halflokum

I hope the auditions go extremely well. Have fun and break a leg!

EmsDad

This thread from a couple of years ago may be of some interest:

Fairness: so is this how you play the game?

theatremomma

I'll be sure an post only if it's a complete failure so everyone can breathe easy. lol

soozievt

Master classes are not the same as holding auditions. I am not aware of auditions for admission with any other private coach. Do others know of that taking place elsewhere? Again, not talking of master classes with college personnel which take place in many venues and are not auditions.

I don't think anyone should worry about this truly. But many are not aware of this opportunity to audition early for several schools at once that some applicants have through privately arranged means between a private coach and some BFA programs.

theatremomma

I don't think anyone should be asking if this is fair, you should be asking yourself why YOU didn't do it. People talk about it every year and haters start the fairness discussion- total waste of energy. Moonifieds is saving me far more money than I paid this coach. This colleges are happy to get an early look at kids they know have worked hard and are well prepared (as are yours!!- don't get snippy). They are not going to take somebody now that they wouldn't take in February. It's just really nice to get feedback now (positive and negative) before moving forward with the process. Moonifieds is a great perk. Some go, some don't. Some get interest from colleges. Some realize they need to expand their list at this point. You could have all signed on for this a year ago. It was not expensive in the whole scheme of the process. It saved me time, energy, and money. I'm done... moving on to Moonifieds stress free.

connections

theatremomma, no one is criticizing you for doing this. You hired an excellent coach and it was smart of you to do so. And I wish your D best of luck. People are just wondering about the overall ethics on the part of the colleges. No one is 'hating' Moo either. I think she's doing her job, and good for her.

Again, it's the ethics of the arrangement on the part of the *colleges,* not on her part. It's the colleges that receive public tax monies, that are not publicizing these auditions, that give perks to a small private group that pays for the privilege. I truly don't think any college is doing this with bad motives--I just think they're not thinking through the ethical implications of this arrangement, and I'd ask them to.

But as far as 'asking ourselves why we didn't do it.' I'm not in the market now, but I can venture a guess for others-- Money? And isn't that the crux of the ethical problem--to have to pay to have an edge (unpublicized) in what is an *extremely* competitive process?

glassharmonica

I'm with "connections" on this one. I've looked at Moo or MAD's website (does she really go by "Moo"?) and she seems like a smart businesswoman and a good coach. She is not hiding what she's doing. It's the colleges that should be more transparent. I notice that some of them do mention her private auditions on their websites, but others don't. I was also relieved to learn that the private audition is the one and only audition-- kids are not able to repeat at the unifieds or school-scheduled auditions.

As for those who take advantage of her coaching--I doubt anyone would seriously begrudge you for doing what you can to support your kid. Mazel tov!

No one wishes anyone less than good luck on this site (at least I hope so-- after all, this isn't quite the Hunger Games. Maybe more like the Olympics.)

halflokum

It is not a matter of fairness. The existence of private auditions for a particular coach’s students (or performing arts school or regional group) only creates advantage to the students and schools that attend but it doesn’t in any way create disadvantage to those that do not attend. Mary Anna is not the “MT Whisperer”. She cannot get a student of hers into a program that they lack the talent or preparation to be in she is merely facilitating earlier access to 14 schools that are willing for whatever reason to make the journey to Dallas (same applies to any of the other off campus group locations for regionals etc). So if the X number of students that attend Moonifides (or regionals or go to a PA HS which is directly recruited from) are not now needing the very same audition slot that you wanted either on campus or at Unifides to make you schedules work out – thank you.

By the time any of you get to Unifides, there will already have been a great number of on campus auditions at most of the schools in attendance. Is that unfair? How is this different?

I feel sorry that this thread whose purpose was to meet some other CC parents at Moonifides went off on a tangent. I knew it would the moment I saw the title. Perhaps the fairness question should be its own thread and theatremomma can get back to the business of trying to meet some people. There is a lot of waiting around in these auditions so that I’m sure would be nice for the parents.

Flossy

Okay, but still curious as to why the schools would be willing to make the trek to Dallas for one coach's students. That's lots of time and trouble for kids they would see eventually anyway.

md311mt

It's all about the talent.

Flossy

Well, that's silly. Yes, she has kids get into top programs but she also has plenty more who don't. This affects me in no way whatsoever but I do find it interesting and a little weird.

halflokum

I’d venture a guess it is because it is incredibly smart admissions related marketing on the schools’ part to attend. All of the 14 schools on the Moonifides list have great programs but many have to overcome geographic challenges if they want a nationally representative top-talent student body or have to cast a wider net including wooing early on to get the number of legitimately talented students they want to eventually say yes. I would assume after years of practice the school reps know where it is they need to go to outreach for their schools’ benefit and Mary Anna’s event clearly is one of them.

Don’t underestimate the role that geography plays in all of this. This is a very big country with amazing schools in off the beaten path places. Or amazing schools that not so hard to get to if you live on the East coast but for people that live in the West the states here are HUGE and with only a handful of exceptions, the MT programs are not here and we can’t drive to any of them. So any opportunity to see a group all in one places is a big help.

That’s my theory anyway but what do I know?

Ah before I posted this there were two other replies so I'm editing mine. I wish I hadn't deleted the paragraph that told the story of my daughter's attendance last year at a regional thing in our state where many of these 14 schools were in attendance. It could have sounded braggy and I did not want to go there so I killed it. BUt to the comment that it is about the talent.... maybe but I think it is more about the effort and search that some of these programs have to do to get the attention of the talent and you will have people tell you (correctly) that there is nothing about a successful coach's students that necessarily and in every case = top talent. (And nor do the coaches market timeselves that way as far as I can tell). I'm sure it means excellent preparation or they wouldn't be as successful as they are but I don't think you can take to the next level (without people strongly objecting. )

Flossy

Thank-you! Looking at the list of schools again this actually makes sense. For the most part, they are not the programs on everyone's list and probably would have to work a little harder to attract top talent.

On the talent thing...ugh!

We know several who used her and are not in anything close to their top choice schools. Coaches can make you more prepared but they cannot make you more talented.

classicalbk

If we were to do this all over again I'm sure we'd call Mary right up! She likely would have saved my family considerable time and stress.
My complaint here is not about coaching; I just long for more transparancy and better communication from the colleges to prospective students about these opportunies.

austinmtmom

Most, if not all of these schools, will already be in the area for the North Texas Drama Auditions. They aren't making a special trip for Moonifieds.
Colleges Attending