@singoutlouise - yeah, this isn’t a ‘one size fits all’ perspective by any means. And I intended it to be a bit cheeky. We actually came a bit late to the party, so didn’t have the years and years of lessons cost. However, I will say that our summer program was in the $12K range (for just one…counting up travel, etc.), so it can get out of hand fast. Plus, I used our own application and travel expenses as a proxy for auditions, so at least had some basis in fact to work with. To your point though, there are a million avenues to do this, and I was just pointing out one.
When my MT D was growing up, we paid for voice lessons, dance classes, piano lessons, guitar lessons, etc. And we paid for summer programs every summer. But this was not for the reason to get into college. I did the same for my other D who did not pursue MT in college…lots of extracurriculars, lessons, and summer programs every summer too. It was purely for enrichment/interest.
For audition prep for college, my D worked with her voice teacher she was already taking lessons with on her songs. We did get someone to help her on monologue prep “lessons” for about 5 months. Probably spent about $1000 on the monologue prep. No national coaches. We visited every college, including for auditions, but I did that with my other D too, no different!
I never spent more money for extracurriculars/lessons, summers, or college admissions for my MT kid than for my non-MT kid.
Come to think of it, my non-MT daughter has cost me a lot more than my MT one because she went to graduate school for 4 years (total of 8 years of education to fund), whereas my BFA in MT D earned a professional degree in 4 years. Also, my non-MT D was a ski racer in college and so we had to keep up with buying expensive race equipment and attire for that activity that my MT did not have in college (ie., her a cappella group cost us nothing extra).
Just one anecdote.
Hello. Can someone explain the programs at NYU Tisch? . It’s not relevant to my kiddo’s application process… I’m just curious. Do they have a straight forward BFA MT?
@cruisemama4 NYU has a studio system, which means that all of their BFA drama students are divided up among a number of studios, which have different methods of approaching the study of acting. A student is placed in a primary studio for their first 2 years of training. After their first 2 years, they can choose to stay with their primary studio or audition for an advanced studio which include a studio that focuses on film and TV acting or an advanced classical studio training. One of the studios, The New Studio on Broadway, is the studio focused solely on MT. If a student is only interested in receiving a BFA MT, when they submit their application to NYU they would indicate that they are only applying to the New Studio. Otherwise, a student can apply to all studios, which includes the New Studio. It is very difficult to transfer into the New Studio after 2 years because very few students transfer out of that studio.
@cruisemama4 - I can! 
Tisch has a studio system with 10 professional studios - the MT studio is the “New Studio on Broadway”, abbreviated NSB. It was started after 2009 when Tisch separated from CAP 21, which had previously run its Musical Theatre program. All Tisch studio graduates have a BFA - Drama, not BFA - Acting or BFA- MT.
In terms of “straightforward”… well? It’s Tisch! NYU has a really different approach to the BFA, there’s a balance in academics and arts that is kind of unique. After the first two primary years students can choose their electives and customize their course of study so different graduates will have different backgrounds but every graduate from NSB has at least 3 years of NSB “Studio” work - 3 days a week, 8 hours a day -studio work encompasses dance, acting, voice, group voice, music theory, speech, etc.
Following up on the great explanation that @jbtcat provided in post 2003, every Tisch grad, no matter which studio they trained in, earns a BFA in Drama. However most grads put their studio on their resume and it is clear that New Studio on Broadway is a musical theatre training studio, equivalent to a BFA in MT.
By the way, my D went to NYU/Tisch for MT. At the time the MT studio was CAP21, not NSB. She did CAP21 studio for 5 semesters and then switched to Experimental Theater Wing (ETW) studio, an acting studio, for her final 3 semesters. She still had private voice all 8 semesters. She also was in musicals while training in ETW studio. She was not the only one to train in the MT studio and then switch to an acting studio…for example, her friend and classmate, Rachel Bloom switched to ETW studio after CAP21 studio and look at her career creating and staring in her MT TV show, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend! Even though my D’s career is in Musical Theater and in music, she found the 3 semesters in ETW studio to be invaluable.
I just want to add that many students who study in the acting studios have MT talent and go onto professional work in MT. Off the top of my head thinking of my D’s friends at Tisch, a very good friend who trained in Stella Adler studio is making his Broadway debut tonight as the lead in a musical. Another friend who trained in ETW studio has played several significant roles in several Broadway musicals.
I cross posted with @CaMom13 ! 
@StanfordAI2019 - I know your post was just letting your analytical side rant a little and we all have been there, believe me. I used to joke that never before have so many people worked so hard to qualify for a job market in which they would be lucky to get any work! Most of us who exist outside of the arts world gaze in bewilderment at how hard our kids work at their art with essentially zero “promise” of remuneration. I mean - I love my job but if they didn’t pay me, I would not be there. And that’s a key difference between a profession and a vocation - with a vocation, you’d be there even if you weren’t paid. Our kids have a vocation… and they want to make it their profession. Some will succeed in that in various ways and at various levels. Others will walk away from college with 4 years of training in what they love best and they will move onto other ways of making money. Either way - it’s really not a bad thing.
