I am wondering if anyone has attended Carnegie Mellon’s summer pre-college program in the last few years. D was accepted and it very excited but 6 weeks seems like a long time! Still waiting to hear from Emerson and NYU. Thanks for any insight from those in the know!
My daughter attended CMU’s program the summer of 2014 and absolutely LOVED it. Yes, it was most of her summer, but honestly, we barely heard from her she was so busy and having so much fun. I think the best part of CMU pre-college is that the kids are working directly with Don Wadsworth and Gary Kline and gaining valuable insight into preparing for the college audition process from them. She also liked that CMU’s pre-college program is broader than just theater and has kids studying things like engineering, robotics and video game design. She’s heavily involved in a robotics competition program here at home, and she wound up with two groups of friends from CMU that she still communicates with - the theater kids and the robotics kids.
Son attended CMU’s pre-college program summer of 2013. It was an invaluable experience for him, and helped us know that he was on the right track. He was very late to the MT/Drama as a potential major party, but 6 weeks of attending classes that he would have as a Freshman BFA helped him know that it was a path he wanted to follow. Son ended up hanging with a group of video game design guys, and doing the voice acting for their project.
TPAP is a group of about 100, a big range of ages.
Can someone help us to understand how does CCM Immersion Program works? Does the tuition listed on their page cover the dorms / meals, or is is a separate expense, and in that case, how do you apply for it, and how much does it cost? I can’t find any information about it whatsoever. I can always call them of course, but not before I ask around here, because someone, I am sure, knows the answers 
There is a separate link under Immersion for “Housing”
Thanks so much! Found it
I’m a newbie here… please be patient if I put this is the wrong place:) My D is a Junior at a Performing Arts HS. She is a strong dancer since she was 3 in all areas but loves and shines in Mth. She has a great voice, vocal training (3 years) and had a few acting lessons as well. She has done two musicals (ensemble parts) and just got her first job ever - community theater Memphis ensemble (youngest person in cast). Her dream is definitely Broadway. Two years in a row she has gotten a callback for the lead female in her school musical but gets beat by a Theater student every time. She has auditioned for several SI - Broadway Theater Project (accepted), Broadway Triple Threat (accepted), Jacobs Pillow, AMDA, Pace, BOCO and BUSTI. She has 2 objectives for this summer before college auditions: 1) The best training possible to strengthen her acting and singing to make her competitive in the Triple Threat arena - (I’m thinking BUSTI). 2) Get a feel/rule out a college she is considering/conservatory vs univ. Although BOCO seems to match - it seems that this and many MTh SI programs will focus on your strength which is nice but for my D, wouldn’t give her the training in areas that she needs to be competitive in upcoming auditions. Thoughts or opinions are GREATLY appreciated!!
During summer 2014, our then rising high school junior daughter attended (back to back) the 2 week Pace Summer Scholars program in MT, followed by Broadway Artists Alliance as a vocal major, auditioning into both by video. Together, we found them one of the more affordable summer options (with a roommate for one of the nearby hotels for BAA) and a good length, and this was one of the best decisions of her path to preparing to audition a BFA MT program, coming from the San Francisco Bay Area, where she has been performing steadily. She learned a great deal including that her contemporary repertoire (from shows that had then never played in our region) was considered overdone, the locally accepted resume format did not translate nationally, and her character heels were the wrong color. She also had the extra year to intensify work on her dance skills as well as to have some coaching sessions on Skype to work on both repertoire and developing her belt sound. Her experience also helped her answer the question: is this what you really want, despite the challenges? (Yes).
Pace provided a good intro to dorm living as well as useful feedback on her skills. A few things about the program: it is (or at least was) taught not by Pace faculty but by grads of the Pace program BFA MT. In addition to the MT focus, there was a considerable amount of time spent on field trips around New York City. No one who attended during that summer (mostly rising seniors) and applied was offered a Pace MT slot. Several are attending other MT programs including Michigan, Emerson, Hartt and Roosevelt. BAA gave the students more independence, and it was especially nice to have that once she was more familiar with the city.
Thank you - great feedback!!
D was accepted yesterday from the wait list to the NYU/Tisch Summer High School New Studio on Broadway program. She is now deciding between NYU and Carnegie Mellon’s summer musical theatre program. NYU was her first choice all along but after researching both programs, we are not sure which one to choose. They both offer so many opportunities, but Carnegie Mellon is 6 weeks vs. 4 weeks in length, provides audition classes (which would be helpful for next fall’s college auditions) and gives the option of private voice lessons (for an additional fee). NYU takes the kids to a variety of theatre performances (about 7) and also provides college credit for the courses taken. Does anyone have experience with both programs or thoughts about which program might provide the better experience?
@MTsg17 - My D was also accepted to both CMU and NYU summer programs 3 years ago. She chose NYU and she would say it was a “life changing” experience. And since she ended up at NYU for her BFA- those 6 credits have come in handy
My D attended CMU last summer. She needed to solidify in her mind whether she really wanted to pursue a BFA (vs BA) and she was looking for help with her audition book. She felt she got both at CMU. She did private voice during her stay and said she got the most useful voice instruction she’s ever had (she’s an Acting major so can’t speak for MT candidates who have more vocal training than she does). The 6 weeks did give her the chance to experience that first round of homesickness (lined up almost perfectly to the mid-point and parents’ weekend!).
My D was not seeking college credit and knew she did not ultimately have the stats for NYU (thus, it was not on her radar). If college credit is something you would pursue, CMU would not be the program for your D.
Best of luck!
@MTsg17 I think she would get great training at both but I’ve known quite a few really talented kids who did the CMU program and none of them got in and they even tell you that on their website. It says something like only one or two have gotten in over the years so don’t come if you are interested in it to try and gain an audition advantage. Not how it’s worded but that’s the gist of it. On the other hand, I feel like I’ve seen several here on CC who got substantial scholarships and admittance to NYU after their summer experiences. If NYU is a top choice for your daughter, I’d really look into it. It’s definitely not a guarantee of admission but it does appear that it may offer an advantage so if NYU was a top contender for my D and she got in, we’d be there. But I am all about the big picture and if she just wants overall audition help and training, then CMU may be a great fit. My opinion only so take it with a grain of salt and good luck!
I absolutely think attending the Tisch summer program at NYU was instrumental for D. 1st of all, it showed me that college in NYC was going to be ok- and that NOT something I was sure about before. 2nd - D knew 3 out of 4 people on her panel when she went back to audition in Feb. Hugs all around, she felt confident in front of them, and they knew her.
Who actually teaches the CMU program? Is it full time faculty from their undergraduate program? I think that makes a big difference and is why the summer programs at NYU (both Tisch and Steinhardt) offer a real sense of what the undergrad program will be like, and will provide students the edge of getting to know faculty that will be on the auction committees. NYU professors run and teach the programs.
CMU faculty members (but not all) do teach at the summer program.
Does anyone have any recommendations for a summer College Audition Prep intensive in NY? My d attended an MT college intensive last year, but she is not looking to do that again. I did see Making It On Broadway has a 2 day one but it is in Oct.
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Broadway Artists Alliance is also offering a College Audition Workshop in NYC in August. Here is more info on that one: http://www.broadwayartistsalliance.org/programs/college-audition-workshop/
I’m sure there are others but this may give you a few ideas.
Thank you @vvnstar