Thank you all for this info. I’m particularly watching NYU as that is where my S is committed to enroll this fall, so thank you, @CaMom13 for chiming in!
It’s hard to be fair and honest on an open forum because everyone takes things with a slant so let me just say clearly: I don’t have any complaints about NYU’s handling of this. It is a crisis, they are located in the area that is currently experiencing the worst outbreak in the US. I’m grateful they aren’t deserting their employees and faculty, I’m grateful they called on-site schooling to a halt when they did. This is just a difficult time all around; it’s hard to be enthusiastic about online school because it isn’t what we “signed up for” and the performing arts kids at any school are hit particularly hard by the move to remote instruction. This is not business as usual on any level. I just hope all the students, staff and faculty stay safe throughout the next months and I’m very much looking forward to life getting back to whatever the new normal is in the Fall. Keep the faith, everyone!
Not in response to any particular post but just some musings from my head:
I was encouraged how when all of the shutdowns started, almost immediately I saw a collaborative document going around with resources and ways to better teach theatre and the arts online and how to best reach students during this time. I believe it was started by someone from Loyola Marmount but with contributions from lots of people/places. So there was almost immediate response. And I think most places are doing their very best to navigate uncharted territory. And I too have seen a lot of care for my daughter’s mental well being from her profs. We are all human and mistakes may be made along the way. But the students are safe and learning. And I enjoyed getting to hear some of my daughter’s classes. How many of you have missed your kid’s singing? I know I didn’t realize just how much until it was once again filling the house! ?
Don’t worry, @CaMom13 - your comments and input doesn’t read as complaining! I’m just grateful that you are providing your input from your perspective. My S is committed and excited, and I’m just looking to see how they adapt to a “new normal” to get an idea of the potential road ahead.
My daughter starts online classes today after a 2 week spring break. She told me last night she intends to wake up, come downstairs to make herself a mocha and then go back to “attend” her morning class from her bed, hahaha. It will be an interesting week as her school has set her time to go empty her dorm out on Thursday. She will have to drive 4.5 hours to do that and work around her online schedule. She is not sure how most of the theatre classes will work out but the faculty is awesome and are in touch with the department of theatre kids a lot and have been super supportive. The voice teacher will do FaceTime private lessons. The only downside is the dance. The teacher has already assigned written papers and a journal and is not having them film any dance. The students and faculty miss each other so much, they are normally glued at the hip so very hard on everyone involved.
I would be interested from the parents of current college MT kids which schools/faculty were " prepared" and are doing a GREAT job with this online thing, would also be curious who has been unprepared & caused paarents to feel " cheated" even given the circumstances…I know people dont typically like to " bad mouth" anyone but I have heard anecdotally some schools who have really done as good a job as possible under the circumstance. Likewise, I have heard of " top tier " schools in the MT world and acting world who were woefully under prepared for this & their kids are definitely getting the short end of the stick…honesty on both sides is GREATLY appreciated. I do think the reaction to this chaos does speak to leadership & student commitment at the schools. TIA
Manhattan School of Music has exceeded my expectations with their online learning. They are utilizing Zoom and the kids follow their regular schedule. Private voice lessons are being done through Skype. The first week went very smoothly and my D has loved interacting with her classmates and teachers. Obviously dance class is modified due to limited space but they are still training; just not doing across the floors. The teachers have been checking in regularly with the students to get their feedback and ask for suggestions to improve class. I’m so impressed with their passion and commitment to the students. The head of dance is also doing a supplemental dance class every Saturday at noon. I really feel MSM is making the best of the situation and was well prepared for the transition.
D has been very happy with her NYU Zoom classes. While she is an Acting major, she does have jazz and tai chi this semester and she said even those classes are going well. They have had to make adjustments for Acting, and instead of scene work are focusing on monologues. She does not feel cheated - other than she misses NYC.
@yellahamma - so glad! I was feeling badly for the freshmen - they just got there and this happens!
@CaMom13 once the puddle dried up and classes started, she began feeling better. I’m hoping fall semester is not affected. Hope your D is happier too. ?
Well my D is in the MT studio and it’s been challenging @yellahamma - they literally have 12 different studio classes so that’s 12 different teachers ( 3 of them in dance) making the adjustment and they’ve all added work on due to students being home so the workload is heavy. She’s doing “okay” - she too misses NY and her studio crowd. Also, we are self-quarantined (California) and that is really hard on her and all the kids who love to be out and about. The one thing I can say is it’s been fun to have her home and hear her sing! Her artistic growth has been phenomenal, which makes these parents feel good. 
I have complete confidence fall semester will be back to on-site classwork and this is just a large bump in the road. 
I’m not sure any MT program had actually prepared a contingency plan for having to go to 100% online classes. Who could have foreseen the need? Molloy/CAP21 seems to be doing well. They went “online” 3 days before spring break, took the week of spring break off, and then went straight into online classes the Monday after. (I’m guessing the teachers/program spent the week figuring out how they were going to make this work.) From a move out perspective, it was a bit of a mess. They shipped the kids off for break and then during break said - move out ASAP - by 3/31 at the latest. Then on the Friday before they could get back in the dorms to move out, the school told the out of state kids - don’t come back. We’ll keep your stuff locked in your room and you’ll get the prorated refund for housing anyway. This was a relief and much appreciated.
