<p>I'm a sophomore in high school, and want to get a B.F.A. in musical theatre. I was wondering, what should I do to prepare for this? I want to keep improving my skills as much as possible until college auditions. I'm already in choir, the musical, and plays. Any advice?</p>
<p>Dance lessons, vocal lessons! Start really researching colleges, and make sure their not all top schools. You want to have a really balanced list of top schools, fit schools, and safeties (which are non-audition). Also, look into going to a pre-college musical theatre program over the summer. Some good ones are CCM, OCU, and MPulse. Hope that helps!!! P.S. I’m an upcoming Senior so I know how it feels ;)</p>
<p>Awesome! Thanks :)</p>
<p>Besides taking voice and dance, I would say audition for everything in your area, whether you think you have a chance or not. One thing that I think helped my D was that she had a ton of audition experience. She was extremely comfortable in audition situations by the time she did college auditions, and was also used to rejection. She went in with a great attitude, and I think it really showed in how she presented herself. Do as many auditions as you can between now and college auditions (of course I would not recommend auditioning for something if you do not intend to take a part if it is offered to you!)</p>
<p>mtlover7, as a high school sophomore, now is the perfect time to to map out a game plan for college applications and auditions. As others have stated, your immediate focus should be on getting the right vocal and dance training. Make sure your voice teacher stresses technique and vocal health and covers MT repertoire. Look for a teacher that works with high school students seeking to audition for MT programs. Dance classes should focus on ballet technique as a foundation and also take classes in jazz. Audition and participate in school and community shows. If you can, participate in a summer intensive at a university that houses a BFA program for the training, for the experience of working with other talented students from across the country and to enable you to get a feel of what a BFA program is like.</p>
<p>Also, start getting a feel now for the application, audition and school selection process. The thread <a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/musical-theater-major/477658-preparing-apply-information-h-s-juniors-seniors.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/musical-theater-major/477658-preparing-apply-information-h-s-juniors-seniors.html</a> is a good place to start. Also check out <a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/musical-theater-major/1170200-please-check-over-our-college-list.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/musical-theater-major/1170200-please-check-over-our-college-list.html</a> , <a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/musical-theater-major/1153973-hello-new-cafe.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/musical-theater-major/1153973-hello-new-cafe.html</a> , <a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/musical-theater-major/801037-big-list-mt-colleges.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/musical-theater-major/801037-big-list-mt-colleges.html</a></p>
<p>And ask questions on this Board - lots of questions!</p>
<p>This has been noted many times in other threads: go see as many college and professional theatre productions as you can (any kind of show is good, but try to catch as many high quality productions as possible). As she gains experience, I have noticed that my daughter now carefully critiques each show that she sees. We’ve had some excellent discussions about the choices, interpretations, strengths and weaknesses that she has observed in the productions. Try to apply what you learn from your voice, acting and dance lessons to your observations and then learn to use those observations to improve your own skills. We just went to a Shakespeare festival and were blown away by the fact that the same actors that did “Hamlet” one night turned around and did “Ernest in Love” (the musical version of “The Importance of Being Ernest”) the next night. They did both productions very, very well - and most of them are just starting their professional careers. This helped reinforce the depth of commitment required in the field for my d - having done a little Shakespeare, she was amazed to see that actors can memorize and play large parts in multiple productions simultaneously from both the classical and modern repetoire.</p>
<p>My daughter feels that she learns something from every show that she sees. Watching the actors go about their chosen profession also helps reinforce in her mind that this is truly what she wants to do in life. We watch every show that we can fit into our schedule, even if we have to sit in the cheap seats. I have been amazed at how many shows we have been able to squeeze in around her own rehearsal and show schedule.</p>
<p>Emsdad - My D probably sold you the tickets to the Shakespeare festival. She’s interning in the box office. D is also impressed at the versatility of the actors! We’re going to see Taming of the Shrew and the Beaux Strategem this weekend.</p>
<p>Megpmom - small world, my brother is the music director for the festival, so I have to put in a plug for “Ernest” - its really a great show and one that should be staged more often. Kudos for Stephen Terrell from Emerson [the Director] for picking that show (sorry for hijacking this thread!).</p>
<p>Another tip for mtlover7: Not to steal kjgc’s thunder, but he has mentioned a few times on these boards that it helps to read plays and musicals. My daughter has heeded this advice and has been reading even more voraciously since his mention. The appeal escapes me (haha!) as I don’t think plays are easily read. I think my D can visualize what is happening and really enjoys them.</p>