If you're a drama major, did you do summer programs?

Times3
Wed, 20 Mar 2013 08:32:25 +0000

^^Absolutely agree with halflokum re: attending these programs on their own merit. And can I respectfully request that we stop with the insinuations that summer intensives are for people who “have money”? We are not wealthy; I set aside money from the sale of my parents’ house because I wanted my son to have this experience before we invested even more time and money in the audition process and a 4-year BFA. I do not regret the sacrifice. It cost less than the amount that many families spend on, say, an older used car for their teenager (something we have NOT chosen to do for any of our kids–the money has gone into education instead). We don’t have good local summer theater options, and it seemed important for my son to get some in-depth experience and also to see the other kids from around the country who would also be applying to BFAs. In that sense, he had an “advantage”–NOT over other people’s kids, but compared to how he would have done without the summer experience. We did not use coaches at all, by the way.

As a high-school visual arts teacher, I can tell you that my PA colleagues and I do encourage our serious students to attend summer intensives if possible, for several reasons: (1) to find out if this is the kind of college education/experience they want; (2) to hear feedback from other teachers and older students; (3) to meet and compare their work with that of peers from outside the community; and (4) to spend time immersed in their art form, which results in a qualitatively different kind of growth and expansion than can be experienced in the typical high-school schedule with a 45-minute arts class packed into a cluttered day. Many of our art, music, film, and theater students have applied for and received financial aid for these programs. We also encourage internships and community involvement if that’s possible. It all contributes to kids’ artistic growth and readiness for college.

It’s important to know what will work best for your child and to do what you can with the resources you have–a very individual decision. None of responding to the OP insinuated in any way that summer programs were a “must have” for admission to a BFA, only that our kids did benefit from having been able to attend them. A thoughtful approach will help your child make these choices without feeling either desperate about attending or defensive about having NOT attended.

Am editing this for a typo but just saw Marbleheader’s post and want to echo that indeed, her son IS awesome! also–we looked at the NCSA program too, and it seems great. In an earlier summer, my S also did a shorter, significantly less expensive program at UMinn that was very good. Many good options!