<p>Ericsmom, MTmommy and the others: How wonderful for the kids (and their faithful moms) about this casting. As I wrote on the cmu pre-college forum, it is my daughter's observation that the CC kids are so much better informed about the college process than others. And here's to their collective talents as well!</p>
<p>ericsmom, congratulations. i'm so glad eric is having a good time and all is going well for him. so sorry we didn't get to connect but we will soon. are they in walker?</p>
<p>Since the BOCO summer vocal program has not gotten much visibility within our prior CC discussions, it may help other students and parents to hear a little from the two CC "pioneers" trying the program this summer. A. C Bay's D and my S are there right now and we are getting occasional cell phone messages indicating that it is intense but really worthwhile. It's a two-week intensive with classes from early morning until 8:30 pm daily, performances on both Fridays and a culminating concert of musical theatre scenes, opera scenes, full chorus, and solos. A relatively new program, in its prior 3 years it appeared to be focused on voice performance. BOCO's literature has now started to split the focus between voice performance and musical theatre, so it may appeal to more CC readers. My S has already had some great conversations with BOCO faculty and students who are in "recruitment mode," from what I can interpret. Since he's only a rising junior, this is a good early exposure to what's coming for him after next year! If anyone wants to peruse the program brochure, it's at this link: <a href="http://www.bostonconservatory.edu/programs/SC05Policies.pdf%5B/url%5D">http://www.bostonconservatory.edu/programs/SC05Policies.pdf</a></p>
<p>Ericsmom - congrats - I know all the kids are going to love this camp. My S was up for Stars 101 and saw and visited with the campers that checked in on Sunday - many of which he knew from last year (Stars 101 had the 3rd floor of Walker while the campers are on 5).</p>
<p>Musicalthtrmom - Do you know where Cinderella from last summer is going to school?</p>
<p>Mtpop...
Cinderella is a rising JUNIOR in high school this year. She's still got some time...but I'll bet we'll find her studying MT or Voice somewhere wonderful in a couple of years!</p>
<p>Good luck to your son C....I know he'll be very happy at OCU...it's a great place and I look forward to hearing his stellar voice in a few years after the wonderful training he will receive. He sounded great last summer....I can only imagine how his OCU training will add strength to his gift! BEST of luck to him in the coming years!</p>
<p>UMich's summer program starts on Sunday. To everyone on the board going to the program- I cannot wait to meet you and safe travels. </p>
<p>See you all then-</p>
<p>Nick</p>
<p>Nick,</p>
<p>I can't remember where you are in the college process (rising senior? junior?) Is UM one of the places you'd like to go? If so, I'd be glad to help answer any questions about the program.</p>
<p>I hope you'll keep us all updated on what the summer program is like and how you are doing. You're going to learn so much with the terrific faculty and I'm sure your "classmates" will be very talented! Have a ball!!</p>
<p>Hello to all CC parents from OCU Land. I was very happy to get the chance to meet so many of the wonderful CC parents at move in day. It was nice to meet you all. Here's some of our first week's news!</p>
<p>I have to tell you....we have an amazing group of talented, bright, professional students at OCU this summer. And, as Ericsmom mentioned, it took us two days to cast Footloose. This is because of the great amount of talent we have. We were able to come up with six or seven possible performers for EACH role. However, everyone in the cast is singing and dancing! We will be very excited to present Footloose to you in 2 weeks!</p>
<p>As you know, our program is a professional experience program. Our aim is to expose and prepare your child for music school and a career in this industry. OCU's program is structured that the students take classes in the morning, followed by an afternoon of master classes (voice, acting, etc) and then rehearse in the evening. The day starts at 9AM with either dance or acting (depending on which group a student is in) and then they swap classes at 10AM (acting to dace and such). At 11AM, student are in either music theory or piano. After lunch, the students go into master classes for voice, acting, improv, audition/cold reading or theater vocabulary (my classes!). And then...night rehearsals. We keep them very busy from morning to night.</p>
<p>Tonight, we have the first of our student musical cabarets. Students will be performing at the OCU student center for each other. Yesterday, we have an amazing pool party and outdoor movie night (yes..they need a break...and so do the counselors! :)</p>
