@evitasmom Welcome! So glad you decided to share/vent. Don’t give up --it’s not over, yet. And if you read back through last year’s posts you’ll find that some kids didn’t get their spots until late April. Even a waitlist may turn into a yes.
This is my D’s second run at this, so if your D does decide to do a round two next year there are some things you should know about and I’d be happy to share – feel free to message me.
@evitasmom You are so not alone in this boat…however, it feels more like the Titanic right now. Knowing how it ends and yet my eyes are glued to the screen hoping that by some miracle there is going to be a different ending. Our stories sound SO very similar.
@evitasmom remember you only need one. Then you reassess. My d only applied BFA. I was scared to death. Hopefully things work out!
I feel for all of you waiting for the last schools. Remember you child can only attend one school. One BFA acceptance is a win. I don’t think many people who don’t have friends who went through this to help advise really understand how competitive an MT BFA is. Please don’t feel bad, like you didn’t do enough for your child. No one is born knowing this. We were EXTREMELY lucky as my D only applied to 6 schools. She was able to get two acceptances, 2 wait lists and two rejections. I know it feels crazy if you applied to 15 schools and nothing. Hang in there. A gap year can be a good thing if it is focused.
Please don’t give up hope- this process is really a crazy one. As far as CMU - I know for my son he had to be very realistic. They said in the room to realize we are only taking 5 girls this year. My son also has a friend who goes there who told him his year they accepted an entire ethnic class. It varies year to year and doesn’t mean one child is any less talented. It’s what they need for their upcoming shows etc. We decided that if my son didn’t get a school he wanted he would train hard for a year, work, and take a gap year and try again focusing on what schools he truly wanted. His counselor confirmed she has kids do this quite often and it’s ok. Also keep in mind that there are quite a few kids with multiple offers who can realistically only pick one school. I had to remind my own son who is on a couple waitlists that some of those schools might still come through for him. It’s truly not over yet- CMU not happening for my son is ok too- he can be amazing somewhere else as well.
as @Jkellynh17 suggests, CCPA will listen if you ask for more money. We asked them to match another one of my D’s offers; they didn’t do that but did come up with a little bit more $$. Never hurts to ask!
@milmom2 My S sounds like yours in terms of being realistic about CMU. But he wanted to try although the likelihood of success was low - and even given that one of his friends who was admitted last year is a similar type - white, dark-haired, tenor!! I am so impressed at the willingness of all of our kids to go out there and put themselves out there, even when they know the chances are miniscule.
@artskids good to know! If D makes that her home we will see what they will do for us.
@evitasmom My husband is a professional musician as well. He absolutely would never have considered this path for our D unless she had the talent and tenacity. This is our second go after a gap year, all nos last year and after 12 auditions this year we have one yes. That one yes is all it takes (CCPA) and makes a world of difference. The gap year was her best decision as devastated as we were last year at this time. Hang in there, keep the wine flowing and a big hug to you!
@efr9598
Yes my son definitely went for it as well knowing what a slim chance it was. All these kids have just a good of chance as anyone else- I applaud them all for trying and someone has to get picked. What an amazing program that would be to get accepted into. It’s definitely not the end all though- just the icing on the cake so to speak. There are many other good programs out there and nobody should feel like a failure.
I’m sure there are other kids out there who will be turning down offers who do not post on the acceptance board as well. I have not posted my son’s acceptances out of respect for his privacy. There will be kids all the way through May who will come off waitlists. I agree - keep the wine flowing and never give up.
Good morning, all. I have been away from the madness for nearly 2 years, but am now back because D decided to leave an extremely reputable BFA program on the advice of a well- known producer/vocal coach. She moved to NYC last May and by October, decided that it was too lonely to live in a tiny apartment in the city by herself. ( duh!) She recently finished her auditions for various NYC college MT programs, and I am living each day with the anxiety of the waiting on my heart. I, like the rest of you, want this so badly for my wonderful daughter, and am feeling every emotion with every one of you. It has been wonderful to read your posts of support to each other, and I wish the best of luck to all of your children. Ugh…Where’s the wine? It’s 5 o’clock somewhere!
Wow, @cariauth , I’ll be the first to say that I want to hear more of your daughters story. Did she leave the BFA program and then move to NYC? And did the producer/vocal coach advise her to leave the program for any specific reasons? Best of luck to her-can’t imagine doing this twice.
The producer believed that she needed to be in the city and more involved with the business. He is VERY connected and is with the “powers that be” every day, so he felt like he could be a facilitator for her to get involved with them. The reality for my D, however, is that he is EXTREMELY busy and has much bigger fish to fry. (For example, conducting/ producing the Broadway Cares concerts and recordings.) Don’t get me wrong- he’s an amazing talent and an all around wonderful guy, but the idea he had for my D didn’t work out as planned. She left college after her 2nd semester (with a 3.8 gpa and a very large artistic award) to study in NY and do some show auditions. Although she had some success and received call-backs for all of her auditions, the process was just too much for an 18 year old. Fast forward several months, and here we are. Hoping and praying for a coveted spot in an MT program in NY. THE STRESS IS REAL!!
About hiring a coach … if you can afford it - do it. My daughter didn’t have a coach but a great voice teacher that helped pick songs and we watched a lot of Mary Anna Denard’s videos on auditioning to learn some tips. So while she was successful in getting accepted to 4 out of 10 programs she auditioned for, it involved a lot of confusing work and stress. It is saying something that one of my biggest achievements in life was to fit in 7 scheduled auditions at the LA unifieds. Helping her with this process felt like a part-time job. Looking back I think I would have enjoyed the experience more with a little hand holding. Someone who could have told her which schools were a fit for her, etc… would have really helped us. She was successful anyway and I think she is in a great place for her ability (OCU) - but it could have gone much smoother. So if you have the money - it would be worth it. If not, it won’t stop your child from being accepted, they will just have to do more leg work.
@CMB625 ^^^^
Wow! @cariauth , that does sound like a lot for an 18 year old! Good luck to you and your daughter, wishing great things for both of you!
Thank you, @CMB625! This process is maddening, but I feel confident that we’ll all survive.
@cariauth, that’s unbelievable! Best of luck to you and your daughter this time around!
@evitasmom Thank you so much! Best of luck to your D, as well!
@cariauth You’ve got one brave and confident girl there! And that’s what it takes to succeed in this business. Her recent experience will make her all the more ready for the future.
My D also left a BFA program where she had big academic scholarship & talent award (after only 1 semester) and is going through this for the 2nd time. Not any easier than the first. Also her 3.98 GPA gets her very little scholarship money this time because she’s a transfer student. Is your daughter finding that to be the case as well?
@daughtersdreams I wish I had some information for you on this, but, sadly, I do not. None of her schools have notified, yet. The first time around, she did 13 schools, this time, only 4- we haven’t heard a peep, yet, except from Julliard, and she did not receive a callback. That was an unusual audition experience for her. She thought the room felt “cold.” Oh, well… Not her path!