@SpartanDrew wrote: Do you recall how early your kid got their prescreens in for Purchase and New School? D has had hers in for awhile. Everything but NEC was in by NOv 1.
Note that at some schools, there is no correlation bx date of pre-screen submission and response time. All pre-screens are held until after the deadline and then listened to by committees. However I’m sure some differ…but my D’s experience was hearing back when everyone else did…regardless of submission date.
The only correlations we found was between requested audition date (if asked on application) and response time. If you requested a late Jan date (with other choices being mid-Feb and early March) you would be in the first group to hear back.
And btw…you need deep pockets to be in the audition game…whether that is fair or not.
Here is some advice (although I imagine many have already thought about this if you’re as nerdy as I am): When D and I traveled for auditions, we always did carry-on with a suitcase each and we packed a full audition outfit (dress folded in a plastic bag to ease wrinkles, shoes, hose, etc.) in each bag in case we had to gate-check and one got lost. Music went in her backpack (audition info will usually tell you how they want the accompanist’s music). We brought a small vaporizer which she used each morning. She had a go-to breakfast that she felt energized with and we pre-ordered that by room service each night. I brought anti-bacterial wipes and wiped down the hotel rooms’ handles, light switches (auditions were during stomach flu season Jan-March). Speaking just for us, we developed a routine and the routine made her feel comfortable and in control. Also, hotels were great about letting her use an empty conference room to run through some things.
That is extremely helpful advice @momzhood and honestly I wouldn’t have even thought about half of it. I think we will do every single thing you mentioned right down to the vaporizer! Those hotel rooms are brutal for being dry.
I second everything @momzhood says above! And if it’s not too soon, @SpartanDrew , I’ll add some of my own wild and crazy audition trip recommendations! note: non-singer families may think these tips are *extra, and that I may have gone off the deep end, but if you have a singer, I recommend you do as many of these things as possible.
Audition flight carryon should (as @momzhood says) include EVERYTHING S or D needs for auditions; music, accompanist folder, audition wear and shoes, medicine, toothbrush, healthy snack, tea bags, honey, and some makeup (singers, lol).
Antibacterial wipes: wipe down everything you may touch in every airplane (tray table, seat arms, lap belt, etc.) and all doorknobs and light switches/phone/clock/remotes in each and every hotel room.
Travel humidifier! We purchased one to set up in each lodging that used a water bottle as the vessel… it worked GREAT and we kept it running 24/7 when we were checked in. The only downside to ours was it required distilled water, which can be hard to get on the go (seriously…the unit wouldn’t run at all when we tried to use non distilled water, so check this out before you buy).
Personal humidifier: I think @momzhood alluded to this! My D already owned a mypurmist and she brought it on the trip and used it each and every morning and evening. Remember, airplane travel is seriously dehydrating!
Humidiflier: we purchased, and wore, something called a Humidifier on every flight. Look online. I was skeptical about this originally, but my D wouldn’t fly without it now.
We packed a pillowcase for my D and just put it over every hotel pillowcase (I told you guys you were gonna think I was off my rocker).
Try to find a lodging roughly half way through your trip where you can do laundry (AirBnb or some hotels offer this).
Eat “in” as often as possible…we were even able to arrange for Whole Foods to pre deliver groceries to an AirBnb we stayed at. Everyone just feels better when they are eating normally and healthy (hey! I think they delivered distilled water for us, too). Another benefit of an AirBnb or even a Bed and Breakfast is they often allow you to practice on site. Be sure to arrange this in advance.
If your trip is long (I traveled with my D a full 21 days in a row for the bulk of her auditions), it is nice to have at least one lodging give you a little “space”; I usually tried to get hotel rooms with 2 beds, in case I came down with a cold, so perhaps my D could avoid getting it. But somewhere along the line it’s nice for each of you to have a little space; perhaps separate bedrooms or a secondary room of some kind. Just a thought.
Our final outcome was that I came down with a 3 day virus and D wasn’t ill once during that 3 week trip in February, despite some 7 flights. Make sure to leave space in your schedule for weather related delays, plan in some down days full of just fun and sight seeing (or just collapsing), and you’ll have a trip with S or D you’ll never forget!
