<p>For those who have applied, regardless of the outcome, is there anything you would have done during your high school years differently or would recommend doing, specifically for this college? I’ve got the basics down (i. e. visiting the campus) but I was wondering if CMU had special preferences on what they’d like to see during your high school career (I’m a junior.)</p>
<p>Thanks for your help.</p>
<p>Look into CMUs MT pre-college program. My daughter attended last summer and I feel the experience really educated her on what a school like CMU is looking for. It also gave her an idea of what the level of competition is like out there, based on the talent that attended. She hasn’t auditioned yet, so we don’t have an outcome to report, but I would highly recommend doing a pre-college program before your senior year, either at CMU or somewhere else.</p>
<p>I would also highly recommend doing a precollege program. My D did the one at UARTS last summer before her senior. I agree that it gives you an idea of the competition plus what is expected if you attend a BFA program. </p>
<p>My D came from a large city with many theatre companies and a lot of competition just around town. For some of the kids she met it was a rude awakening for them as they were from areas with not as much theatre and they had always been cast as leads in everything. Some had no idea how much competition there was for MT.</p>
<p>My D is a freshman MT at CMU and sometimes expresses amazement that she got in! Many of her classmates did precollege programs (so they must help, but they are not essential as my D did not do one). She recalled that at the singing portion of her audition the adjudicator, after hearing her sing and looking at her resume, expressed surprise because she went to a public HS. And sure enough, most of my D’s classmates went to private or arts schools. What I’m getting at is if you have what they are looking for you will get in. </p>
<p>So what are they looking for? I can’t say for sure, but their curriculum puts more stress on the acting and vocals. My D’s background (going into auditions) included eight years of private voice lessons and about 10 professional shows on her resume, as well as high school shows, choirs, etc. I believe this experience prepared her in two ways: first, it gave her the vocal and acting chops/potential that CMU was looking for; and second, it prepared her to handle the stress of auditions. </p>
<p>Showmom is correct, the competition is huge for these programs. Having recently gone through this with my D, I believe the best things you can do are: (1) prepare yourself by taking voice, acting and dance lessons - as much as possible; (2) do some shows - professional, community, school; (3) prepare your actual audition material well in advance so you are confident; (4) do as many auditions as possible (not MT program auditions) - both real auditions for shows/groups, and mock auditions for family/friends (while you probably never totally get over the nervousness of auditioning, if you can learn how to control your nerves you will be well served). </p>
<p>I think my D’s success came from doing the above. I think the most important for her was knowing how to control the stress of auditions so she could go in with confidence and let the schools see who she really was.</p>
<p>xatty - My DD is in the thick of getting ready for her auditions which start in January. She has all of her songs and monologues prepared and is just working on perfecting these with her vocal/acting coach. She is auditioning for everything she can around town, at school, community theatre and professional theatre just for the practice. Last Sunday she did a performance for family and friends that was set up as a mock audition for her to practice and for her vocal coach taped it so they can review and continue to work on her getting more confident with the material. She will do another one of these at the beginning of January before auditioning.</p>
<p>Showmom - that sounds great; sounds like she is preparing like she should be. Remember also to expect the unexpected. You never know what you may be asked to do. For example, at my D’s CMU vocal audition she started with a legit soprano ballad. Her second number was an up tempo mix song. The adjudicator stopped her a few bars into the second song and said he wanted to hear more belt, and did she know “All That Jazz?” So she ended up singing a song she had not prepared at all. In her monologue audition she was asked to sing her audition songs a cappella. After doing one monologue she was asked to do it again as if she were a stand up comedian. And yes, she did three monologues. CMU was the only school where she auditioned that said to be prepared with three monologues. Lesson - come prepared with exactly what the school asks for, but be prepared to be flexible.</p>
<p>Thanks xatty for the reminder about being flexible. DD has several extra songs ready just in case. She has been working hard on having a good variety in her book if they ask if she knows something else. I know that she currently has 3 monologues and is working on a fouth one. She is lucky in that her vocal/acting coach has been through this many years with other students so he makes sure his are all well prepared.</p>
<p>Thanks a lot. Also, I’ve been talking to a college counselor but I want some other feedback, would you say quality or quantity of parts in plays during high school is more important? Also, which matters more: your resume or your audition?</p>
<p>The audition is far, far, far more important than any other factor. For college auditions, what is on your resume is really not that important. </p>
<p>Quality of productions, in the sense that you are provided with an opportunity to be challenged, learn and grow, is more important than quantity. Not because of the impression it gives the college audition panel of you, but for you…how the experience enhances your abilities.</p>
<p>If you were to have an opportunity for a tiny part in a terrific show, with wonderful, experienced performers and directors you could learn from…I think anybody would agree that that would “count” far more than being the lead in a show with mostly inexperienced people.</p>