<p>My D is going to Webster for MT. She was accepted at her performing arts high school senior showcase.</p>
<p>Congratulations to Sissy's daughter and welcome to the forum, as well!</p>
<p>That sounds very cool indeed to get into college at such an event. I had no idea there was anything called a senior showcase in high school or that colleges visited. This forum has opened my eyes to the many experiences and situations across the country. I have read of college fairs with regard to performing arts, college reps from these programs visiting high schools, senior showcases at PA high schools that college reps attend, state wide thespian festivals or similar type events or competitions where college theater people also come, various state awards to theater students (like Tony awards) and much much else. NONE of these things happen where we live :). I live in the boonies. Nobody in my neck of the woods has a clue about any of these programs and no college folks come to VT looking either, LOL. Those state wide events and awards sound really interesting. My D has friends in Florida who have done these. Anyway, I'm continually learning here about all the opportunities and experiences that abound in various parts of the country. Those performing arts high schools sound really great and I bet my D would have enjoyed going to one. None are in our state however and we did not opt to send her away. And she has done fine here and has had various opportunities that we just piece together (and drive, and did I say drive???). :) I think it is going to be very neat next year when she meets all these kids from around the country who have had such varied backgrounds yet share this common passion of Musical Theater. She does have many friends in other states who she has this in common with but very few in our region (a couple though). I know her horizons will be broadened by meeting many of the kids like yours when she leaves home next year. </p>
<p>Wishing your D well at Webster and I hope you will share about her experiences there next year so that others can learn more about that fine program. I had not heard of it until I learned of the terrific time that 5Pants twins are having there. </p>
<p>Susan</p>
<p>Hi, Sissy! Congrats to your daughter! I hope you'll keep up informed next year about Webster. What did your daughter do at the showcase that got her in? Was it a full-length musical or cabaret performance or dramatic piece? </p>
<p>Susan--Your boonies sounds like our boonies, 3000 miles apart, except we get mountains of traffic going through ours. But the schools here, etc., are equally clueless. My D's school has over 3000 students and nobody has ever done the "audition circuit" before.</p>
<p>Thank you! She is extremely excited about Webster and has heard so many great things about their Conservatory. She visited for a couple days recently and was amazed at the talent she saw. She sat in on their rehearsal for Into The Woods. In fact, she met the twins! Her performing arts high school is great and she loved all 4 years of it. Norah Jones, Eryka Badu, Roy Hargrove, Eddie Brickell are a few of the alumni that came from her school. She received wonderful training there and will miss it, but is very excited about this next step in her life. 5Pants is great and has given me LOTS of great information on Webster as well as her 2 sons. She is the one to ask for sure. We all will be rooting for Norbert Leo Butz for a Tony (nominated for Best Actor in a Musical this year), as he is a graduate of Webster!</p>
<p>Sissy,</p>
<p>So glad to see you posted!! I took the liberty of adding your D to the "Decision List for 2005" post....nice to see Webster finally on the board. Hopefully others will come out of lurking mode and post their decisions to go to Webster!!</p>
<p>Sissy and others!! I owe you emails, my apologies for not doing so....with A&N back, my email/internet has literally been hijacked by their router and laptops!! They are wireless...which is nice, but I am sometimes internetless because of it!! LOL We will have to compromise!! At least I have internet at work.</p>
<p>It feels so great have have the guys back home. Energy level in our home has gone up 400%....I have gone back to buying a cow for the refrigerator each week...of course I jest, but 8+ gallons of milk per week has to be close to a cow. The dinner table has taken on new life and I think our youngest son has come close to choking on his food a couple times due to the funnies my N says at the table....it's a pure pleasure.</p>
<p>In just 3 1/2 weeks they begin rehearsals for an equity production of "Brighton Beach Memoirs" playing Eugene and Stanley...so their energy will be channeled to that.</p>
<p>Take care all...and I will definitely be back in touch soon!! Just wanted to let you know that I didn't drop of the edge of the earth. LOL!! ;)</p>
<p>SUE aka 5pants</p>
<p>mtmommy</p>
<p>Colleges from all over the U.S. came to her school to see their senior showcase. She showcased in MT (songs/monologues) in the theatre dept., and showcased in dance in the dance department of her school. There were also reps there to see students in the costume design & tech design departments as well as the visual arts department and music department. Berkley School of Music in Boston and BOCO come mainly for the music dept. kids and BOCO for the dance dept. This happens every November at her school and is a 2 day event. So to answer your question, the MT audition was exactly like all MT auditions.</p>
<p>Wow! What a fantastic experience for your daughter and the other studenst at her school! Very impressive--and how convenient for you!!!</p>
<p>Sissy, I am wondering if your daughter goes to school with MTPop's son. They are also in Texas. We met up at CMU's audition and I recall them talking about how the son got into BOCO back in Texas (though he has opted to to go OCU now). And even then, it was the first I had heard of kids getting accepted into these programs other than either at the campus auditions or at the Unifieds. He knew it during the fall too, like your daughter. In any case, it certainly sounds like a very neat opportunity where you live. My horizons have been so widened by meeting everyone on this forum from all corners of the US who have been involved in this field. While our kids share this common passion, the experiences have been so varied here and very interesting to read about!