<p>We are in our third day of Footloose rehearsals after three days of music rehearsals (where they just learn all their music parts). Because of the great amount of talent, we have also cast understudys for principal roles and we just had our first understudy rehearsal today.</p>
<p>Well..off to dinner! Again, we thank the parents who have been kind enough to let their children be part of this amazing experience. We have very high goals and can't wait till you'll be able to join us for the show! Till then...all the best. And we'll take care of them! :)</p>
<p>Checking in from OCU. Everything is going great, we have an incredibly talented cast and it's been a blast!</p>
<p>ocuMTinfo--Thanks so much for the detailed description of the kids' activities. You gave me way more info than I've gotten from my daughter since she got there. She's been too busy to talk to me, so I know you guys are really keeping her occupied. You're right about taking care of them, too, because JoBeth did a great job taking care of my daughter when she needed it!</p>
<p>Babygiraffeboots--I'm so glad you're having a great time!!</p>
<p>Omigosh - ocuMTinfo - Thanks so much for the wonderful update and the nice things you said about the kids! You made me cry (happy crying, which I always do when my kids do well)! I'm also very glad for the description of what they are doing, as I hear very little from the boy! My friends tell me this is good - he is certainly not homesick. I'm so impressed with everything you are doing there. The girls from here call their moms more, and I heard from one of them that Eric loves it there. I think he is really in his element. He may not want to go back to HS for senior year since he'd so much rather study this stuff than regular school! I don't even know if he is performing at the cabaret. </p>
<p>Thanks for keeping us updated!</p>
<p>Well, he called me tonight! Thanks to whoever put a bug in his ear about my posting (babygiraffe???). I got a good update, he's busy and everything is fun, lots of new friends, and the show is going to be great!</p>
<p>Babygiraffe - can you share what you are doing in the show? It sounds like everyone gets much involvement.</p>
<p>I took the opportunity to take a short trip with HS chums and just got back. Messages from my D have been sporadic and brief. However she has told me that she is enjoying it all--Food choices (enough vegetarian options), fitness center, and even the weather. The classes and counselors are "Awesome" and the kids are "Insanely Talented" and "Really-Really Nice." She was cast as a shadow in the show. She feels the concept is "Brilliant" and is eager to perform in her role. I am proud of her pluck and grateful that the program offers this "Crazy Fantastic" opportunity to learn.</p>
<p>Hi, Sasha's mom - I met her very briefly as we were leaving Monday - I think she got in from airport after orientation began. We were separated from the kids by then, but hopefully our kids have now met! Thanks for the great update from her!</p>
<p>Look for me on the 29th with flag lapel pin (maybe red jacket) at dinner and show.</p>
<p>D got a nasty ear infection--3am call from her!--well at least it provided an opportunity for a call:) They took quick and great care of her, got her to a clinic and to pharmacy for meds. Rest assured, the kids are in great hands!</p>
<p>To those who have (or have had children) attened different summer programs, could you please rank them (and provide commentary on your rankings)? Also, what is the percentage of College acceptance for those who attend the summer programs (if you know)? Thanks.</p>
<p>vocaldad</p>
<p>S attended OCU summer program between sophomore and junior year is HS. Last summer he attended a local (Tucson) program through Arizona Theatre Company and U of AZ. He is also attending that program this summer, and they are taking some out of town students this year. Both were very good. He was accepted at ASU (AZ) and OCU but decided not to do any more auditions after his OCU acceptance.</p>
<p>Hello all from Oklahoma City University! We've had another long, productive week...and also some fun.</p>
<p>"Footloose" has come together wonderfully. Our students have been able to learn their songs, dances and dialogue in just a week and a half. How will they ever be able to go back to high school shows which take a month or more to block? :) We finished staging the entire show last Saturday. Our approach is one that requires the student to be fully committed to the process by learning their stuff as quickly as possible (just like thr real world!). That means the student must take some of their free time to do the work they're responsible for (just like the real world!). We're all very excited to present the show this Friday. Also, we look forward to presenting our students in the pre-show dinner/cabaret which the are in rehearsals for now.</p>
