What are My Chances of getting into a Musical theatre program next year Honest Opinion?

College Majors Musical Theater Major
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After 1 year of being a BA theatre major(basically being a 2nd class citizen to the BFA Acting and Musical theatre majors) at my college as a freshmen, I’ve decided to take a gap year next year to get ready for auditions for Musical theater in jan, feb and march 2018.

after not really noticing it my first 17 years of my life, I found the world of theater when I was a junior in high school and fell in love with it instantly and decided to major in it. I just started singing in a musical theater class at my college this year and during the class my passionate professor made me want to do musical theater as a career and my iPhone has been full of cast recording ever since september 2016.

I’m new to singing and honestly my voice needs help(but have gotten better with lifting my soft pallate) but I need to work on alot of things like tone, breathing, belting without constriction it sounds like mickey mouse when I try to do it sometimes, I have problems singing with a breathy voice sometimes, I need more resonance, I kinda fixed my nasal sound quality lol, I mostly need to learn how to belt because there is alot of that in the musical theatre songs I choose.

I know I have alot to work on in terms of my voice, But I know I can get better before these auditions for musical theatre next year and I’m planning on doing everything in my power to get into a musical theatre program next year, to getting quality voice lessons to help me, an audition coach probably Mary Anna Denard( I’ve emailed her), Dance classes consisting of ballet, jazz and tap ,auditioning for local plays and musicals ,taking piano lessons to help me with music theory, Acting is the strongest out of all 3 and the other 2 o loare at a beginning level. It would be easier for me to get into an acting program but I just see musical theatre performances at the local theaters and colleges and at the tonys and I see the amazing musical numbers with all the extraordinary dancing and singing and I just want to be able to do that I know its going to be a hard and long road but I have just got to try.

I dont know How I’m going to pay for all this lol, My parents aren’t in my life that much and I live with my aunt and she barely makes over $20,000 a year, I’m planning on working 30 hours a week during this gap year and maybe even taking out loans to pay for the college audition coach help. Im also planning on auditioning at at more than 15 BFA programs making a smart list with some reach schools.

Male, African American, 5’8", 160Ibs, Untrained Tenor Voice

@itzseansimpson on instagram or twitter if you can find me I have a jean jacket on on my profile pic, to get a better look at me

I know this was long but Thanks to anyone for reading this and hopefully responding ,it means alot to me

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What do you guys think of my situation and chances?

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You are adorable! I think Mary Anna Dennard is a great idea, and being a boy is a terrific advantage. The bottom line though is can you sing. Many schools are happy to let their BFA actors (and BA) audition for Musicals, so if that is your strength, don’t discount that as a tactic for getting into a good program. Some schools don’t, so do your research. There are many newer and up and coming programs you should have on your list. Also, ask your dance school for work/study. Many places will barter for administrative or cleaning work in exchange for classes. Lastly, get the best voice teacher you can, above all. Your dance skills will be forgiven at many a program if you can sing and act.

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You want an honest opinion, so I will offer one. (It may not be a popular opinion- but is coming from someone whose child has been working professionally for 10 years- and I don’t believe in blowing smoke up someones A** ). If you want to have a career in Musical Theatre, you HAVE to be able to sing. And you have to be able to sing REALLY WELL. The competition is fierce for theatre jobs so a so-so voice won’t cut it. There are certain things that can be done to improve someone’s voice, but there must be natural talent there. I would suggest if you are interested in hiring Mary Anna, that you ask her (before hiring) for her to give an honest evaluation of your voice. I would do the same with the voice teachers you know. Ask for an honest evaluation of your voice. If they see/hear natural talent that can be improved- great! But if they don’t feel your voice can be improved to the level that it needs to be for this incredibly competitive business, then maybe MT is not the path for you. You might want to pursue Acting if that is your strength. Getting an accurate evaluation of your abilities is necessary to know if you will be competitive in this business. Also, you may (or may not know) that the audition process itself is quite expensive, so be prepared for that. And many of these schools are VERY expensive. Some will not even give need-based aid, which I am guessing you will qualify for based on what you said about your family situation. So make sure any schools you are looking at do offer merit AND need-based aid. I promise I am not trying to discourage you from pursuing your dream, but want you to go in with eyes wide open to the hurdles you might face. I wish you the best!!

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Mary Anna Denard and other coaches do offer need based scholarships, so I would encourage you to ask.

I think your drive and passion are terrific!! However, I do agree with @stagedoormama, that you will have to be able to sing well for MT–it’s taken for granted that you can sing really well. After that, they will look to see if you can act while you sing etc. However, based on your description, it’s hard to tell if you’re just on a steep learning curve or if you don’t quite have what it takes at this point. I agree that you need someone with an honest evaluation.

Based on what you say, it may be a better plan to apply to BFA acting programs. Hear me out–I know MT is your love.

