<p>I think there was an earlier thread that may address this more closely, but I couldn’t find it. My S started as an MT student last fall and was at school about a month or so then has changed to VP-Opera at the urging of his Voice teacher. The way it is set up he will take most of the same classes, mostly less dance and he can still be in musicals. He seems very facinated with Opera, I think what surprised me most was how quickly he has changed. Anyone out there with similar experience?</p>
<p>Which were the safety schools? Particularly the one with the bif scholarship money. We are starting to look at “safety” along with audition options, and the finances will play a big part.
Thanks.</p>
<p>sarahlsmom - You may be writing me, so I’ll answer. </p>
<p>I hate to refer to any place as a safety, but my son was accepted to 2 non-audition schools with very nice amounts of merit scholarship money. These were TCU - Texas Christian University (which offers a non-audition BFA in theatre, in which one can emphasize MT) and Indiana University (for their BA in theatre, but he could have added music and dance in the Independent Study option). Please note that he entered college in fall 2006. For students going to IU in fall 2007 or later, there is now an audition-required BFA in MT. I’m sure the BA is still also an option.</p>
<p>What is a safety for some students is not for others as it is all relative to each student’s qualifications. That said, and without knowing a thing about your D…look into some BA in MT options like Susquehanna, McDaniel, Santa Clara, Indiana, UNH, Manhattanville.</p>
<p>What an incredible thread this is for a newbie! Good luck to all of you in your programs. It is so much fun to read about the many different experiences you are all having. I am a junior right now and absorbing all this information like a sponge. I am anxious and excited to get my audition & application process underway!</p>
<p>im auditioning @ HARTT tomorrow
im very psyched for this one…i hope it goes well!!</p>
<p>Best of luck VTBroadwayBaby! Break a leg!</p>
<p>Changing the subject a little, has anyone been back to their kids highschool to see a performance? My husband and I went last night with a group of parents whos kids graduated last year and are now in MT college programs, it was interesting, good show, but strange not seeing our kids “up there”.</p>
<p>hey! thanks lynnm…i just got back…and it was GREAT…my best audition yet, definitely…and i feel so great about it! yay!</p>
<p>VTBroadwayBaby - I think this is the one for you - I can sense it!!!</p>
<p>srw–our high school only does a musical every other year (and a choir trip the alternating year) so my D’s last musical was as a junior. We went last year (her first year of college) to see the high school production of Fiddler on the Roof. It was very good…a little weird because my D wasn’t there, but we knew so many of the kids it was fun. Now next year, I won’t know anybody because the seniors will all be three years younger than my D. Actually they are my son’s age, but none of his friends are into music and drama. Plus the top vocalists are graduating so I’m not sure who will fill their shoes. When my D was a senior, they had 5 singers (plus a couple of alternates) make all-state choir. That is really a lot considering the size of our school and town. This year, they just had one.</p>
<p>Hi Musicmom, what I’ve noticed in the past is that there always seems to be someone(s) to step up and take the place of the graduating ones, maybe a little “thin” for a year or two, but never totally lacking, but then this is a big school. For example, in my S’s class three are in MT programs one in a BFA acting program, one studying directing, and I just heard that there is another one who after being in “regular” college has just returned from unifieds, I think that with the difficult odds of getting into one of these programs that is a lot of kids pursuing theater from this particular high school. I don’t know how it is in other non-performing arts high school, but theater seems to be a big deal at this school, for example there was a cast of around 60 in the show we saw last night, which is about right for how its been, at least for the last 4 years, I think when they did Beauty and the Beast and Les Miz is was higher. I think my S was lucky to go to a school like this, they do around 9 productions a year with 3 of them being musicals. But I must say that after being there last night, I REALLY miss it. It was always so exciting and so much fun. While parents were not allowed to directly help with the shows, we had a theater booster group and we fundraised and provided dress rehearsal dinners, things like that. Maybe I should volunteer with a community theater?</p>
