<p>Alright so I want to go to NYU for Musical Theater, but my resume and portfolio isn’t great. I have only been in 1 musical in high school(there has only been 1 in my high school experience). About a year and half ago I found out I was gifted in singing and I decided to take it to the next level which is why I auditioned for the musical. I then auditioned for the advanced choir in my school and made it. I started off this year, as a junior, and auditioned for a solo in our district competition. There was only 5 people chosen for this and I was picked in my choir. I competed and won 3rd in the Broadway genre. This year I am taking Drama and Advanced Choir, as well as the Drama Club, but I feel that this isn’t enough. I have began to build my resume because of Drama, but what else can I do? I really want to get accepted to Steinhardt, I went to their informational meeting yesterday and I am even more in love with the school. I have a 3.5 w GPA and 4.1 uw and a lot of EC’s. There will be another musical in my school this year which I hope to be a part of (it is Hairspray). For this musical I will try to get casted as the lead. PLEASE Help i really want to go to Steinhardt!</p>
<p>Thanks</p>
<p>At NYU, as with a variety of other BFA MT programs, academics and talent are weighted equally and you have to be admitted both academically and based on your audition. Generally, you can determine if you are academically competitive by comparing your academic profile with that which is posted for the most recent freshman class. There is no way, however, to measure or predict whether your audition will be successful. There are no objective “talent” criteria for admissions by which you can evaluate your chances and audition results are both subjective and extremely competitive. Far more students audition than spots which are available.</p>
<p>Other than making sure that your academics are at the very least solidly in the middle 50% range of admitted students or better, you need to get as much training and experience as possible in MT. Most students take formal voice lessons and dance classes and many take acting classes. There are numerous summer intensive MT programs for high school students that offer great training and an opportunity to experience how you fit into the mix with other talented students from across the country. Audition for as many high school and community theatre shows as can reasonably fit in with your other responsibilities. Prepare as fully as you can for what is an extremely competitive process.</p>
<p>Also recognize that it is a mistake to fixate on a single “must have” school. You need to have a diverse list of several schools to which you would be glad to attend. Because of the subjective and extremely competitive nature of the audition process, it is important to have a mix of audition based programs, any one of which you would be glad to attend. In addition, you should have a couple of non-audition BA programs on your list for which you are a very strong academic match; these are your safeties.</p>
<p>There is a pegged thread at the top of the CC MT page dealing with preparing to apply. There is also a thread containing the “Big List” of audition and non-audition programs. These threads are a good place to start to explore the process for applying to MT programs.</p>
<p>How is your dancing??</p>
<p>Its alright, I am good when it is choreography but I cant dance on the spot or dance to something I came up with. That would be the only problem with me.</p>
<p>For the most part, dance will be a big part of any audition you will do for BFA programs. There may be some exceptions, but few, if any. I know my daughter had to “ad-lib” her dance moves for a short time (maybe 16 bars) during several of her auditions. She did not audition for NYU so I don’t know what they require. You need to be as well-rounded as possible when you audition; good singing, dancing and acting skills. If you are not already doing so, take any dance classes you can to brush up on your skills. When you audition, programs want to see how well you take direction, and what your stage presence is like. Even if you are not the best dancer out there, you want to be relaxed and smiling during your dance audition. My daughter felt like she was having a great dance audition during one of her auditions last year- until her foot slipped and she landed right on her rear end. According to other kids who came up to us after the audition, she never lost a beat or her smile, jumped up and kept going like nothing happened. Afterwards, the choreographer made a point of saying that even professional dancers fall and it is how you handle it that tells what kind of a performer you are. She was accepted to the school. Keep auditioning and performing at any chance to get a lot of practice before college auditions. </p>
<p>To reiterate what MichaelandKat said, try to come up with a much larger list of schools you like. It is not realistic to say you only want to go to NYU- very few kids get into every school for which they audition. Some may only get into one school or none. Most of the BFA programs only take 12-15 kids and that is from the entire US and beyond. Some of the most talented kids you will ever hope to see do not get into their first choice schools, so it is important to have a number of choices. Have you actually been to NYU and seen the campus or any productions? If not, try to visit NYU along with at least 3 or 4 more schools to get an idea of what is out there. There are many great programs, each with something different to offer. Best wishes!</p>
<p>I actually am auditioning for Steinhardt’s Musical Theater summer program. I heard over 200 students around the country audition and they only accept somewhere around 40. From reading other threads and searching on their website, I learned that at Steinhardt they mainly look at singing, the major i would be going for is Vocal/Voice. This major is split into two sections Opera and Musical Theater . Tisch mainly looks at acting and dancing. I love singing and if I am not accepted to Steinhardt I have backups, but it is still my dream. Thank you very much for the advice. I think I need to take some dancing classes to be better prepared for my audition. If you don’t mind me asking, What school did your daughter go to?</p>
<p>Dancing, in general, is important for MT school auditions and certainly is important out in the real world of MT performing. That being said, there is a wide diversity of how MT programs consider dancing in the audition process. There are some schools where the dance portion of the audition is rigorous, requiring a good foundation in technique, and is weighed equally with the singing and acting portions. There are some where the dance portion is not given much weight and the school is interested mainly in seeing if you can move and take direction and where a strong background in technique is not important. There are even schools where there is no dance portion at all. It is important to research all of your schools of interest carefully to determine how dance fits into the audition process. That’s why coming up with a diverse list of schools is important; it maximizes your ability to tailor your list to your strengths</p>
<p>My D participated in Steinhardt’s summer musical theater program. Their degree is a Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance with either an opera or musical theater concentration. (There is no dance required for their college audition, by the way.) If Steinhardt is your main goal, I would take music theory and start private voice lessons if you haven’t already to develop your voice and repertoire. I believe sight reading and basic music theory are part of their audition process. You want your resume to reflect that you are a serious musician, then impress them with your voice. Good luck!</p>
<p>thank you, thats good!
I cant wait, but If it doesnt work out then I have backups…
I hope i get accepted to there summer program at least! 
Thanks again everyone</p>