@mom4bwayboy
Great advice.
@mtgirl225, you seem like a thoughtful, introspective, articulate person who has learned a lot about life this year. I know you don’t want to take a gap year, but I’m almost thinking that if you did, you would be on fire next year if you re-auditioned. Just an impression and of course you need to do what you know is best. You may discover that you LOVE one of your acceptances after all even though you don’t think now that you will. Truly hoping you find peace on this difficult journey and do well. PS my daughter’s coach recommended a song for her that I didn’t think was right for her. I mean, they had known her 10 minutes and I had known her all her life. I didn’t think it suited her personality. I broke the mommy rule and spoke up. Everyone assured me it was ok, she didn’t want to switch, and she did fine in auditions, but I will go to my death thinking it didn’t showcase her as well as a different song would have. I could be wrong! And these coaches are pros. But sometimes you have to listen to your gut and remember that no one knows you better than YOU.
@Calliene I will agree with you on this… My D was told to sing something at a performance once and I knew it wasn’t a good choice . Like you said we’ve known these kids since birth and sometimes, albeit it rare lol, we know better then someone who has not known our kid but for a short time. Not to disparage vocal instructors as they know WAY more then me but you can’t ignore that gut feeling a mom has just sayin!
@mtgirl225 brings up a big fear of mine. I know that many swear by coaching BUT is everyone getting the best from it? Lets face it- at the end of the day it is a business and with more and more students looking for an edge is the quality of coaching being compromised? I would love for my D to have coaching but am fearful of the scenario that @mtgirl225 describes- not an awful experience but not what was paid for either. My d is not a complainer and I worry that in some cases the squeaky wheel ( or the parental squeaky wheel) gets the oil. Not necessarily because a student is more talented- just has a more aggressive or direct approach.
Have you checked to see if there is anyone who coaches near you? I accidentally stumbled upon someone local (by local I mean 100 miles away) who is great and only charges $40 an hour. I think I would’ve been able to find her by calling the dance studio in town that teaches a lot of Broadway style dance, because she appears to have a close relationship with them. So maybe start calling around. The other thing is that it seems you have really good instincts yourself, so perhaps you should trust those. If you truly connect with the songs and monologues you pick, you’ll be able perform your best.
I think this brings up the issue that there is a big difference in a knowledgable audition coach and a knowledgable voice or acting instructor. I have no doubt that most coaching services hire people who are excellent coaches who can teach you to sing or act beautifully. But if those coaches have not been through the audition process recently, or if they are not well aware of the college programs, what they look for, which students they take, what song and monologue selections appeal to the college auditors – then they are not truly"college audition coaches". There is a difference. And I think the larger the pool of coaches gets, the more likely it is you may be working with a great teacher, but not a true coach.
Some questions you might want to ask of them when it comes to choosing material (or ask others that have used them) are things like – how long did they get to know you before choosing pieces for you? Did they choose them for you or did you all discuss them together? Did they have you read the show, do character analyses and see if you understood the character or felt a connection with the piece? Did you feel you could share your opinions? Were they willing to seek other material if you were uncomfortable with their selections?
We used Mary Anna Dennard, mostly via Skype, and I can say she did all of the above. She and D talked at length about different pieces, and tried out a number of them before choosing her final audition monologues. She also connected us with a vocal coach in NYC that D worked with, also via Skype. He worked very similarly. D never felt “stuck” with material she wasn’t comfortable with. And both coaches were very knowledgable of what types of material appealed to college auditors. And they had years of experience knowing what material previous students used and how that was received by the college auditors.
I think especially when picking new material, you have to find what fits you best both in terms of technique and personality. So find someone who will work with you to do so. BUT… and this is important … it needs to be someone who understands what material works best in a college audition. That is different from what you may perform on a recital, or in a competition, etc…and what you sing for one school may be different than what you sing for another. Make sure the professionals you work with understand all of this. Make sure they have direct experience with recent college auditions and their outcomes. And by all means, as others have said, if you are uncomfortable with the material chosen, speak up and discuss it. You will not have your best audition if you don’t connect with your pieces. So be your own best advocate.
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@mtgirl225, we also used a coaching service exclusively by Skype. There was no doubt that they helped D tremendously through the audition season and I have no regrets spending the money. But there was definitely some second-guessing on the material that was chosen after all was said and done. Lots of “What-if’s” definitely entered our minds. D ended up at a school that wasn’t initially high on her list. In fact, before she got accepted, I could not even envision her there, it just didn’t seem like the right fit for her (in my opinion). But fast forward a year and she is loving every minute of it, receives excellent training and wouldn’t trade it for anything else.
