How would a coach know any more about the real meaning of what was said and done in the audition room? Curious because there have been so many threads here which prove you can’t read much into it.
Is agree- after all, the coach isn’t in the audition- and didn’t see/hear how things went. They may be better at “interpreting” specific comments and critiques- but we all know schools don’t necessarily “mean” what they say (positive or negative) in the room
I think the value is that most college audition coaches have been through this process with these same schools and auditors many, many times. They have heard what was said to previous students and know what their outcomes were. So, based on these experiences, they can have an educated feeling about how your audition went. They certainly have no way of knowing for sure, and can only give you their opinion, but their opinions are based on many years of participating in the audition process.
Or do some of these coaches have special access to the auditors at some schools? I have the impression that the truthful answer to that question could in fact be “yes.”
The musical theater community is not large. Because of that, many audition coaches know many of the auditors at many schools. They are often friends and colleagues. So along with knowing historically the types of kids schools have accepted in their programs and what the auditors’ comments might mean, coaches may know auditors more personally and can thus have an opinion on what their comments mean based on their personal knowledge of that person. But I do not know of any “special access”. All students apply, prescreen, audition and are evaluated equally.
Of course there is special access. Moonifides for example provides special access. Many of these coaches hold master classes featuring the decision makers. I’m not saying there is anything wrong with it nor am I saying it changes the outcome for students both coached by and not by the people providing that special access. It still boils down to what you do in the room as well as how you prepared academically (if it counts) or artistically.
I was referring specifically to feedback specific from an audition. Do some of these coaches actually get provided feedback from the auditors which the students themselves rarely get as part of the application process? I was only talking about that.
That is an interesting question - do Moo, or Dave Clemens, of the people of MTCA get anything BACK from the schools- or are they just interpreting comments/platitudes
My D enjoyed speaking to her coaches after each audition. Her coaches were able to put whatever happened during the audition in perspective for her and made her feel good and confident for the next audition. My belief is they are just giving their interpretation of what happened in the audition room based on what my D described. I do not believe they are given specific feedback.
@halflokum We didn’t use the coach to get a read to predict results - we used the coach because after getting 5 different corrections on the mono - she had lost her original intent, and had become less connected to the material. The coach helped her reconnect and be prepared for future auditions.
The coach also helped with D’s heightened emotions and reactions to things that happened in the audition room. Reminding her not to read too much into anything that was said, and to remember to be herself - because that is always the best way to be authentic and genuine in the audition room.
And no… she never got any feedback from any auditor (other than comments in the audition room - if they were offered - and the acceptance or rejection letter) - either directly, or through a coach. I don’t think I suggested that she did.
Even the one school that she talked to extensively hoping to come off of their wait list, where she emailed directly with the head of the program - she didn’t get any feedback on her audition except for comments made in the audition room during the audition.
Don’t know how I feel about the whole coaching thing…I’m still not convinced it’s necessary to be accepted into a good program. I guess it’s the name “coach” I don’t like. Perhaps they should be called something else. Lol. I guess they do give those students who use them a leg up in the process. I wonder in the end how much difference it makes…
I guess it may depend on how much the student is bringing to the table. My son did not decide to pursue MT/Acting until January of his Junior year. He had limited formal training, ie., no voice lessons and only acting experience through community theatre and school productions. He attended a summer program before senior year, and honestly, the coaching was for me as much as him. I knew nothing until I found this forum. He began coaching September of senior year and had 12 sessions all together. I too had been on the fence about coaching, but after he received positive feedback from the summer program (CMU), I felt we both needed guidance and there was no one in our area to help us. I think the help he received did make a difference in his preparation and understanding of the process.
I have never understood why coaches have any negatives attached to them. If your child was an athlete, you would probably take lessons from a coach for him to improve his skills. Parents hire test prep coaches to help prepare students for the ACT and SAT. I am sitting at a math tutoring session with my son right now. She calls herself an academic coach. Hiring a coach to improve your audition skills and prep is no different to me. If you need help and you find someone who can help that makes sense for your family, why not learn from a coach?
Im not even sure why the word coach is off-putting. In college you are assigned a vocal coach in addition to your voice teacher. Seeking advice and training from knowledgable professionals in any pursuit is perfectly ok if it is something you need. In our case there was nobody in our area well versed in the MT college audition process. All I can say is that working with a coach gave us confidence in D’s audition material and her ability to present it well at auditions and our coach was with us from beginning to end to answer questions, decompress after auditions, commiserate when things didn’t go the way we hoped and celebrate Ds successes. She continues to check in on Ds progress and I think will be a life long friend. It was much more individualized attention than she received at camps. I get that some people have access to other resources or are more knowledgable about this process than we were. But for those of us who aren’t that fortunate, college audition coaching was the best money we spent throughout this process. And frankly I get very tired of having to defend our choice of choosing to use a coach. There is nothing wrong with coaching.
