@MomofMTBoy It depends (like everything else in this process). If the school places less of an emphasis on dance, then it shouldn’t matter. Some schools don’t even have a dance call any more. Many schools feel like dance (at least enough to be a decent one) is a teachable skill. Some don’t value it at all. Or, if your kid knocked it out of the park both singing and acting, the school may want them anyway due to the exceptional talent in those areas. Basically, I haven’t figured out the mystery of what criteria gets you in versus getting a no thank you. So don’t over think it. What will happen is what will happen. All our kids can do is try to do their best and let the rest take care of itself.
@MomofMTBoy , I am by no means an expert…my D has not gone through the college audition process yet. But she recently attended a master class with Barbara Mackenzie-Wood from Carnegie Mellon, and Barbara specifically said that at CMU when they redirect they are looking to see if/how the student handles the redirection – if they are capable of changing/shaping their performances according to feedback. And she added that the redirection may not make sense or even be necessary (they may already think the performance was fantastic), they just want to see what the student will do. This is not necessarily an easy thing to do, and to be honest, not all actors are capable of it…since parents were allowed to observe the master class, I actually witnessed that with my own eyes. She also mentioned that they have a current student at CMU who, according to her, “needs a lot of work” on acting, but this person apparently has an extraordinarily beautiful voice, and upon redirection at the audition they discovered that this person was indeed capable of adjusting his/her performance according to feedback, so they decided to accept him/her.
All that to say…I wouldn’t take it as a bad sign at all that your S got redirection. You should check out some of the threads where people talk about thinking they tanked or killed it based on in-room feedback (or lack thereof) but then, to their utter surprise, were either accepted or rejected. I think because of the insanely high number of people who audition, it’s virtually impossible to predict.
Best of luck to your S!
@MomofMTBoy those are questions that really can’t be answered. Some schools build a class, some look for potential, some favor diversity, some look for dancers, some actors, some vocalists. It really is a random process. Definitely do not over think the process. That would be like having a Chrystal ball. I’ve always told my child in the arts if you don’t get cast in something there’s always another audition. It’s really the nature of the business. At one school my child auditioned at there were many who were not experienced dancers. The auditor was looking for the kid who put themselves out and didn’t quit! So take everything with a grain of salt and know it only takes one acceptance!
For those of you experienced with Otterbein at Unifieds, do you know if they will cut an auditioner off if they go over the 3 minutes? D is right at the mark so you never know with nerves, etc. and I’ve heard of schools that will stop the audition.
@MomofMTBoy my S auditioned in 2015. He had one audition where he felt the adjudicator was challenging him to see how far he could push him. He called it his most fun audition. He was asked to do his monologue 3 drastically different ways and a specific piece of his second song 5 different times. He said by the third time the adjudicator is slightly laughing when he gives him direction. He said he knew if he attended that program he would be challenged and pushed. I can’t imagine any scenario where them asking more of your can be bad. It doesn’t mean you will be accepted, but I think it is strong indicator that they are at least interested… for now.
As for dance, my S chose to eliminate all schools where dance would make or break him. He considers himself a singer/actor who moves (he had dance training prior to college). He looked at it as a great way for them to gauge his talent, but not a deal breaker. I agree with whoever said it will depend on the school.
For those that are anxiously replaying auditions and comments in their head… this is one of my all time favorite CC threads…showing how much/little some of those things can mean
I love that you posted that @toowonderful! I know kids who got into schools where the auditor didn’t even look up or say hello…and others who were practically promised a letter of admission, praised, asked to sing extra material/monologues only to receive a rejection. It is so unpredictable…
@MTheaterMom - Yes. Otterbein will cut you off. We did hear of it happening last year while waiting in the halls. My D was like 20 sec under for them specifically because there are those schools that will cut you off and we didn’t want her to deal with that. You might want to have your D cut something so she has a 10-20 sec buffer.
is that just a yes academically? @LBSMOM
Just wondering if anyone’s S or D went to the 5 school combined auditions on Friday in NYC. If so, have you heard from any of the schools?
@nodaybut2daymom My D went on Friday. She sang and did her monologue about 4:00 and then danced at 6:00. She received an email inviting her to apply at Arizona State the following day. She has not heard from any of the other schools. There is another thread you might want to follow - not many posts but you could keep an eye on it too. I will post if she hears from anyone else.
@MomofMTBoy my son was redirected and, like @IfYouOnlyKnew 's son, he felt it was his most fun and meaningful audition. He was accepted to that school and is now in his second semester there and thriving in every way.
@preppytheatre if you are referring to Wagner, yes - academically cleared and invited to audition. You have to be accepted academically first at Wager. D got accepted to Rider, but NOT for MT - which was a disappointment for her - she was accepted into the Arts Administration program, but will not attend Rider for that program. We did CMU last weekend, have 2 this weekend and then 3 more to go. Hoping for the best!
@LBSMOM can you share anything about the CMU audition? We are on our way in a few minutes!
@marg928 my D had a very positive experience auditioning at CMU. Most of the things you read on the boards are true regarding how friendly and warm and complimentary they were. My D knows she probably has better luck winning the lottery, but at the end of the day she said if nothing else she felt completely “validated” regarding her talent. They had the monologues set up with 3 professors and the singing set up with 2 professors. We were scheduled at noon and got out of there about 4 pm. D did 2 monologues and was asked to sing a song and then was sent out to sing and did her 2 songs - Good Luck today! Make sure your kid enjoys the moment - they really try to make sure the kids are relaxed and having fun!
Yes @Momtojoss! Belmont has a list of requests that are a bit out of the box. Reading (and re-reading) carefully so she has everything when she gets there…and just to make it fun a MT monologue!
Break legs everyone!!!
any suggestions on a hotel to stay at for Elon anyone? My D got asked to audition for Wagner we are excited to attend there show the Titanic during the same weekend. We are off to Hartt and Pace this weekend the moment is finally here so excited for all of them!! Break a Leg to all the MTers out here!
@lincoln56 We are staying at the Hampton Inn & Suites - Burlington for my D’s audition on 2/10. There really isn’t anything in Elon. Burlington is about 15 minutes away. When is your D auditioning?
@lincoln56 & @Mardeen Burlington is your best bet, for sure, if you are driving or flying into Raleigh Durham. If you happen to fly into Greensboro (PTI) I would probably just stay there. Not the prettiest part of our state-but if you haven’t been yet, Elon will wow you, promise.