The CAP21 studio classes started up right away last Monday without a hitch. They are using zoom like so many others. DS was skeptical about how dance would go, but that has been good. The only class that he said was odd or hard has been musical scene study (acting) because they have scene partners. Pretty hard to do a scene with someone not in the same location as you. Otherwise, vocal perf, voice lessons, dance, voice & speech all seem to be going well.
Like everyone else, he would much rather be in the classroom with his peers and teachers, but he’s making the best of it.
I second everything @ac2680 has shared about Manhattan School of Music. I am very impressed at how smooth the transition to remote learning has worked out. My D was a little concerned at first but has been very pleasantly surprised. MSM is doing a great job with the situation at hand. The Saturday class was amazing and my D enjoyed it very much. She does miss being together with her class as they are very close. I’m sad her freshman year turned out like this and hoping things turn around by August.
I love having my D home, but Broadway Tap via Zoom, 7:30 to 8:45 a.m. every Tues & Thursday, on a foam backed 4 x 4 sheet of plywood, in the living room. IT’S LOUD!!!
@MTMommma I just said to my daughter yesterday that I was glad she was in Jazz this semester and not tap…
Saw a post on the OCU Facebook page that showed Artist in Residence Kristin Chenoweth having a Zoom masterclass with the MT Class of 2020.
The second week of online classes is going well, although the separation from school and classmates is still painful. The dean of the Theatre Conservatory sent the students a well written, encouraging email about getting through this situation together and making the most of it. He also included some directives that only this new online world would necessitate, such as using a table and chair for class instead of lying down!
They lost a week of instruction due to the extended spring break, and of course the students have lost out on all those hours of education in rehearsals, performances, and tech assignments. None of the instructors have said so, but it would seem to me that the extra workload is an attempt to make up for some of that. Even though it’s not ideal, I’m grateful that we have the technology to make this remote learning possible.
The biggest challenge for my S is we are in California and his school is in Miami, so his dance class is at 6:30 a.m. here! But he’s working through it, and the instructor is allowing some flexibility including some assignments that they can video tape and submit, so he doesn’t have to be on that early twice a week. The instructors and students are adapting, all acknowledging this is less than ideal for an artistic major, but lots of majors have similar challenges (science classes with lots of lab work, for example). I am just glad it’s his junior year and not his senior year.
More than anything, it is not the classes but being away from his friends that is the hardest thing to adapt to. And he cannot even see local friends (or his girlfriend) here at home due to Stay in Place orders. In that sense, I think seeing his classmates online and doing anything close to normalcy with his classes is a welcome break for the rest of the current living situation.
My son is a tech student with a concentration in lighting. He’s a third year student but is graduating this year because he switched from BFA to BA.
His school initially gave conflicting responses, but I attribute that to the fact that it’s a SUNY school and decisions were ultimately made by Governor Cuomo and the Board of Regents. He was first told that everyone should leave campus and then that they could stay. Ultimately, SUNY students were told that they could stay, but they might consolidate dorms, but if they left, they’d get a rebate on room and board. My son has moved in with his girlfriend off campus. I said that I would contribute to the rent and food because I will eventually be getting a partial refund. Although I’d love to have him here, I live in the new epicenter of the pandemic while his college town has fewer cases. His gf’s family lives 1/2 hour away while I am 9 hours away (but still in the same state!).
In terms of dealing with the situation, his department organized a makeshift graduation on less than 24 hours notice. I watched it on my phone on the last day that I actually worked in my office. H and all of my other children were able to watch it as well. It was beautiful and my son and his fellow seniors really appreciated the effort. The theater where the ceremony took place was packed (before social distancing rules) and every professor was there. Afterwards, the faculty treated the kids to pizza.
As for classes, they have moved to distance learning. My son is a little sad because a class on welding/soldering he was taking is now a video conference where they watch the professor do projects in his home workshop. He had really been enjoying the hands on class and learning a lot. Luckily, H has a home workshop, complete with acetylene torch, so my son can practice when he gets home. He is also taking a dance class for non-majors, which he was enjoying; he earned an A- at midterm. The online model now involves watching dance videos and writing critiques, as well as taping himself dancing. He’s thinking of dropping the class because it’s not what he signed up for. He has zero prior dance experience and only signed up because I have encouraged him to take a movement class for exercise each semester and a bunch of his guy friends were also in the class. He’s going to check with his advisor to make sure he can drop the class and still graduate.
As for the tech production requirements, my son had already met about 75% before the suspension, but the department decided to waive this semester’s requirement for all graduating seniors. I am not sure what they are doing for other students, but I think that they are just getting the credit.
One thing his school (and perhaps other SUNY schools) is doing is allowing students at all levels to decide to take a pass/fail grade at any point up until May 31, which is after grades come out. If a student opts for pass/fail now, they can also change and accept a grade if they do better than they thought and vice versa.
I’m sad that my son isn’t getting the full benefit of his final semester, especially since he’s also graduating a year early, but I think his school and department are doing well. One of the professors sent out an email asking all kids who were staying to let him know and he offered to be a contact/point person for them. My son says he is sending out check in emails, even to those students he’s never had. He was one of my son’s favorites beforehand…now, even more so.
Hope everyone is staying safe and healthy and that you have enough food and toilet paper!
Thank you for that window into the tech world at your S’s school, @techmom99 ! I hope he gets to alter his curriculum to suit his needs. It’s lovely to hear that his department was able to come up with a meaningful shared experience for its graduates and their families! Best of luck to him with the rest of his final semester. It really stinks for these kids who were having their culminating experiences. 