I’m not bothered by the coaching concept and I don’t think it is necessarily a negative thing at all. @vvnstar, I’m not sure every college assigns a vocal coach. No such thing at NYU Tisch that I know of. There is a private voice teacher and then of course a plethora of teachers for the various vocal performance classes but nobody is a quote, vocal coach that I’m aware of so that title is new to me. Anyway, it’s hardly a dirty word in my book. If a person can benefit from hiring a coach and can afford to do so, I say have at it.
@theaterwork of course it isn’t necessary. It’s not even remotely necessary. Unless they have a direct in to get audition feedback or other perks that you can’t get yourself, (and people here are saying they don’t) a college audition coach does absolutely nothing that you cannot do yourself if you are willing and able to. But note that I used two important words, “willing” and “able.” Are you willing and able to piece this process together? To learn what it is you need to know to be successful? To seek out and hire professionals if you need to shore up some of the skills needed to prepare? To create a community of people going through the process with you if you think you could use that kind of camardarie and support? To find suitable material which also means knowing what isn’t suitable? To research the pros and cons of the various program options? To make informed adjustments as you go through the process if you find out you need to? etc?
Heck no, you don’t need a coach to be accepted into a good program. You just need to be willing and able to manage the process so you can be as prepared as possible when it your turn. That’s all.
S is working with a coach he met during a summer camp and immediately trusted and respected. The following summer, we decided to use the money that might have gone to pre-college camp and spend it on sessions with this acting coach and an MT vocal coach instead. For us, it was a really good decision, as S feels he has progressed as an actor and is ready for auditions. What I find most valuable is that S really listens to the guy–even if I give him identical advise, it is the coach he is listening to. He is excited about the sessions and is always highly motivated and fully prepared. It has released me from a giant burden of responsibility and second-guessing, as both S and I feel confident he is getting good guidance, has picked the right materials, etc. If it was just me putting his audition plans together (even if the materials and prep were exactly the same), I don’t think S would have the same level of trust and confidence. It’s much easier for a teen to trust in a coach than in his own mother!
^^A perfect example of why hiring a coach can be a helpful thing to do. Still not a necessary thing to do, but helpful for sure.
I think whichever way you go (coach, no coach) you don’t know how it would have turned out if you had gone the other way- so to a certain extent the question is moot.
@toowonderful – you are correct. Not every school calls it a vocal coach. At Ds school the voice teacher works on technique, the coach works on rep and presentation. Other schools may handle the teaching of these skills differently. And precisely to my point, perhaps the word “coach” is used differently by different people and places. My main point was that there should be no negative connotation to the word “coach”.
@theatrework – I hope nobody has made you feel you have to get a coach to be successful in the audition process. That has never been my intent, or anyone else’s I don’t believe. But when asked about camps vs. coaching, and specifying you hoped to get help with college audition prep, I do believe your money is better spent on specific instruction for your child on monologues, songs and perhaps dance moreso than a camp. It will be cheaper for one. And they will be to focus on exactly what your student needs rather than do what a group is doing. You may not need to work with a college audition coach to get this help. Your current voice teacher, acting instructor, etc… may do a fabulous job helping you prepare these things. And that’s awesome if you have people in your area that can help you. My point continues to be I feel individual instruction that can help you prepare for auditions would be the best use of your time and money. I’m sure you will make the right choice for whatever it is you want to gain from your summer experience. Hope the information everyone has provided here has been helpful. There is no wrong answer. You just have to choose what is best for you and your student.
No, @vvnstar I don’t feel like I have to get my D a coach. I think someone to work on her vocal selections (her current voice teacher) and an individual for monologue selection help since my D is having trouble with this, will be what we end up doing. I see the point that a coach may be less expensive then a summer program and I agree it would be I guess if it was being compared to like the CMU summer program which is quite expensive, however coaching could get up there too as someone was quoting an average of $100 an hr for that and if you met with them quite a bit it could indeed add up. I know athletes have coaches, etc and I know people hire coaches for SAT prep etc…I guess I am of the thinking that is sucks for the kid who has great talent and no funds to get help. I see kids in that situation quite a bit. Hopefully that child’s talent will show through at the audition and hopefully they will choose the right material to sing, etc.so it does. yes, I know the “life isn’t fair” quote is coming and I know that. Trust me we are not in the greatest financial position to hire anyone for a significant period either. I am also not trying to make you defend your decision on coaching. It is obviously a controversial issue and I should know better then to comment on it…
@vvnstar - this is not important, but it wasn’t my comment that said some schools don’t have vocal coaches…
@theaterwork - please don’t ever feel you can’t comment on something on CC, even if it’s controversial. It should be a safe place to research and question. And we all learn from each others experiences and opinions. I hope CC will always remain a supportive and positive place for all. The truth is, no matter what the subject being discussed is, everyone’s situation is different, there are pros and cons to every decision, and each of us has to make decisions that best suit our wants and needs. I appreciate your thoughts and opinions on coaching - there are many that have the same questions and concerns as you do. I hope by my posting about our experiences with the audition process, it provides you with some good information for your own journey. There is no right answer. Do what is best for you. Wishing you all the best!