WOW @dramasopranomom !! Honestly, after everything we went through with our trip to Loyola and D getting sick, I think we will take every bit of that advice. I’ll start looking for some of the things you’d mentioned, humidifier etc. The personal one is new to me so if you have any info you can share in a link in a PM that would be fantastic. I booked a VRBO house walking distance to Frost awhile back. Problem is I had to pay 100% in advance with 100% refund for cancellation by 12/13. Based on the email we got yesterday I’m doubtful we will hear by then. I don’t know what to do on that. The hotel situation near there isn’t great and this little place is honestly perfect. And I’m with you, getting groceries and cooking in as much as possible is way more preferable to us. Especially since D is a vegetarian.
I sure am glad I have this thread so I can go back and refer to your awesome post of advice in the next 2 months as we start this journey! Thank you so much!!
If you are pushing up on the date, you can call Frost about the results. Some people may disagree…but money is money and if you are polite and have a reason and it’s close…I think it’s OK.
We did that with Jacobs. We changed the audition date after submission by calling (we moved it up) and then got to almost the 3 week mark prior to the audition…my “this is ridiculous” line was crossed…so I very politely called and explained that we could see a significant increase in cost if we didn’t hear soon…any news on when we will hear. They told me they would be going out over the next few days but were kind enough to check if my D had passed. They said she had and said they would put her on the top of the pile as they understood her audition was coming up quickly and they could see we had to fly. They didn’t treat me like I was “crazy helicopter parent”, they were respectful.
Just remember those pre-screen results can be sitting on some admins desk for a week or two…
I don’t think that’s being a helicopter parent at all. Money is money and every day those airfares go up a lot. I hadn’t planned to move the date up but now that you mention it maybe we should. I don’t know. OUr options are limited between my work travel and her audition travel. If we were able to move Frost to Feb 3rd does anyone have an opinion on whether it’s better to do all at once over a ten day period or knock one out in one trip, come home for a couple of weeks then go back out for another one?
My D had her first audition this weekend. It was a six hour drive and, had I not been driving, I would have slept the whole way home (as she did). What an exhausting experience! Having an “N of 1”, I can see how a student and parent could easily get worn out and sick. I can’t imagine being on the road for a long trip without resting at home for a bit. Of course, you do what you have to do to make it work.
FYI, last year I was able to get decent air fare deals for the audition destinations with 4 to 5 weeks in advance. The exception was New York. For some reason flight tickets to NY for the end of Feb. beginning of March were very expensive.
@coloraturadad that was our experience, too. @BearHouse YES! The visits and auditions are exhausting. We did stay on the road for a full 3 weeks, but we planned in a lot of down time; this is key. Travel is exhausting. Being “on” for college visits and trial lessons is exhausting. And, of course, the auditions themselves really take it out of a kid! If you can’t go home, or a full day of additional travel is required to get home, you really have to get a comfortable lodging and take it easy; sleep in, eat well, watch a movie, have a good practice session, decompress. So important!
I hate hotels (unless I get an upgrade to a suite) and try finding a vrbo wherever possible. I think being in a tight room is challenging especially for something like this which is why I snagged the awesome little house by Frost when I could4. Hope I don’t have to cancel it…
Sooooo as I lay awake last night going through every imaginable scenario I started to really have a panic attack about being out on the road for 12 days should D be invited everywhere to audition. I’m starting to rethink that strategy and take earlier advice about possibly moving up the Frost audition to 2 weeks earlier. So ideally we would go there for 4-5 days, come home for 2 weeks then go to Boston/NY for just short of a week. I think it would be better for school as well as maybe even overall health with travel like that. Does anyone have an opinion on that one way or another? Again, this is all provided she is invited everywhere…
We traveled to five auditions. It was nice coming home in between, and I’m glad we did it that way. With S’s soccer season and having a ten year old at home, it was the only way for us. Still, it was nice to be in our normal surroundings, eating our normal food, with our normal people, in between all the stress and excitement of auditions. YMMV.
What is it that causes panic about being on the road for 12 days - something hard to mitigate, such as amount of lost work income, or something else - missing the dog, neighbor is a pyro, etc?
@BassTheatreMom what does YMMV mean?? Haha! @GoForth once again your posts makes me long for the :)) button below the comment!!! For sure missing the dog! Vacation time will be a big factor for me and difficult. I just wonder how long is too long and exhausting? How long were you and S out? I feel like it makes more sense from an overall health and exhaustion aspect to break it up maybe…
I should add, we live in the Dallas area, so S was able to drive to UNT, SMU and UT Austin, so that took a lot of pressure off for us, “only” flying to five. Not eveyrone is in that situation.
