| My son had pre-screens everywhere but his safety, and I didn't think it was snooty either. It did speak to the overall competitiveness of the program in his instruments (less competitive programs seemed not to ask for the pre-screen, as a rule), and it also indicated whether or not he was in the running, or not. If he had not passed pre-screens, I would have wondered whether pursuing performance at that level made any sense.
I have often wondered, and queried as such, how the competitive musical theater programs can easily audition 1000 students for six spots. It seems as if the pre-screen automatically eliminates well over half, and then the focus can be on the rest. I guess I am also in favor of any means of screening kids who shouldn't be wasting the time or money taking audition trips. It is such an expensive process.
I'd prefer that they would ask for a DVD for pre-screens (S did send DVDs the nationwide stuff like NFAA), as I think there is less tampering, and the adjudicators can see more of the overall musicality of the applicant. I actually hope they move more towards this, although it does add another layer of difficulty (finding a camera, etc). |