<p>To all, sorry I set off this grenade. Onward.</p>
<p>There will be a million times you second guess yourselves this year. Did we pick the right schools? Did we schedule in the right order? Did we do the right thing picking x coach, y coach, or no coach? Is that the right outfit? The right song? The right monologue? I think I stresses over the details last year b/c it was the part I could control⊠or at least influence. The competitiveness- and randomness, of this process is hard. But try not to let it wake you in the middle of the night (which happened to me more than once last year) because it will work out! The universe is unfolding as it shouldâŠ</p>
<p>Do the best you can with what youâve got. And then âLet it go, let it go, let it go. . .â This is only one step on a path that branches in many directions, over a long period of time. If youâve read the posts that actually pertain to the title of this thread - and the ones from previous cohorts - the stories are all different and all the same. Let it go.</p>
<p>Bumping this for those of you who feel theyâve gotten nothing but âbadâ news - or no news - so far (early in the season) or for those who are new to the process. This âfallowâ time before going into the âdark days of winterâ can seem never-ending. Take time to catch your breath, the next four months will go by with lightning speed.</p>
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One last post from the âClass of 2018âŠâ Yes, âtoo wonderfulâ there will be a million times when you question yourselves and we did - Here is the only post I have for this year:
Have not posted all year - my girl was class of 2018⊠Got some news nowâŠ
Iâm posting this in 2019 and 2018 - my daughter transferred out of her REVERED and fantastic program at BSU that she misses so terribly. It was a painstaking decision - but she really wanted/needed to attend an MT program on the east coast and closer to home. (We are from Virginia) For any of you parents still struggling with either disappointment, and/or your kid going off to a school that may or may not be the one originally hoped for - 1) It may be the PERFECT FIT after all â most times thatâs how it goes - so forward march and be VERY EXCITED!!!, and 2) contact me privately if you could use counsel now (or later next year) and I can run down how things work as you try to help your kid take a different road - if that is what they wish to or need to, doâŠ
So here goes - after that long hard audition circuit last year, and a few great offers (but none close to home - ahhh well one, but BSU beat them out) she joined the program at BALL STATE (go Bill, Andrea, Johanna, Christie, everyone - the place is the bomb.com) and had a superior time her first semester. (One of 12 girls in the MT classâŠwhat an honor that was.) For the primary reason of being 10 and 1/2 hours from home (for this particular student), she needed to make an adjustment. So we sort of âforced her handâ to bring her home in January and then she decided to recast her dieâŠ
Applied/auditioned this year, at only a few close to home schools on the east coast, and one silly audition (in Boston) for the Berklee College of Music for vocal performance. None of this was planned - as she/we had no plan when we suddenly kind of sort of âkidnappedâ her from Ball State the 2nd week of January just as Spring semester was starting⊠So honestly - the last thing that she or anyone expected was for her to be going back to college (for musical theatre) in the Fall of 2015. As you all know, you have to prepare, plot, prescreen, produce - arrghhhh is there anything worse that auditioning/applying in this sector??? So yeah, just a few auditions - for any local area schools whose deadline she had not yet missed - and one in particular - her initial top choice both this year and last year, in truthâŠ
Of the six she auditioned for this Spring - 4 accepts, 1 reject, and the topper - Berklee College of Music (vocal music major) - fat scholarship - youâre a prodigyâŠblah blah blah blahâŠ
Wow what a difference a year makes? What statistically fantastic results this year!!!
The GREAT news - the very last one to come in - on April 11 - the longshot, the one she wanted, that we told Grandma not to bother praying about - too much academic competition in our area, layered with the fact that they only take no more than 6 girls and 6 boys (we heard) and sometimes Zero transfer students - last year supposedly they took only one - they said at the auditions⊠(our hearts sunkâŠ) So yeah - we told Grandma - lady stop praying - itâs not happening! She scoffed and said she was doing it anywayâŠWe reminded her of the prior year, that hundreds audition at times for a handful of spots??? That it is a statistically impossible equation.
And then on April 11 - YES - there it is - the impossible came true. And my daughter and I were vacationing with her two older sisters and brother in California - and the news arrives. Oh the party began that night. She is IN IN IN IN IN!!! She and everyone are still pinching themselves and the well wishers - friends, family, teachers and mentors, Ball State friends, MT friends there, and her teachers there - all congratulating her - this is the one she wanted. Everyone has to take their own path.