<p>We had our final Sunday night student cabaret which allowed our talented students to present their favorite songs.</p>
<p>The week also saw a concentration on vocal master classes from Brenda Holleman, OCU vocal professor, Jan McDaniel, OCU vocal coach, and Dr. Herendeen. In these classes, students may sing a song of their choosing and then receive assistance on technique and acting choices. I also presented a career preperation class where we discussed resumes, audition song choices, their song books, current Broadway casting, Actors Equity and much more. They also developed their character development skills with improv classes as well as their daily acting classes. Add dance, theory and piano classes and you can see they've been busy.</p>
<p>We had another fun Saturday activity as we took the students to Oklahoma City's Six Flags/Frontier City amusement park.</p>
<p>Well...back to Footloose! All of the staff looks forward to meeting our parent's this Friday. Also, we are in the planning stages for next years fantastic OCU Vocal Arts Academy Musical Theater camp. If you would like to be on the mailing list, feel free to email the director, JoBeth Moad, at <a href="mailto:jmoad@okcu.edu">jmoad@okcu.edu</a>. Thanks!</p>
<p>So I'm new to all this. I've been acting and singing since I was in fourth grade. Musical Theater is what I want to do for the rest of my life. Which brings me to my question. I am looking for info on summer programs that will prepare me to reach my goal of getting a BFA and going to New York. I have been reading through the thread and I have found alot of good information. But I'll admit sometimes it's hard to find what Im looking for. I guess I'm looking for the basic information reguarding these programs, and then I can start looking at the sepcifics. So if anyone feels like they can help me with getting an idea of what all these programs are about feel free to e-mail me.</p>
<p>OCUMTInfo, thanks for sharing about the summer program happenings down at OCU right now. Sounds very exciting and intensive. One of the things you commented about struck a chord with me. That is, your remark about how the kids are putting the production together in such a short time on top of all the rest they are doing there and then going back to high school productions that take WAY longer to rehearse a show. That is exactly my take on my own D's summer program at Stagedoor Manor. It is funny cause two days ago when I was attending the 30th Anniversary event for SDM, there were several alum who have made it in the industry who spoke to the audience. One of them (sorry it is a mish mosh in my mind at the moment as to who said what) was joking about how he went on to some professional theater thing where they told him how difficult it would be to learn the show in four weeks time and he joked about what was the big deal about FOUR weeks because he was used to putting a show together in about 16 days all through his youth at SDM! This is so true. The process you describe at OCU pre college program, which is similar a bit to the one at SDM, is a bit more like the real world in terms of time. I know my D does get frustrated sometimes to go back to high school theater or community theater where they rehearse a show for 2 1/2 months, sometimes spending a week on one production number after what she is used to at her summer immersion program. She is now doing a professional show at home that also rehearses only three weeks and likes it much better because it is kinda like her summer program that way. I know a professional job she once did where she was responsible for learning the music BEFORE she started rehearsals, and then rehearsed one day in NYC (this was for a musical opera) and then one day at the venue in the cities she performed at, and ONE rehearsal with the symphony and that was IT! You HAD to learn it all quickly. So, going from those experiences, and ones like at OCU MT summer program, really prepare you for what it is like in the real world, but also make it feel a bit tedious when returning to high school productions that work at a much slower pace. </p>
<p>To Vocaldad who asked: </p>
<p>"To those who have (or have had children) attened different summer programs, could you please rank them (and provide commentary on your rankings)? Also, what is the percentage of College acceptance for those who attend the summer programs (if you know)?"</p>
<p>I do not know of any rankings of summer theater programs. As far as college acceptance rates for those who attended these programs....I doubt that exists either. Here is my take on it. </p>
