<p>Maybe my daughter gets the same type of thing during the school year, but I am sure she would much rather weeks of musical theater and a sleepaway too without the core classes! lol. She really would have loved something like that! I knew that people did send their kids to summer camps for weeks at a time but never thought they were specialized in terms of theater or whatever. Never even thought to ask. How awesome! I guess I was always totally in the dark about that... </p>
<p>But, I think my daughter has grown up with a lot of the same influential experiences with our local theater here that your daughter got from stage door. My d has changed and grew because of opportunities that have been presented to her from a lot of places, but primarily this one community theater. They are her second family (as she calls it). She has taken classes there....volunteered there...taught classes there...helped with auditions. It is such a huge part of who she is today! She has a love for the people there and has been blessed to be given some fabulous opportunities there. I can't imagine her life without them. I know she can't either. She tells me all the time how grateful she is to have had such a wonderful place to spend her child and teen years growing up. I'm sure your d feels the same about stage door. </p>
<p>So I think there are certainly options for everyone in terms of summer programs....local and sleepaway....inexpensive to expensive, and if your child walks out saying I love it and want to do it again and they grew for the experience....What more can we ask for????</p>
<p>Lisa,</p>
<p>Ummm...the coffee shop & lazy visit sounds good right now...but no, it's off to my son's track meet in the cold! Brrrrr....Maybe I'll at least pass a starbucks on the way!!</p>
<p>Kathie, that's just it....it all depends what opportunities are available where you are. You don't NEED a summer theater program away from home necessarily. The theater where you live sounds fantastic and has classes and youth productions and so forth. We have NOTHING like that here whatsoever. For my child, she counted the days each year to go back to Stagedoor. So, I think some of this is a matter of availing yourself of which resources are in your area and piecing together whatever you can to achieve interests/goals. We don't have drama at our school. We don't have youth theater. We do have school shows. We have a dance studio 25 miles away. Voice is 50 miles away. There are community theaters, big and small in the wider region. There aren't youth theaters/productions, though, or much in the way of theater classes. And certainly no performing arts high schools. So, we piece together what we can here, did summer programs far away, and you do what you can do. ONE (of many) factors in my D's desire to graduate early was that artistically she felt she had availed herself to the fullest and highest levels of her local resources and was ready to move to the next level of her training. She had other reasons (social, personal, academic) of course, as well. </p>
<p>She'll miss SDM as she has moved on but in some ways, a BFA program is like her grown up Stagedoor :D. </p>
<p>i am so happy to have found thiis place in cyber space where other people are living my life! The locations are different but it is all so the same and I do feel blessed to be able to be here for my kids and grab my coffee to go.</p>
<p>My D is going to apply to summer programs this year 0 between Jr and Sr year and I don't know yet how we will swing the costs if she gets accepted but I believe that we have to give her what she needs to reach her goals. If she were as invested in being a champion horsewoman, I think I would find a way to get her a horse and whatever else she needed, so I'll find the $ somewhere and yes, she has a part time job
(when she can get there) so will help with summer program costs.</p>
<p>I'm laughing at your car description. That is my van every single day!! My sister gets so upset that she constantly tries to reach me at the house and I am never there. Her suggestion was to sell the house, live out of the van and just save the mortgage payment! Sometimes it feels like that!! (except I just don't think I could sleep comfortably without my bed...and I need my shower!) We have so many dinners in that van and I can't even say how many changes of clothes we have done and still do! It's Crazy what we do! But then again....I can't imagine my life without it. </p>
<p>Kaysmom, I never did figure out how to add a shower to the car. BUT, let me again say, my life in the car has diminished since both flew the coop. I have some long drives out of state and stuff like that but not the daily 100-200 miles that I did for many years. </p>
<p>Dinner is actually at dinner time and in the house. What a concept. </p>
<p>Still would any of us have had it any other way when they were growing up? Seems not!</p>
<p>A shower for the car would be nice, but you know what's almost as lovely? Heated seats! We recently purchased a used car that is nicer, used, than most cars we have had new, and one of the best things about this vehicle is that it has heated seats. Now that it's cold and I seem to be spending more and more time sitting at the curb outside dance and theater rehearsals waiting for my girls to come out, I find I am practically wallowing in the warmth that comes up from these stupid seats. Simply put, they make me happy! How sad is that? :) But I think any other TaxiMoms (and Dads!) who drive as much as I do would understand.
And Susan, you are right: I wouldn't have it any other way.
