We are new to the board. I’m writing to get advice on summer MT intensives. Our son was fortunate enough to get accepted to a number of them and we are struggling to advise him. Are there clear advantages of one over another? He is currently a junior and definitely interested in BFA next year. His summer choices are MPULSE, NYU Tisch, BUSTI, and Ithaca. All of these schools (in order) are on his BFA wish list. MT is relatively new to us so we really could use some advice. Thanks so much!
we are also trying to decide here… daughter was accepted to MPulse and Penn State so far (…waiting on Artsbridge) and really don’t know what to do. Obviously it is her decision but in looking online for info MPulse sadly doesn’t have sample programs or really ANY details on their website as to what would make me want to spend $4K + airfare on it. Aside from the reputation of UMich I don’t have much to go on. I would appreciate anyone who has experienced MPulse to share whatever they can to help us make this tough decision. Can’t afford both.
@El-Cee & @bizset I think you have to weigh the length of the programs, do the dates jive with other commitments you might have, college credits or not. NYC vs another area. With the NYU summer college there is an opportunity to and some required attendance at broadway and off broadway performances with talk backs with performers etc. My child did NYU. Was very happy there but ultimately chose another program for their BFA.
Thank you all! I agree El-Cee that I’m having trouble finding out about content at a level that makes it easy to compare. The reputation of BFAs are pushing him towards MPULSE or NYU but I’m having trouble finding enough information to know if that reputation extends to the summer programs. Even though he isn’t leaning in the direction of NYC for college, he really likes the idea of spending the summer there and that program is longer and sounds rigorous, both of which he likes (he also loves the broadway performances and talk backs component!). On the other hand, he has been talking about Michigan being his dream school since he decided to seriously consider going for BFA and likes the idea of checking it out. Its too bad he can’t do both programs (although even if dates didn’t overlap, the cost would be prohibitive -yikes:). Its very good to hear positive comments about both programs though. He is new enough to this that I think he would really grow and benefit from any high quality program and each of his options fit in his summer schedule. One specific question is the extent to which either of these programs helps them choose and work on audition material for next year? It would be a huge help for him to make progress on the material with access to experts. Thanks again so much for the responses!
@sandboxtime would you be able to elaborate at all on the content of the MPulse program? For instance, the Penn State program provides sample days online so you can see how full the schedule is, and I was particularly interested to learn that they film prescreens during several evening blocks. That seems quite helpful if a student has their prescreen rep prepped and ready to go, which is questionable since it’s literally the first week of the summer. We had this problem last summer with Pace. The BFA program is quite prestigious & competitive however there was virtually no information online nor reviews to go off so it really was a leap of faith. My daughter did wind up loving everything about the program and Pace is at the top of her college-list in large part due to here two weeks there. I just wish all of this didn’t have to be so complicated!!!
@sandboxtime would you be able to elaborate at all on the content of the MPulse program? For instance, the Penn State program provides sample days online so you can see how full the schedule is, and I was particularly interested to learn that they film prescreens during several evening blocks. That seems quite helpful if a student has their prescreen rep prepped and ready to go, which is questionable since it’s literally the first week of the summer. We had this problem last summer with Pace. The BFA program is quite prestigious & competitive however there was virtually no information online nor reviews to go off so it really was a leap of faith. My daughter did wind up loving everything about the program and Pace is at the top of her college-list in large part due to her two weeks there. I just wish all of this didn’t have to be so complicated!!!
My D did NYU’s summer program in 2013, and is a senior there now (she fell in love that summer). The shows and talk backs were particularly cool - and they got REAL people - Vanessa Williams/Cecily Tyson/Cuba Gooding all stayed after the kids came to see them in the play they were doing. They talked with Will Swenson (Audra McDonald’s husband) after his show and Audra arrived from hers and came out to say hi (D nearly fainted). Also, the class set up is a good mirror of what the studio classes - so you are getting to experience the BFA. D’s year they did work on some audition rep, esp song choice, which was helpful to D, but I would not say she came out with an audition package ready to go. Hope this helps- happy to answer any other question
@El-Cee I agree with @toowonderful. At NYU you will work on Monologues and Rep but you won’t be working on a prescreen package. There is group sing, And yoga everyday first thing. As a parent I was very pleased with NYU’s summer college. I thought it was a terrific value.
I would caution against choosing one summer program over another simply because they allow students to record prescreens. I would argue that a really good summer training program gives you things to consider and incorporate to improve your technique and song interpretation and acting. You would want to take time after the program to work on those suggestions and actually improve your performances before recording them.