<p>First, from personal experience. My child went to a summer theater program for eight summers. We never chose it with college preparation in mind. For one thing, she started there at age nine, so who was remotely thinking of college then? But in any case, in ANY year that she has gone, it was never seen as preparation for college. She went merely because she loved being immersed in theater for the summer. The aim of her program was not to get kids into theater programs on the college level. Not everyone who attended even had that goal. Some go into other fields and some might do BA degrees where they still either major in theater or do theater as a heavy extracurricular activity. Some go on for BFA degrees. There is no college prep for auditions at her summer program. However, in retrospect, upon reflecting as to "where are they now going?".....I was just at a reunion of her summer program two days ago, and just amongst my D's friends/peers from her summer theater program who just graduated high school, here is where they are going: (some are going for BFAs and some for BAs and some unrelated to theater): NYU/Tisch (some to CAP21 and some to Acting studios), CCM, Boston Conservatory, U of Miami, UMichigan, North Carolina School of the Arts, Boston University (BFA Acting), Yale, Harvard, Cornell, Penn, Tufts and then if I add in kids I know from the program from the past couple of years there are many going to these same ones but also to CMU, Syracuse, USC, NYU/Steinhardt, and Emerson. This does not even count other BFA's they were admitted to which include other ones (that I am aware of): Ithaca, Purchase, and Penn State. So, while the program is not meant as a pre college preparatory program, kids have gone onto most of the well regarded BFA programs, as well as selective BA colleges with active theater programs. </p>
<p>My feeling is that one should not pick a pre college or summer theater immersion program with the intent of it being a boost to BFA college admissions. I really do not see them this way. What I see them as is an opportunity to be immersed in their passion of theater and to get additional training. One does not HAVE to do a summer immersion program in order to get INTO a BFA program, not at all. To get into a BFA program, someone needs training and skill in the disciplines of acting, singing and dance but can acquire those skills through a myriad of experiences. As well, I think it is helpful for those going on in this field to have done many theater productions and have had stage experiences. Again, you do not need to do a summer program to get this experience. There are many ways to do this. Some kids attend performing arts high schools but you do not have to do that either to get into a BFA program. Some might have less opportunities near home and then the summer programs are an opportunity to get some of these experiences not offered where they live or else to be IMMERSED in them while not also going to school at the same time. It is also a chance to be with a more talented pool of kids from all over (which is sorta what a BFA program will be like). It is a chance to see if you want to eat, breathe and sleep (what's sleep?) theater 24/7 which is what a BFA will be like too. I think summer programs are great but should not be seen as a stepping stone to college admissions. That way of thinking reminds me of the other forums on CC where kids think they must attend a pre college academic program as a boost to look good on their college application. But that is NOT true. A summer academic program is certainly appropriate for kids who enjoy and want to study something over the summer but it is not more valued by college admissions officers over someone who did a sports summer program or a job or did theater all summer. The summer program is beneficial for its own value, but not needed to get into college. I would send a kid to a summer theater program if he/she really wanted to do it for its own sake and to have an immersion experience away from home. For some, it solidifies their desire to go on in the field and for others maybe not and still for others it is really enjoyable but not what they plan to do for their college career or life's work but valuable in itself. I have another D who went to a summer program in theater for four years but is not pursuing that in college. It is one of her many extracurricular loves but not her life's work. So, pick to go to a summer program in theater for its own sake and your own interests. It won't get you into college. One progam is not gonna look better on the theater resume/application than the next. What will matter is that the child has the skills, experiences and developed passion and is ready to know this is what they want to do and somewhat knows how to do it. How you get to that point....there are many avenues....and summer programs are just one experience of many to get there. </p>
<p>Susan</p>