<p>I know NOTHING about SLS but would think that it is as MTGrlsmom says: it’s a tool that works well for some and not so well for others. In that, it’s like any other tool or approach.</p>
<p>As far as the list of people who use it, well, I would be wary of those kinds of lists. The one provided above may well be absolutely correct, but then again, celebrities often find their names thrown around for these kind of commercial purposes. For instance (and not to compare the two AT ALL!), John Robert Powers’ sites are prone to listing the names of various movies stars and celebrities and claiming those people got their start through JRP. Some did, some didn’t.</p>
<p>Hi everyone… again, I do not intend to slander SLS. I also do not think it is “useless”, and I never said that. I just think it’s extraordinarily narrow in its scope and what it can accomplish. It also limits a singer’s potential by making certain vocal sounds/colors impossible to attain. There’s nothing WRONG with it. It isn’t going to ruin voices, and I give it credit for that. But it’s not a marketable technique. Again, I issue the challenge… show me an SLS teacher in a top MT program. You can’t, because an SLS teacher will not produce consistently marketable students.
By the way, after my first year at BTP I DID pursue SLS training for a full year with a “master teacher”. Then I got into college, and I had to completely relearn my approach to singing. My vowels were out of whack, I could NOT create a healthy belt, my voice was weak and thin in passaggio areas, because the only thing this teacher had me do in my breaks was to modify vowels. I was a mess.
You constantly hear SLS teachers say: “It’s not an instantaneous fix. This is a slow and steady progress.” In my opinion, this translates to: “SLS will not let you create the sounds you’d like to make in the way your body WANTS to make them. So let’s pretend it will eventually happen by magic.” Sorry if I sound bitter, but I’ve been down that road.</p>
<p>Singergal - I am sorry for your trauma - performing arts is an intensely personal journey. When the artform is actually the person - folks very often cannot help but be completely invested. That being the case, when one is hurt - the hurt is deep; when one has cognitive discord - all seems off-kilter. What ever it was, I wish you the best in coming to understand and then overcoming the incident.
I do not want to confront, but simply explain that I disagree with your contention about “SLS” and top-tier programs. I will not name teacher names - I do not want to drag folks into discussions they are very tired of having. Regarding “SLS” as a specifically named, steady and exclusive diet - I think you might say that no one really does only that. However, using the concept of singing where you speak as a technique integrated with other “tools” on a spectrum - this is very available at many schools. I know these teachers - I also know that, in their own schools, they are sometimes criticized within their own departments by the more classically focused faculty. I will not list each and every school, but these elements exist at NYU, U of Arts, Elon, OCU, FSU, PSU, and many more - again, as an element, a technique, a tool to arrive at a desired quality in specific circumstance - and integrated in a spectrum of approaches.</p>
<p>OK, first thing’s first… Sutton Foster is a student of Joan Ladder’s in NYC, who is as far from an SLS teacher as you can get. She has been for the past 10 years!! Foster is not in the least bit afraid to raise her larynx when need be. (Listen to the end of “On My Way” on her new album.)