James Madison University Musical Theatre- - HERE COMES YOUR GIRL!!! Thanks for seeing/hearing her potential to make her the 1 of your 6 (or whatever number) of girls in the new class. Could this really be happening. Itâs all too unbelievable. And one hour and 40 minutes from our house⊠Need I say anything else about that? (KateâŠshe and our posse is looking forward to this more than anything you can possibly imagine. We are sending you a seriously hardworking chick. The three before her were UVA, Gettysburg, and Va. Tech - all highly successful adults - and they consider HER their idol⊠So yeah - sheâs gonna work her butt off - youâll seeâŠ)
Good luck to everyone in their MT endeavors when Fall begins to all of you students across the globe and their toiling, tired, MT PARENTS!!!
PS: BSU - shout out - she misses you TERRIBLY - Best college/program on earth. She said on January 9 and I quote âI wish I could just lift the whole campus/program and plunk them on the east coast.â Anyone going there is a totally lucky person.
But this Virginia girl is the total luckiest lady on earth now to attend the only PUBLIC University in Virginia with a reputation of academic excellence of top caliber AND with a Musical theatre (via audition only) program, (too bad UVA and Va Tech - get with the âMT programâ hahahha). She has made her choice. Go DUKES!!!
Wow Congrats to your daughter!!! How wonderful that it all worked out for her⊠We are on Long Island, NY but JMU is on my Dâs list to visit (she is a hs junior) We have heard wonderful things about their program. I am worried that the 6 1/2 hours might be too far for my D but we will visit in the fall and see what she thinks⊠Keep us up to date as how your D likes it!! Congrats again!!
@Joyfulmama - Your D will love it! Iâm from LI, too, and I live in VA now. Itâs a little bit of âculture shockâ moving âdown southâ from LI, but once you get used to it-- itâs wonderful!!! The pace is slower here, but its really nice.
@goinplacesmomsD â congrats! @Joyfulmama â there are not one but two great MT programs right on LI: LIU Post and Molloy/CAP21, where my D is taking final exams as I write this!
Thanks @SU88BFA I bet itâs a culture shock! Her older sister is a professional dancer and lives in Manhattan so she is in the city all the time. We thought she would want NYU but she has decided she wants a campus and more country so JMU may be just what she wants!! I cant wait for her to visit!! Hoping we can time our visit with a fall show!!
Yes, try to see a show, but remember that you will have to return to campus to audition-- JMU doesnât go to Unifieds.
Great point thanks again @CSU88BFA !!
@EastchesterMom My D hopefully will be attending LIUâs Honors MT intensive this summer and by graduation will have 18 college credits from them too! Unfortunately though they are both BFAâs and I am looking for a BA ,.at least as of today 
How does your D like going back and forth from Rockville to NYC?
The kids got used to the trip very quicklyâŠas you know, itâs only about 30 minutes to NY Penn Station⊠and she loves CAP21! Next year, they commute 3 days a week instead of two. I think sheâll move to NYC for junior and senior year. I wanted her to live in NYC for sophomore year, but she loves the campus and wants to stay.
@EastchesterMom Dâs best Unified friend just committed to Molloy/CAP21! Will PM you with her name and ask your D to give her an especially big welcome. She is adorable and very very talented. And my D is so excited that they are now just a train ride apart!
APPLIED TO: Wright State, Baldwin-Wallace, Cincinnati Conservatory, University of Michigan, Shenandoah, Elon, Western Michigan, Coastal Carolina, Ohio Northern, Texas State, Otterbein
PRESCREENS: Baldwin-Wallace, UofM, Shenandoah, Elon, Coastal, TSU, Otterbein⊠passed BW, UofM, Shenandoah, Elon, Coastal⊠did not pass TSU, Otterbein
WITHDREW FROM: Coastal Carolina prior to audition.
ARTISTICALLY ACCEPTED: Ohio Northern, Shenandoah, Wright State.