Lisa</p>
<p>Well, in the south, no need for heated seats, but when we bought my last vehicle, it had to be a Suburban so that we could have room for all the sound equipment for events, as well as the friends that went with us. And the next requirement was CD player. And when she left for school, what made my cry every time was remembering all our hour long drives to her voice lessons. What precious times those were. So many hours just to share her company and laugh and talk. What a wonderful bond we developed through that. And how many times was she getting ready for a dance or some other event as we drove. And the meals we ate in that truck!! You all are right, you just live in that vehicle.</p>
<p>Interesting to note that the summer program is three weeks long this year instead of two. They did ask for feedback from past participants, so perhaps the program length was increased as a result??</p>
<p>For those who are interested...
Perry-Mansfield NYC audition info:
This year the audition will be held on Feburary 12th from 1-3pm at The Juilliard School
This audition is for dance only,
open to male and female students age 13-21,intermediate or advanced level.
Students must call us (800-430-ARTS) to pre-register, and must arrive 30 minutes prior to the audition
with a $20 application fee and dressed for classes in both ballet and modern.</p>
<p>Also regarding Perry-Mansfield:
If anyone wants a list of the instructors and their bios from last summer's session, I have a five-page WORD document with most of them listed that I can e-mail to anyone who e-mails me.<br>
This includes the instructors for masters classes and regular classes in dance, drama & MT, as well as the director for their production of Cabaret.</p>
<p>I have to be honest, I have not spent much time reading this thread recently, but I do want to put a plug in for the CMU summer program. My daughter attended this summer and it was the best thing we could have done. We are in the middle of the audition process and three things really stand out. First is the overall preparation that they provided. Point Park notified her today she has been accepted and we still have several more auditions. I am sure without the CMU program she would not have performed nearly as well. The neat thing about the CMU program is the focus on preparing for auditions. Second is the network of support she has received. We have not gone to an audition yet where their has not been atleast one person she knew. Usually 5 to 10 people. I cannot emphasize enough the calm and peace provided, during a very stressful situation, when my D walks into an audition and has a tremendous number of peers to support her. It seems every school we go to, there is someone there who attended the program. Finally is her overall confidence. The change in her has been nothing short of amazing. What ever happened during that 6 weeks has given her the confidence that she is on the right career path and that she has the capability to succeed.</p>
<p>yeah i second what bearcaat says about the CMU program. while i am still waiting for acceptances (hopefully waiting!!), i really felt going into the auditions so much more prepared than i would have been otherwise. the program was just perfect in so many ways and not JUST for the audition process! everyone who goes this summer, you are so lucky!!!! it was amazing!!</p>
<p>Since audition is not required for the CMU summer program, and since the school seems fairly academic, I'm wondering if H.S. academics play into the decision-making process for acceptance into the summer program. Does anyone know if kids active in thier local theater programs but with marginal grades (3.0 gpa) and PSAT scores are accepted to CMU???</p>
<p>I do not believe that grades have much to do with admittance into the CMU theater pre college program. Clearly, they do in the academic programs the school also runs. It is my belief that if you get your application in on a timely fashion (since admission is rolling) and the student profile shows a clear interest in theater, you will get in. For the same reason they are not asking for a audition tape, they will not pay too much attention to grades (IMO). Having said that, the program is wonderful. </p>
<p>The program as a whole (theater and academics) gets lots more appllications than they take. I am trying to remember the number given to us over the summer. I cannot say one way or the other how many of the would be theater people were turned away (if any) for any reson other than running out of space.</p>
<p>I know that they dont take everyone because at the info session at the beginning last year the said how many applied and how many they took and I vaguely remember it was about 1/2-2/3 that were accepted. I think that getting it in early is important and I think they are looking for kids that show a serious commitment to theater. I dont think academics or PSAT's matter that much. It is a wonderful program well worth the money. It gives the kids an idea of just how intense a conservatory style program is. My D said some kids decided that it really wasnt for them Paying $6000 to find that out before you start the college application audition process is better than spending $44000 for a freshman year and then having the kid decide its not for them and having to transfer out. For my D it just confirmed what she had been saying all along that an intense MT program is the ONLY thing for her</p>
<p>Based on our experience, I concur with what is written above. If you are interested in this program, apply early. I would keep a close eye on the website as to when they post the application, but I would also contact the program's' admission office by phone as well. This program fills very fast. Also, once you submit your application, follow up with the school to make sure they received everything they need. We have had trouble with CMU, both the summer program and undergrad, with them losing information, checks... Had we not made the follow up call, we would not have learned that they were sitting on her application waiting on our check. After several phone calls and mailing a second check, it turns out the check was found. I will say, we have found the people in the summer program's admission office to be very nice to work with.</p>
<p>Thanks to everyone who is encouraging about CMU pre college. It really helps to hear how worthwhile something like this is when considering the investment. When you say early are you thinking now or is January, February still early?
Har</p>