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We were at my D’s last audition this past weekend, and she said, “You know what is really sad? I could go to any of the schools to which I have applied to MT that is a Liberal arts college and say, “I want to be a rocket scientist and create ships that will take people to Mars!” and they would say, “Welcome Aboard! We’d love to have you!”, but I say to these same schools, “I want to come here and improve my singing and dancing!”, and they say, “Sorry…you’re not qualified!””
Just the way it goes…
@cruisemama4 D is one of those MT students that auditioned acting only. However, she is getting dance in her studio every semester the first two years, and then I think dance is an elective. She, and some others in her studio, take private voice in the city so that all options are available when they graduate. Currently, she loves her studio and may not switch out after two years, but she is glad she has that option.
@Ontheverge Your comment about the last few months so resonates with me. I posted something to the same effect a while ago. I want to be having fun with her while I still can. My best spin on that (to myself) is that we will have come through this together so that, years from now, we can laugh about it together.
In response to @StanfordAI2019 post and to broaden what @onette said. I debated posting this for a long time but it might save a lot of heartache (and $$$) for kids in future years.
First off, I’m so sorry for @LinnyLou and @AnxiousNovice and the pain your kids have been through. It’s so tough. I think every “no” stings even for the kids that do wind up getting that one or more final “yeses” that they are ecstatic about. Unless someone passed every prescreen and every audition (Maybe there is one kid out there somewhere, sometime that has done that but that’s one in a million), every one of the people going through this has had that no that still stings even years later. Believe me, grudges are held even as my son is starting his 2nd semester in MT. Maybe your kids did what I am about to suggest so please don’t take this the wrong way.
I would suggest that the single BIGGEST thing a kid can do BEFORE jumping into this process and pouring their heart into a BFA is get SOME TYPE of external affirmation of their talent from a disinterested third party - not grandma that thinks you are the greatest singer of all time. @onette mentions an audition prep camp, which is certainly one way to get that brutal but encouraging feedback she mentions. There are other things outside of a camp like that where your kid can get ONE OR MORE OF THESE validations for little or no money:
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I think they need to have performed in a competitively cast production OUTSIDE OF their high school. Yes, performing arts high schools and even some very large school districts are “competitive” but sometimes there is a bias of the director and your kid may be the favorite or the director has a policy of giving leads based on seniority, and yes, unfortunately, there are camps that will give parts to the parents that pay the most tuition. If you audition in front of a regional theater director that is a “stranger” and still get the part – that is validation from someone that is not influenced by educational or monetary goals. Being the lead every year in a school that has 15 kids try out for 15 parts is not always a good indicator to dive in head first and spend $300,000 on this.
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Your kids needs to be recognized through an award or competition for their talent, outside of their high school (see a theme here). State acting finalist, regional “Tony” award nomination, competitive dance trophy winner, regional “Idol” competition, part of an “all star” competitive performance group, etc.
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Your kid has been evaluated by a past or present industry professional and received the feedback that they have what it takes. Kind of a pre-screen on whether you should submit pre-screens to colleges before spending the money. Yes, it could kill a dream but better to pay for it once before you pay for it 20 times. Very similar to @onette recommendation but it doesn’t have to be a full blown camp. Ask your drama teacher, coach if you have one, crazy uncle that has been acting as a hobby for 20 years – someone will know someone that will be willing to give you an assessment of your talent, not always free but hopefully honest.
My son was very fortunate to have a drama teacher freshman year in high school that had been in the business for 30 years. We approached him when my son was 13 years old (he was a young Freshman) whether he thought my S could make a living on stage he said “Pursuing and acting career would not be a waste of time for him”. How’s that for a non-guaranteed, non-committal answer - recognizing the uncertainties of this business. Nobody can say – “You will absolutely be a star on Broadway” and if they do, I would get a 2nd opinion and question their motive. But the point is, it was an affirmation to take the next step and spend the next dollar. He also had a few examples of bullets 1) and 2). We wouldn’t have spent the $10,000 on dance and vocal lessons for 4 years just “because its fun”
So here’s the punchline (if you are still with me): there are exit ramps all the way through this process from their Kindergarten music recital to their Senior Musical. For every example of that kid that wakes up at 17 with an undiscovered talent and decides they want to perform for a living (and makes it on god given talent alone), there are thousands of kids that never make it despite working their entire lives for their “dream”. Before you spend $300,000 chasing this, get an external assessment before you apply to college, before you choose a major, before you spend money on dance lessons, before you spend money on an audition camp, before you spend money on a college coach make sure you are measuring your skill set against a pool larger than your high school drama club and getting the affirmation to continue. This is automatic in sports (as someone pointed out in another post on CC) – you are either the starting QB, win a state championship, receive all conference, all state, featured on the ESPN high school game of the year, AND HAVE MAJOR COLLEGES COMPETING OVER YOU TO COME TO THEIR SCHOOL. Wouldn’t it be nice if the tables were turned and theater kids were recruited like D1 athletes?