Now this suggestion will depend greatly on your financial situation, but instead of a gap year you could select one of the schools you have been accepted to, and if you don’t love it there during your first semester, then re-audition next year. The training, experience and confidence you’ll receive in that environment will be far more valuable than taking a gap year. You’ll have to start over if you switch schools, (which is obviously where the finances come into play) but who knows…you may end up falling in love and staying at the school you’re at!
I feel horrible for all of the students (and parents) who are feeling disappointment and sadness right now. We were right there a year ago. One or two months from now when the decisions are made, the sadness will turn to excitement. And all of this heartache will be behind you!
I would be curious to know for those of you that have used online coaching services via Skype did you find it to be helpful in terms of your child receiving multiple acceptances to schools? thereby giving them a choice (not taking into account financial limitations to said schools) just looking at admittance alone…did your child get accepted to several MT programs?
@theaterwork, I think it’s impossible to say whether the acceptances were a direct result of the coaching. Good coaches don’t get you into programs; rather, good coaches bring out the best in your child so they can get themselves into the right programs. There are kids who used coaches and who got in nowhere, and there are kids who used coaches and got into 14 programs. There are SO many factors that play into whether a kid will be accepted/how many programs a kid will be accepted to. Being prepared (which is what coaches do) is only one of those factors. If a kid doesn’t have talent, no amount of coaching will help. If a kid doesn’t have the drive, coaching won’t help. Etc.
That being said, we used MTCA (mainly by Skype), and I truly don’t think my D would be at her top choice school if we hadn’t. Not b/c they had an “in” (they didn’t); not b/c they made her something she’s not (they didn’t); but because they helped pick REALLY good material for her (and when she didn’t like something, she told them, and they found her something else), and because they worked with her, trained her, and gave her confidence. But I have to say that she also worked her butt off when she wasn’t on Skype with them.
I agree 1000% with what @vvnstar said…it cannot be said enough. A good coach knows all the programs, what the schools like and don’t like, what the competition level is, what the schools are really looking for, can help your kid figure out their type, know what material is overdone, etc. And many, many local voice teachers, theatre directors, etc. don’t know that stuff. It is really hard to keep up with the changing programs, new programs, new requirements, etc., and for the good coaching companies…it’s their JOB. This is what they do. I guarantee you, the vast majority of voice teachers don’t keep on top of this stuff. These teachers who call themselves coaches are sometimes doing their students a disservice. I know people who went with local “coaches,” and their very talented kids got in next to nowhere b/c they had material that did not show them off the best, not to mention unrealistic school lists.
As acceptances and rejections are coming out, you are all realizing what us old-timers have been saying for years…this is really, really hard. while some of you are thrilled and surprised that your kid got into, for example, UMich or another top school, there are many more who are angry, hurt and sad about their kid’s results. This process is HARD. It’s very, very competitive. And your child (I’m not talking about you directly, this is the all-encompassing you) is going from what is likely a small pond into a huge lake (if not the ocean). EVERYONE in these programs is insanely talented. Coaching can help, but it takes so much more. If I had to do it all over again, I would hire MTCA again. I tell all my friends to do it. But using MTCA or any other coaching service does not guarantee success. It’s just one piece of the puzzle that USUALLY helps.
@theaterwork, I can’t answer your question but I’d like to caution you about reading too much into cause and effect. Applying to college takes work. The better prepared you are to do the work, the more likely it is that you will execute it successfully. That is the only thing you can control. There is also an element of luck and numbers that comes into play as well which you can’t control. Maybe a balanced list helps a bit there but I put that under the preparation header too.
There are many ways to prepare. One of them includes hiring a coach to help with the preparation. Some people find that hiring a coach simplifies things greatly and it makes sense to me that that could be true. But a simplified preparation process doesn’t magically transform a candidate. You still are who you are. The only thing that hiring a coach changes is the preparation path.
So you can easily find people who go through this process with a coach over Skype or in person who come away with multiple acceptances. You can also find people that hire a coach who have very few acceptances or maybe not any. What you will never know is whether or not the coaches changed the outcome at all. Maybe the answer is yes if a student wasn’t going to prepare otherwise but that’s an extreme and foolish concept for anyone looking to go into this field.
Now I know there are several very loved coaches whom are considered to be excellent preparation resources. I also know that this forum is full of very grateful clients of these coaches that feel that their services were invaluable. But don’t forget that coach didn’t do the audition for the student and that coach is not on the panel that decides who gets in and who doesn’t. The coach helped with the preparation. What happens after that is still entirely up to the student.
I have friends who swear by their kids’ coaches. These are people whose opinions I trust. But I also know who their kids are and I’d bet anything those same kids would have had the success they had with college admissions without their coaches because the talent was there and they would not have been foolish enough or naïve enough to approach this process without preparing. They would have done what many others do and pulled things together on their own perhaps with the help of a voice teacher, drama teacher, friend etc. And yes, it is true that many of those other resources don’t know the college process like these audition coaches do, but there is nothing to stop a student from learning about that process themselves and applying it to their preparation. Different paths, same outcome which is: you approach the college process as prepared as you can be and hope the best version of you shows up on audition day. The rest is luck and numbers.