Susan</p>
<p>I don't know. My daughter's high school is in Dallas. I know BOCO held dance auditions in Houston. But he could have auditioned for BOCO for dance at her high school also. Is he a dancer? They didn't audition for anything else at her school except for dance. CMU was there too, but only accepted kids for Costume and Set design. I know one boy was accepted to CCM for acting. Do you know where in Texas they are?</p>
<p>We know a girl who just finished her freshman year at Webster. She loves it! She said she took 20+ hours each semester last year and is registered for 26 hours in the fall. Does Webster count their credit hours differently than most universities because those number of hours per semester are just not normal and really unreasonable.</p>
<p>2DsnMT-</p>
<p>The credit hours at CMU fall anywhere between the mid 40's and high 50's.</p>
<p>Hi. I read a Webster student's blog and here is what was said about cuts. The freshman class was down to 24 from 37 in April before final evaluations. Somebody congratulated this person saying it is "almost unheard of" to not get put on warning as a freshman. The sophomore class had 5 kids cut and 5 more on probation for junior year. They were down to 14 from 22 that started as sophomores. That leaves 9 rising juniors that didn't get cut or put on probation. If 35 started out as freshmen with the rising juniors, that is only 40% still there and 25.7% not cut or on probation. Is this true? Is it normal at Webster? It seems brutal and ridiculous to me. You have to expect some kids to not work out but that is a worse rate than CCM and DePaul. My acting teacher says the good schools lose around a third by graduation and the best ones do everything they can to make sure the few kids they select in the first place graduate. Webster is def on my probation list and about to get cut. I don't want my parents to pay for college and buy me the Sword of Damocles. Can anyone dispute those numbers?</p>
<p>triplethreat-</p>
<p>I will have one of Ss address your question(s) so that it comes from directly from a Webster conservatory student rather than second hand information from me. I can tell you however, that neither of my Ss were given "warning" in their freshman year. They showed progress and dedication in all their work, which is something any school is looking for...it's as simple as that.</p>
<p>Watch for an entry from either A or N (my Ss)....I am sure they would welcome private emails regarding this issue also.</p>
<p>Hey, I just read some of the previous postings about Webster and would love to answer any questions you may have.</p>
<p>First of all... as far as I know Conservatory students at Webster are only allowed to take 18 credit hours. I know for a fact that any Musical Theatre student at Webster is not allowed to take any more credits then that. </p>
<p>Secondly, it is true that my freshman class started at 37 and is now down to 24... but, people have to keep in mind, kids do leave or change their major. I would say out of those 13 people about 90 percent of them left because they decided too. The other 10 percent were redirected because the program wasn't right for them or there was poor attitude or work. The class above me had four people asked to leave, while another one was asked to take a one year leave. An additional four were put on what is called probation. Probation at the third year level is basically just a way to make sure you receive extra help in an area they believe needs a little work.</p>
<p>Webster does not have a cut system like schools such as DePaul. I was accepted into The Theatre School at DePaul and so I am familiar with both systems. At DePaul it is a must for the faculty to cut 25 of the 50 students at the end of the what I believe is the first year. Webster does not have any set finishing number at all. Our class started at 37, so that means the graduation class could be a number of 37 or a number as low as one. The ending number is simply determined on A.) If the program is right for the students, B.) How many students change their mind about wanting to act for the rest of their lives, and C.) Work ethic.</p>
<p>Neither my brother or I were put on warning during our first year at Webster. I can actually think of at least ten of us who weren't. Most of the other students were put on warning because of missing homework, but were all taken off at the end of the semester.</p>
<p>It is funny triplethreat that you say the good acting schools only lose about a third... cause that is Webster's average. It has swung both ways though.</p>
<p>Webster is not a program to fear, and is nothing close to a brutal program. They are a nuturing program who are out for your best interests as a student and a person. I'm pretty sure I know of the blog that was read, because he happens to be one of my best friends at Webster... very talented kid too... but believe me, if you asked him, he wouldn't have a bad thing to say about any of the faculty or program at all. </p>
<p>Well, I think I've said all that I wanted to. Feel free to e-mail me with any other questions!</p>
<p>-Nathan</p>