I don’t mean this to discourage ANY kid that believes in their heart this is absolutely what they want to do. And I can’t apologize enough if I’m saying something that is hurtful or you take this as me saying anything about not being “good” enough (not my intent at all). Bad auditions happen, kids get sick during unifieds, kids do pick the wrong material and still make it after a reassessment and gap year. There are also those kids that go to school in a rural farm town with a high school of 100 kids that DO wind up making it into a top 5 program and wind up working professionally. Or don’t even pursue a BFA at all (Carrie Underwood comes to mind – she majored in mass communication at Northeastern State University). You don’t have to be a working professional or national championship dancer and star in the Nutcracker as a feature dancer every year in Chicago at age 4 to get professional preparation out of an intensive BFA program at ANY one of these schools. But you should also have some measure of recognized success prior to standing in front of adjudicators at Carnegie Melon Nov 1st of your senior year in high school.
@DramaLove2020 Truly, right now I cannot really imagine doing it again and I posted not too long ago “never again.” I am just hoping that it is like childbirth: after some time passes you forget the intensity of the pain enough to do it again.
Thank you all for the great answers! Love this resource
@Jpkcmo I agree with every one of your suggestions.
HOWEVER, my D did EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THOSE THINGS and still has 15 nos and not 1 yes yet. So just to say that even doing all of that is just no guarantee.
And, the corollary to this comment is that my D has high school friends who have done NONE of your suggestions and who are now at Tisch and Michigan and CM. So just to say that if you cannot afford some/all of those suggestions, do not necessarily despair.
Just a question that no one has really addressed, how does diversity affect many acceptances in the schools?
@AnxiousNovice yep, that illustrates that there are no absolutes in this process. And not to be the king of controversial topics but it is marginally easier (statistically) for boys. The applicant numbers are still big for boys but slightly bigger for girls competing for classes that shoot for 50/50 mix.
@Jpkcmo You absolutely nailed it with your response. I can tell you over the 30+ years I have taught, I have had so many parents and kids come to me with dreams of stage success beyond high school. I am very open and honest. If you really want to pursue theatre, then willpower and desire alone cannot be all you bring to the table. Many people are talented and sadly, that isn’t usually enough. There is so much more…the ability to take criticism and critique and act upon it, the ability to be open and honest with yourself about your strengths AND weaknesses. And be able to develop a thick skin. You will need it. (Trust me, I have a lifetime of growing thick skin and I’m still working on it!! LOL) I am just like that teacher you mentioned. I would not encourage a student to pursue this if I didn’t believe they had potential for success. And I always make every kid I do help have a back-up plan. I won’t help otherwise.
There are other roles in theatre besides performing. I didn’t honestly know that going through. I had an encounter with a famous playwright who taught masterclasses at my theatre school who told me I should direct. When he did this, I was stupidly upset. I was young and didn’t realize what he was telling me. He heard me giving instruction to help another director communicate a scene and the actors in that scene. After hearing it explained four times, I walked over and figured out a way to state it that they understood and immediately “got.” When I heard the words “you’re not an actor, you’re a director” I took that as an insult. I cried. But years later, I got it.
There are also roles in casting, tech, producing, teaching…all things that keep you anchored to the theatre you love, but that aren’t necessarily performing. When I was 17, however, I could not see myself doing anything BUT performing.
I only WISH I could have had someone watching out over me and helping me through. Imposter syndrome is VERY real with artists. You doubt yourself OFTEN. And you wonder if all those awards and compliments and praise were real. That self-doubt can be debilitating and getting the “inside” of you okay and strong and well as an artist, in my opinion, is equally important to the “outside.” That’s why I love the fact many schools are providing wellness checks and programs for their artists. Again, not when I went through.
Marymount is sending emails. My DS got an email notifying him of a status change. Had to check portal.
CAP21/Molloy is sending emails!
@iowamtmom My D’s BFA MT program strives for diversity, and I expect that is true of most programs nowadays. Her freshman class of 26 was evenly split by gender. I would say 16 of them are white, and 10 of them are African American, Latino, or Asian. Beyond the obvious advantages, I think this also expands their world view and helps them grow as actors. So if, for example, you have a daughter who is white and hopes to attend a program that is taking 10 females, she would be competing for fewer than 10 spots, possibly more like 5-7 spots max.