REDIRECTED: BW, Cincinnati University, Coastal Carolina, TCU, Western, Otterbein
COACH: None
SUMMER PROGRAMS: Take if From the Top MT workshop at Michigan State University (3 yrs),
The Performing Arts Project - Company 3
TRAINING:
Dance (13 years Scottish Highland, 1 year ballet, some swing/ballroom)
Voice (3 years private lessons, 4 years show choir/vocal jazz ensemble, 10 yrs church choir)
Acting (6 years via HS and community theatre)
Instruments (piano, guitar, ukulele, drums, cajon, harmonica, pennywhistle, bagpipes)
THE JOURNEY:
We were able to schedule three auditions before Christmas. Wright State was first⊠complete with a master class the day prior. We also got to see their production of âHot Mikadoâ which was excellent. Then it was on to Baldwin-Wallace, and another great show⊠âA Chorus Line.â Finally, a trip to CCM.
He heard from all 3 fairly quickly. BW was the first ânoâ, which was hard. He LOVED that program and could really see himself there. CCM ânoâ came just 5 days after the audition. Ouch. We had expected to hear from WSU in 2-3 weeks, but it was nearly six. When it came it was in a small, thin envelope. I was worried, but it was a YES!
Because of the TSU and Otterbein pre-screen rejections, and because we live in the Midwest, we decided to cancel our Unified reservations and do all auditions on campus. Most schools were within a 4-5 hour drive⊠Shenandoah is 8, Elon is 10. After the Wright acceptance, S deemed Coastal was too far, and not as high on his list as Wright, so we let that one go.
He had auditions every weekend from the last weekend in January through the first weekend in March, except one, which was a show-choir concert weekend. Those weeks were a whirlwind⊠UofM (which was a day-trip), Shenandoah, Ohio Northern (in a blizzard), Elon and finally Western.
Acceptances came from the programs where he was able to connect with the faculty. At each, they took the time to ask questions and get to know him, which he appreciated. The Shenandoah âyesâ came just 5 hours after the audition, which was a wonderful ego boost! The ânoâ from Michigan was sad, but my husband and I are Michigan State alums, so, not sad from a sports-fan perspective! LOL.
FINAL DECISION: Wright State!
Wright was his first audition and a friend said, âGeez, the rest were waste of time, huh?â Not at all. Each audition was a great learning experience. He was able to discern what he really wanted by experiencing the various campuses, programs and even faculty first-hand. There is a big difference between a program on paper (on the web) and a program in person. I was SO glad we were able to be on-campus for all the auditions. He is very, very happy with his choice! So am I. I love that he will only be a few hours from home!
LESSONS:
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Auditioning before the holidays was the best thing for us! I highly recommend early auditions if you can manage them. He was able to go into the full-swing of audition season with some âexperienceâ and knowledge of what the process would be like.
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See a schoolâs musical production if you can. It is (for all intents and purposes) the âproductâ for a given school. It is the result of their instruction and training. We were lucky to see shows at several schools (pre-audition year as well as this year). Shows can tell you a lot about a program. Honestly, âHot Mikadoâ was the best show we saw at any school. I think that was a huge factor in my sonâs decision.
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Use good spreadsheets/checklists to keep yourself organized. And keep good records of when you sent/received paperwork, audition materials, etc. I used a binder with a section for each school and combined spreadsheets at the front. âThe Bookâ went with us to all auditions. I am more than willing to share my spreadsheets. Iâve been told that they are really good. ï I color coded everything. Iâm a freak.
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Make friends. One of the best parts of the process was the core group of MT Moms Iâve become close friends with through this process. We formed a FB chat group and these friends were a wonderful, more intimate support group through all the ups and downs of the process. My S is the only student at our HS pursuing theatre as a college path, the only one going through this process. No one in my town âgets itâ. It has been wonderful to have these friends to turn to. I know we will be close for years to come!
@winnieroot â please do PM me! Word is that Molloy/CAP 21âs yield is enormousâŠso many who were accepted are committing! Guess they had no idea how word got around about the training, facilities and opportunities and how popular the program is after only one year (not that I had anything to do with that! ). They filled their cohort of 24 and are actually filling up a second cohort. Bring it on, baby; here we come!
Oops⊠the 2018 thread was up⊠misplaced⊠sorry. Please see the 2019 thread.
@MTmom2015 could you PM me your spreadsheets?
I cant sent via PM, but if you PM me your email address, I will send the file that way (Excel). Thanks! @qpalzm135