<p>I have always heard that Webster was a top notch training school for musical theater, but recently someone told me that they are geared towards acting and vocal, but not dance.</p>
<p>Could any current students please address this, as continued upper-level dance training is very important to us when identifying the top musical theater schools on our list for auditions.</p>
<p>If I had to say Webster was geared torwards anything it would be acting. The conservatory itself is a program that concentrates on acting. Now, if you are a Musical Theatre Major your credits that come from outside the conservatory are dance and voice based. In order to graduate from the MT program a student must have taken up through Ballet 2 and Jazz 2. You do get a strong education in all three aspects of the craft. As I've told other students who are looking at Webster, the dance program is all based on what level you enter the school at. A lot of kids do not have a strong dance training, so they begin in Ballet 1 where they are taught the fundamentals. If a student enters a program with a strong dance training they begin in Ballet 2. </p>
<p>It is really hard to find a program that gives the same amount of attention in all three, usually one is focused upon. I looked into heavy acting schools because acting not only helps singing performance, but dance performance as well. Sometimes the problem with programs that focus on all three is that everyone who walks out of there is the same... its what some call a cookie cutter program. </p>
<p>Nathan</p>
<p>Dear "Nasty" Nate,</p>
<p>I hesitated to even type "Nasty" Nate because I have always been so impressed with your posts.....I even wrote to your Mom about them!</p>
<p>However, I'm not sure why you think that programs that try offer strong training in voice/music, acting AND dance are more likely to turn out "cookie cutter" performers than those that are noted for strength in one or two disciplines only. I posted a response earlier today on the thread that reprinted an article from the Arts and Leisure section of this past Sunday's New York Times (5/22/05) about the dearth of dancing on Broadway of late. I gave my opinion about what I believe to be the importance of dance to MT training and to MT performance. I hope you will have a chance to read it.</p>
<p>Please believe that I know that not everyone interested in MT is going to be a dancer. And as an old theater major and actress, I would never discount the importance of strong acting training. Needing to be able to sing or, at the very least, sell a song is a no-brainer......you aren't going anywhere in MT without it. But at the very least, I think you would have to acknowledge that dance training helps in creating a sense of body awareness, fosters musicality and has something important to contribute to the overall training of any potential MT performer, whether or not they aspire to "hoof" it on stage. </p>
<p>Having access to strong music, acting and dance training creates cookie cutter performers? If you really believe that, I'll honestly look forward to hearing why you feel that way.</p>
<p>But again, thanks Nate, for your always thoughtful and helpful responses. You and your brother clearly continue to help a lot of people from CC. Much appreciated.</p>
<p>Thanks Theatermom for the respectful on honest reply to what I wrote,</p>
<p>I totally agree with you that a strong dance knowledge is important to the craft. In fact, I feel that it has helped my performance a ton. Not only does it increase performance abilities but body awareness... as you pointed out. </p>
<p>Let me explain what I tired to say in my previous post about cookie cutters. What sometimes happens in programs is that the faculty try to produce an idea rather then an individual. Most of the students walk out of the program all the same type, and that is usually the leading man or female... which happens to be a great role to have. What is missing though, are the character players as well, because they are a part of both Musical and regional theatre. Most of the top programs don't have this problem, but it does sometimes happen.</p>
<p>I hope I cleared some of my thoughts up. Thanks again Theatermom for being honest with me about what I wrote... feel free to ask me anything else on this view or any others you may have!</p>
<p>-NLB</p>
<p>Hi Nate,
I was wondering if you could be a bit more specific about the dance at Webster. If a student enters with strong dance is Ballet 2 or Jazz 2 as high as a freshman can begin or is it possible to place higher - I presume there is a jazz 3/4 and ballet 3/4? Also, do you do tap and music theater dance as well? My S, also called Nate, is a very strong dancer and would like to continue his training while working on his music theater. Do you take classes with dance majors or are the classes only for MT majors?</p>
<p>Nate, Thanks for taking the time to respond to our questions. It really helps us in our college search.</p>
<p>MTaussie, Good questions! I am eager to hear the responses, as I also feel that students need to be placed into dance classes at (or at least close to) their current level.</p>