Well I should’ve mentioned that this local coach we found is very experienced and has had many successes (has had students placed in many top colleges). She’s in a large metro area that’s drivable distance for us. My D decided to go the VP route instead of MT, so we didn’t work with her beyond 2 sessions, but she was very good and I’m sure there are many more like her in larger cities.
I was just curious as to some people’s experiences on CC & whether those who used those national well known coaching services ended up with several acceptances or at least an acceptance to a top competitive program…after reading the MTCA website for example & seeing their list of acceptances for their 2015 kids… It’s pretty impressive the number of their students who got acceptances to top programs. I think it listed BW for example as 10 acceptances. That’s pretty good that BW made offers to ten of their kids… Must be doing something right…
I would guess that they only post the kids who get acceptances and leave off those that don’t.
Make sure as with all things MT you compare apples to apples. For example, Mary Anna’s website only shows to what schools each of her students decided to attend. It does not reflect all of the schools to which they were accepted. And just in general, she does not work with as many students as MTCA does because she does not have a large cadre of professionals working with her like they do.
I am a college coach fan and think MTCA, Mary Anna, Dave Clemmons and others are all good at what they do. If you decide to use a coach, I would talk to several and see which one fits best with your personalities, your wants and needs. Will they be working directly with your student or will they have others working with them? Just like with schools, make sure you will be getting the training and expertise you are seeking. There are a number of good options out there for coaching. Find the one that suits you best.
What @monkey13 said… all so very true.
Our D used MTCA a couple years ago. She liked the coaches and thought they helped. But as I’ve posted before she did not receive and BFA offers. I don’t remember what MTCA lists regarding offers but they did show headshots and where their kids chose to go to school. As I recall they had 2-3 kids listed who were not in BFA majors. They asked my D to send in her headshot so they could post it, but my D never did. It isn’t because of MTCA that she isn’t listed on their web site, they show all their kids who submit their results. I believe MTCA was (and is) proud of all the kids they coach regardless of the results.
MTCA all the way. They are awesome!
I completely agree with some of the opinions expressed above, and especially with @monkey13. There are three things our coach provided that were invaluable: 1) material that affirmed our D’s type so that auditors would know exactly where she would fit, if they needed her type; 2) solid help with making a list of schools based on what she could offer a program and what she was looking for in a program including reaches, fits, and safeties; and 3) opportunities to perform her material for others in the industry, and receive valuable feedback from them, before she hit the audition trail. D also has local voice and monologue coaches and dances many hours/week. The national audition coach did not replace these other wonderful coaches in our D’s life nor did this coach do the actual work for her. She still had to learn the material and read the plays and decide whether she needed to get different material from her coach. She still had to train in dance and voice. She still had to find a way to be the characters in her monologues and songs. The national audition coach was, and is, a valuable resource, someone who provides a very broad perspective and otherwise assists in what I’ve decided is a very mysterious process.
We didn’t get a coach, money was tight and my daughter is very proactive and was able to spend a lot of time with her teachers. She ended up liking BW much more than expected, so maybe in hindsight she would have been happier in the long run from a coach, but her local teachers have been great. Plus she didn’t pass a couple of prescreens and that hurt…She fortunately has an acceptance at her first choice school and so did alright, thanks to her amazing local teachers. The thing is this, if she had gotten a coach, I would be upset also that I didn’t get the right feedback to know where to apply, especially what @HappyDancer98 said in #1 about type. I never did hear what coaching costs, but figured I would still need to pay for dance classes, voice lessons, trips to campus, etc and really wanted her to find her place on her own without all the added expense. If I had to do it over again, not sure what we would do, but the question is valid, especially if money is a factor, which it is for a few of us.
Just to clarify @lake4, the audition coach doesn’t have a clue as to which types the auditors are looking for in a given year. That’s a crapshoot. But, with the material chosen, D could make it clear that if they needed a quirky type (for example), she would fit the bill. The idea is to make it clear to the auditors that you could play those quirky types. You don’t want them confused. If a school doesn’t need your type, you’re out of luck at that school but that’s why you apply to so many places. If I had to choose between visiting schools and hiring a coach, I would choose the coach. We visited schools that she didn’t get into, so what’s the point in that? I can see looking at one urban, one country, one large, one small, if you can do it easily, at low cost. But, honestly, the schools pick you (and not the other way around) so I think it’s a better use of resources to use a coach to help you choose a solid list of programs and then visit the schools once you get in. My humble opinion.