Secondly, Mtdog, I totally agree with you. The idea, the concept of well-placed speech into song is essential to any good MT technique. Using ELEMENTS of what SLS is about is a great idea. But that’s not what the people at BTP do, and that’s what we’re discussing on this topic. The SLS teachers at BTP are fiercely SLS-based, and will only recommend other SLS teachers and methods (which is what got me in trouble in the first place.) So, mtdog71, you are absolutely correct that elements of SLS exist in any good training. But I am simply making the point that you made so well… “a specifically named, steady and exclusive diet”. You will never find THIS in a top MT program.</p>
<p>Yikes! As an Elon student and BTP alum let me set the record str8 that ain’t no one teaching that mess at Elon! My bf took from a BTP SLS teacher for years and finally left when he realized he hadnt improved in years. That and he couldnt get cast in ny for anything. He told me that SLS is a big pyramid scheme with Seth Rigs at the top raking in the cash. now hes doing really well with a new teacher! yay! i love BTP but i go for dance and acting. period.</p>
<p>Please distinguish between the “cult” of SLS and the integration of speech into vocal production that is done when coaching a voice into a production of “Urinetown” or say, the Acid Queen song, from “Tommy”. I said no names but since they are so gifted - I will mention several SETC seminars with Ken and Cathy (you know who they are) - I have never seen such flawless and beautiful work as these two did integrating the belt into the mix into the head. You are blessed to have such faculty. Back to my point - no not the “gospel” of SLS - yes, the concept that you can arrive at good, healthy vocal production by integrating various techniques - include “singing where you talk” - I actually had a discussion with Ken afterward at SETC about that very thing! - ask him in September.</p>
<p>by the way, I think you get out of BTP what you find for yourself. some people walk away feeling like they didnt get anything and other people look for the help they need, you know? Get into one of Mike Ruckels voice classes or get him to listen to you sing. he helped me out sooo much with my mix last year. not an sls teacher and i think hes there all 3 weeks.</p>
<p>I have nothing but good things to say about BTP. Overall it is an outstanding program. My daughter has been a part of the program for three years and the growth she has shown as a result of her participation is amazing. I have found the staff and faculty to display professionalism and genuine caring and concern for the apprentices. She couldn’t wait to go back. She did mention that from time to time, as with any program, some participants caused a few challenges. We have three years of experience with the program now and can highly recommend it.</p>
<p>I just read this post from a 2008 Apprentice of Broadway Theatre Project. I attended BTP in 2009 and I just wanted to say that it was nothing like what this person described. A agree that we worked our butts off. I left feeling that I successfully made it through a challenging experience and that I could be very proud to have “survived BTP”. In fact Debra McWaters, the Artistic Director, told us the first day that BTP was like Broadway, only harder. So after three weeks of loving BTP , I know Broadway is where I am heading when I finish school and that I will succeed there! That beng said, I still got plenty of sleep every night. We stayed at a hotel which I hear was a change from before and we were back to the hotel by 10:30pm at the latest every night , some nights even earlier. The teachers at BTP were amazing. We had lots of teachers that exposed us to so many diffferent techniques and styles and I was able to get a glimpse of what worked for me the most. We also had master classes with people like Frank Wildhorn and Patrick Wilson. We also had tons of audition coaching and had real auditions with Jay Binder and Dave Clemmons. One kid got called by Jay Binder for a Broadway audition the week after the program ended. If you are looking for colleges BTP also had a bunch of college make visits during the program to meet with the students who were in high school. Finally the performaces are different now than they were in 2008. They now have two days of different performances over the last weekend at the campus. I thought there was a great balance between performance and classes. If I had to say something bad about Broadway Theatre Project it would be that it is too short! I wish I could have had a couple more weeks to soak up all of the info and work with the amazing teachers.</p>
<p>I was curious about this because I myself was interested in applying to BTP. Coincidentally, I know one of the dance faculty there and asked him about not only BTP but I mentioned the 2008 summer and what I had heard. Simple put he replied by saying that that was somewhat of a rough summer and that big changes have been made in response. There is no longer a huge showcase at TPAC (Tampa Performing Arts Center), but a much smaller one to allow for more of an emphasis on the classes rather than the showcase at the end. Thought you might like an update! :-)</p>
<p>2 nights of showcase last year and three days of touring visiting parents. Nice hotel, good food. I wasn’t crazy about the USF area but the students are so busy, there is no time to leave campus, which felt safe.</p>
<p>I just want to chime in too. My S attended BTP this past summer and LOVED it. He is a junior this year in high school and is planning on going back again next summer. The experience it gave him was incredible. The whole premise behind MT is training and networking, BTP offers the best of BOTH!</p>
<p>Just wanted to add that my daughter attended BTP summer off 08 and had the most amazing experience there, so everyone has their own opinions but for her it was unforgettable. I must add that Broadway Artists Alliance in NY is also an amazing program which got my daughter a great agent and her friend cast in Spring Awakening straight out of HS.</p>