling me the same thing only they said that he wouldnt be allowed on campus without a blue wrist band and was ensured that his name would be given to the security folks which didn’t happen. After trying to find someone to talk to for over an hour, they finally gave up and gave him a band. He was impressed with the facilities but not at all with the dorms. We did receive a call from one of the professors yesterday apologizing for the mix up but that didn’t leave a very good first impression. He is still VERY interested in Hartt but is so stressed out trying to make the decision.</p>
<p>Ugh…that is a souring experience when you’ve come so far, and the opposite of what D saw. I’m sorry to hear it…D went to 4 classes and met lots of people, talked at length to Ashley Malcolm, the ass’t director of the Theatre dept. It all felt great. Just two very different experiences, but he’s got to go by his own sense of things.</p>
<p>At least we received an apology call. As I was speaking to the professor for a few minutes , he told me that he graduated from Duke and will be coming back here to NC this summer to do a show with the North Carolina theatre… Such a small world, ha! I still believe that my son is leaning more toward Hartt as he says that Shenandoah focuses mainly on MT.</p>
<p>Not sure if I can be of any help but my decision came down last year between Shenandoah and Hartt too. However I am an MT student. I knew a lot about Hartt and the teachers there since I am from the Hartford area so in a way that was draw back since I wanted to get away. But ultimately I was convinced that the program would fit my needs better. I know the freshmen dorms are dumpy but Hawk Hall if you can get in is a beautiful building and my roommates and I have a great room(very large triple). Next year I am saving money by moving off campus and living in some new townhouses downtown that the univ. provides shuttle service to and from. So don’t worry about the dumpy dorms there are other options.</p>
<p>Thank you GraceMT…that does help! He’s having such a hard time with this whole process. He first asked if he can get a single room, they said “sure” now, they said he MUST have a roommate even though he’s a transfer student. He brought up a good point, he doesn’t want to room with someone who is 17 or 18 yrs old because he’ll soon be 21 and very independent and particular. He said they were very rude when he called and they told him “you’ll take what we give you” he said “I’m paying you so I should get what I pay for” hahaha…he’s slowly learning what the real world is about. He emailed someone and is waiting for a reply. I actually think this part of the process is alot more stressful than the audition part. I sure hope he receives a good response! Thank you for your input…if you have anymore info regarding the acting training or anything else, please share. Thanks again!</p>
<p>I know I am late to this, but my D goes to the acting program at Shenandoah (she is a sophmore) and I am so impressed with the program. She has had a wonderful experience, the teachers are encouraging, the kids are supportive and her opportunities on and off stage have been varied and exciting. This small school has big shows, and these kids are getting a wonderful education.</p>
<p>Thanks, photomom5. What does your D think of the new acting program head? And is she studying voice too?</p>
<p>She takes private voice lessons with a teacher. As for the new program head, she has not yet had him as a teacher so she has not formed an opinion. She will have him this semester for the first time. My S just got accepted to the Hartt School so this thread caught my attention. I think that Shenandoah has a very strong program as does Hartt.</p>