<p>I have heard that CCM, especially, can be truly cut throat and that it is almost unhealthy competition… can any students speak of this is this true?
Also, I have heard that CCM has A LOT of really really bad drug problems with students particularly in theatre and dance… this came from a student who left the program 2 years ago because of a medical emergency, but said it was a very common problem… do students feel uncomfortable being in this kind of environment… it seems really intense for many sheltered teens who are freshman…</p>
<p>You probably need a student to best answer your questions, however, as the parent of a current freshman MT major I do feel compelled to at least address them from a parent’s perspective. My experience has been that all MT programs are, by their very nature, competitive. CCM is most certainly a competitive atmosphere… they would be doing their students a disservice if it were not. But cutthroat and unhealthy… absolutely not. My D. has had in her words, “an amazing freshman year”. Are there times when she would like to throttle any one of her 21 other classmates? Probably… but she’ll defend them to the death if anyone else dares to criticize… just as she would any sibling, because that’s what her 21 classmates are like to her… family. They cheer each on, push each other to reach new heights, encourage, tease, celebrate successes and commiserate when times are tough. I sound like an ad campaign for CCM, right? But it’s the truth. When we visited CCM first for my daughter’s audition and then to really look at the program & campus when less nerves were involved, I found the faculty to be supportive, encouraging and very honest about the realities of “the business”. The upper classmen, (and women, should it be classpeople??, I digress!), could not have been more welcoming. The class of 2013 said it best in their Freshman Showcase which was last weekend. I know we can’t post links here, but check out theBestArts. They just posted the videos of the show. The videos are also on youtube. PM me if you can’t find them. I’m quite sure I’m a tad prejudiced, but I think the show speaks for itself. The students collaborated from day 1 of school to produce it. They did it all from music, choreography and script to rehearsal times and monologue assignments. They could never have achieved this in an unhealthy environment. As to drug problems… not that I have witnessed. The 'rents are always the last to know, right?? What I have seen are MT majors that are very devoted to their craft and their careers. OK, I’ve gushed quite enough. I’m happy to answer any questions. Hope this helps. My D. wouldn’t be anywhere else… and she’s an only child from a small southern town… you don’t get much more sheltered than that.</p>
<p>I am another parent of a CCM MT freshman weighing in on this… I think you have it wrong on cutthroat/unhealthy competition. Make no mistake, it is not easy to get in to the program or to get parts in shows. But my daughter says it is more like “pressure” than “competition.” Internally focused–to do one’s best. I am sure I don’t have to convince the readers on this board that theatre is collaborative art, and the better each performer is, the better the collective product is, reflecting on all. I just don’t see how “cut-throat” even can work into the dynamic. Two actors up for a role each does his or her best, and a third party decides–there’s no opening to cut a throat or to benefit from doing so. So while there can be elation/disappointment, the feedback I hear (and see on Facebook) is that the kids generally celebrate one another’s successes. Besides “pressure filled,” the other cautionary adjective that perhaps applies at CCM-MT, as well as I’m sure at many other BFA MT programs is “insular.” As katesmom termed it- ‘a family’ seems fairly apt. These kids attend almost all of the same classes-- which are very interactive (not lecture hall fare) by the way-- work on group projects together, audition and perform in the same shows, and even live on the same dorm floors-- at least freshman year. In short, a class is together as a whole or in subsets a large percentage of their waking hours, 7 days a week. It’s not a completely closed system, but it’s not far off. The interpersonal dynamics are probably much more complex than most of us could even imagine.<br>
Yet the shared dream is powerful gravity, and every individual seems to know how lucky they are to be where they are. The pressure and personal dynamics come with the territory, and may well foster necessary growth in their chosen craft.</p>
<p>Katesmom and Seat filler - My son will be attending in the fall. I want to thank you both for those honest and reassuring words. I watched the freshman showcase videos and it was quite obvious that the students worked really hard on that performance. I have to say that they all also looked really happy and you could tell that they were performing as a group. So whatever they go through during the first year it seems that in the end they are really able to show off what strong performers they are becoming.
Looking forward to my turn next year!!</p>