With pure acting, since you say it is your strongest skill, you will have a higher chance of getting in. Then once you’re in you can take voice lessons for 4 years, and dance lessons, and - in many programs - audition for the musicals. And you would get the core of your training in acting, which is a great thing since a strong performer will have acting at the base of his/her singing.

You say you’re a second class citizen to the BFA program in your current school. That can happen. Thus, when you apply, do not apply to schools that would put you in that situation again. Apply for BFA in Acting.

Do make sure you apply to a wide range of programs–some have excellent need based grants and others don’t have as much. I would not take out loans for the training before I auditioned. I would work with folks who can give you a scholarship because it sounds like you have high need. Also if you’re free and reduced lunch, most programs will waive the audition fees.

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It’s sounds obvious, but the most important factor is how good you are at acting, singing, and dancing - and how honest you can be to yourself about these skill sets. You will have an advantage getting into an MT program as a diverse, male candidate, but is by no means easy and the skill sets of the competition is very, very high.

Not knowing your skills, I’d consider theatre BFA or BA programs that allow auditions for the musicals and that allow/encourage some training in voice and dance. You may be better positioned going to college as an actor who can additionally sing rather than a less-experienced musical theatre performer. You also may do better in a less competitive environment where you’d have a chance to be nurtured as a performer. It sounds like your experience was being third tier behind more experienced performers at a top school? Maybe what you need is a school that can appreciate where you are now while giving growth opportunities, and that may be a less competitive school.

So much of the hype becomes about the Top Tier schools as the one way to do this, but that’s not for everyone or necessary for everyone. Those schools also tend to be expensive and may not be able to meet your financial needs. Look at your state options (can you give us a state?) and whatever financial aid you can get, because you do not want to take on student loan debt in a profession as tricky as theatre.

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I would encourage you to consider staying in college and supplementing with voice and dance classes. The audition process is expensive, but possibly re-entering college as a freshman MT (which may happen) could be a huge expense too. Some schools may not consider giving freshman scholarships because you have one year of college under your belt. Student loans may only be available for four years, so if you took loans this year, but enter a new program as a freshman, you may not have loans for the final year.

My son is a Junior BFA Acting major. He auditioned for MT and was re-directed. He had BFA MT acceptances, but chose the BFA Acting route and it has worked out well for him. He has taken daily dance and private voice lessons and began to be cast in musicals in his Sophomore year. He discovered his passion for MT as a high school junior, so he has been playing catch up. It is my opinion that his success in being cast in musicals has been his ability to act (though he can sing). He found his niche…solid actor, who can sing and move. :slight_smile:

There are many possible paths to your goal. I wish the best for you!

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Thank you guys for responding really fast lol, I didn’t expect that, but thank you for your honest opinion and I also want more people to respond

EntertainersMom thank you for your advice but I don’t really like my college, the teachers and faculty seem only interested in helping the people they chose for the BFA programs, and I’ve talked to many other people at my college And they feel the same way. and I don’t really feel at home where I’m at. And the theatre education I’m getting for the most part isn’t performance based

But in terms of my voice I think it’s ok but not great, and I don’t know if it’s I’m just not really used to hearing it much or it’s just bad but I think I can improve with the right voice teacher who specializes in musical theatre.

So I’m going to audition for a plethora of musical theatre programs probably 15 and a few more BFA acting schools

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@sean121 you mention finances being a potential issue.

Depending on how you are funding your current school you may want to research other schools that interest you and ask what kind of aid they have available for transfer students. At many schools transfer students do not get the same level of merit, or school provided grant aid as incoming freshmen, Even if a program may ask you to start the program ass a freshman this does not mean that the university will consider you a freshman for aid purposes.

If you currently have significant grant aid or merit aid from the school you are attending you may want to ask if it is possible to keep that funding if you choose to take a leave of absence and return to school after a year. You would be under no obligation to return, but it would give you the opportunity to do so with the same aid if you choose.

Another thought… if you have significant funding at your current school you could work to save money to take classes outside of school, do some summer intensives, or a one - two year program post grad.

Just other options to consider that could help you meet your ultimate goal.

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A thought - I don’t know a lot of the other coaching programs - but I do know that MTCA takes a holistic approach to the college audition process. They have vocal technique coaches for Musical Theatre who focus on preparing you for singing in the musical theatre genre if you need it and they are very strong in vocal health so that you don’t injure your voice or learn bad habits as you are trying to quickly develop your vocal abilities. They also offer the range of other audition coaching services: song, monologue and dance selection and coaching; dance audition and mock audition prep classes.

But… to second what others have said - definitely shop around to find BFA programs that will give financial aid to transfer students. I have heard in this forum that not all schools do. Best of luck to you in finding your way to express your passion!

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@musicaltheatrelady I don’t think it is necessary to start a thread about an article and then post it in multiple other threads… did you write the article?