<p>Our school’s music and drama departments do not collaborate very much. The music dept is excellent and the drama teacher is incompetent, so she pretty much does her production class projects and one-act play, and the music dept is in charge of the musical. They hire an outside stage director. As for the community theatre, I say go for it…if you want to stay very, very busy. My D got most of her acting experience with our local community theatre. I am currently on the board of directors, and I get ‘volunteered’ for everything not having to do with performing. I don’t act, can’t sing, and therefore I am supposed to be working on the season-ticket brochure instead of reading CC 
and serve as the scholarship committee chairman. Then I will produce the summer musical which means all the behind-the-scenes ‘clerical’ type stuff (programs, publicity, etc). It keeps me very busy. But after the summer show, I am going to say it’s someone else’s turn!</p>
<p>Good idea to stay involved locally after the kids are gone. I’m still an officer in the local children’s theatre guild even though my son hasn’t participated there in quite a few years.</p>
<p>I think I will, I’ll give them a call next week and see what they need! Thanks</p>
<p>Anyone know about the York Theatre/Marymount summer program for 18 to 27 yr olds in NYC this summer? It is a 6 week Musical Theatre summer intensive. My D is a junior at Steinhardt at NYU and did Summer stock for two summers and wants to stay in NYC this summer–work part-time and do workshops—is it worth spending time and money on this program?</p>
<p>Hi anyone at all know anyone going to Pace in the fall? I think my D is going for the BA in Theater/arts with a focus in acting…she was waitlisted for the MT bfa.</p>
<p>Hi This board is just what I needed! I am a totally confused newbie. We live in a small rural town. My daughter is one of a few musical theatre enthusiasts in our area. She does the local hs thing and the dinner theatre and takes dance, voice, and music lessons. The BIG city is too far away to really do much there. SHe has started a local theatre community group that has grown into a full fledged program. She has gotten vocal scores that put her in the state competition. She has gone to theatre camps across the state that were selective. She has also excelled at a Johns Hopkins summer law program.
We have encouraged her to major in what she really likes -musical theatre.
She would then like to apply to law school and practice divorce or trial law. She has super grades and is in an IB programme at her school.
We are going to visit Carnegie Mellon next week, but from what the posts seem to say, I’m not sure that this is the right path for her?
She is very interested in history and also bringing the humanities to the community. I don’t think that beating the pavement looking for a theatre job is her ultimate goal. Any ideas?</p>
<p>Welcome to the board, spotlightmom! Your D sounds like an amazing kid and it’s clear you are very proud of her, and with good reason. As to your question: if she truly envisions herself eventually pursuing a law degree, she may (after exploring a lot of college program) find herself wanting to steer away from studying MT in a conservatory or conservatory-esque (just made that up and like the sound of it! :)) college environment. In other words, she may end up preferring to and benefitting most from a college program that allows/encourages/requires her to take a good dose of liberal arts classes. I am told that at NYU, for instance, MT students have their theater/dance/voice classes on (I hope I have this right; if I don’t, I trust soozievt to correct me!) Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, and liberal arts classes on Tuesdays and Thursdays, or something similar. In other words, liberal arts classes are an integral and substantial part of the degree, whereas at Carnegie Mellon, an MT student does not have the time to take many liberal arts courses that are not related to her or his major. Ask about that when you visit next week and I am sure that they can give you a more complete picture than can I. I am guessing that there are many excellent colleges where your daughter could do musical theater and acting and major in history or English, etc., yet have many performing opportunities, as well as take a plethora of acting, MT, dance and music classes, or where she could double major in musical theater/acting and something else, such as history. (As an aside, if she is really interested in history, Johns Hopkins is an <em>excellent</em> school to consider, and there are plenty of performing opportunities and acting, etc. classes there, too. John Astin, the actor who played Gomez Addams in the TV series, “The Addams Family,” teaches acting and theater there and runs a very highly respected student theater group. If you want to know more, PM me.) Again, I am far from an expert, but it seems to me there is a way for your D to pursue all of her interests and passions in college at the same time. I am equally sure that others here who know more than me will chime in with some excellent suggestions. This is a most helpful community!
NMR</p>
<p>my daughter is going to pace for theater!</p>