My question is in speaking with my D about programs and schools she always says she needs to go to a more well known program or a larger program etc because of the quality of the training & faculty etc. I don’t know how to ascertain a school’s quality of training …how would you know really? Like should I just read bios of faculty to see their background ? I guess what factors should I be looking at once we determine a school is a good fit location wise and financial wise etc? The curriculum to see if all three factors of MT are present obviously but I think smaller lesser known programs may be just fine in terms of quality but maybe she means they aren’t as rigorous. My fear is choosing s smaller lesser known program & then it not being adequate to make her competitive upon graduation.
There are so many things to consider and the answers to them are going to be different for every student applying to MT programs. But for starters:
- Which discipline is most important to you? There are programs whose emphasis is acting, some whose emphasis is voice and some whose strength is dance. Do you have a preference on which type of program you attend? This answer gets more complicated in that some people choose to go to a school that is strong in something they already consider their strength (i.e. a good singer going to a music based program). Others decide to go to a program whose strength is their weakness in an effort to make all areas of equal strength upon graduation(i.e. a strong dancer going to an acting first program).
- Who is teaching the classes? Do you take from professors all 4 years or are some of your classes taught by graduate assistants or adjunct professors? Yes - look at teacher bios. Their experience and the success of their past students should be of interest to you.
- Examine the curriculum. How many classes do you really get to take in each discipline? We were surprised at some programs there weren't more classes in various disciplines. Can you sit in on a class or two and see what you think about the training?
- What size are the classes? How much personal attention will you get? Some schools start with group voice and transition to private voice later on. Other schools offer 2-3 private voice lessons per week from the first day. For dance, some schools allow you to level in to dance so you are in a class with others of the same skill set as you. Other schools make you take group dance no matter what level you are when you enter so you could be in a ballet class with beginners even if you have had 6 years of ballet. Neither are wrong approaches. Both approaches have successful grads. But you need to decide for you personally what you want.
- Student success - ask where current alumni are working post-graduation. Also find out what sort of professional work current students may be doing in the summers or even during the school year.
You can get quality training most places. If you choose to go to a lesser known program, it may be more incumbent upon you to really push yourself in your classes and to seek out opportunities outside of class or during the summers. So much of post grad success it is dependent on the student themselves, how much they want it, and how hard they work for it.
If you feel your skills are not necessarily at the top of the pack right now, a smaller or lesser known program may give you more opportunities to be cast and learn. That’s something else to consider. Do you want to go to a top school and possibly graduate without ever having a lead in a show because competition for roles is so fierce, or do you want to go to a lesser known, smaller program with less competition where you are cast every year? Again, there is no right answer - just something to think about.
I feel about this subject the same way I feel about kids who think they must be in a big city to really study theatre. It just isn’t true. Being in NYC or being in a top program is a wonderful thing. But There are many great programs out there in a variety of locations offering quality training. What you do with that training is up to you.
That is not to say there aren’t advantages to being in a top program. Their reputation may help open a door or two for them. Their alumni networks are strong and helpful. Their showcase may be better attended or it may be easier to be seen by agents at first. And the quality of the actual training probably is top notch. But that doesn’t mean you can’t also get good training in a lesser known program.
As usual, @vvnstar does a superb job of hitting all the points to ponder. Did want to mention point #2 with respect to adjunct faculty doesn’t have to be a bad thing. That adjunct faculty member might be Sutton Foster, or Phylicia Rashad or many others that may have less recognizable names but with resumes that would blow your mind and as importantly, have real teaching chops.
NYU Tisch for example is pretty heavy on its use of adjuncts. I suspect proximity is part of the reason because the school’s location is where many of these professionals live and work in their respective fields. Point being, adjunct teachers can be a really great thing. (And there may be some amazing grad students that teach too. I don’t know about that model but I’m sure it is possible.)
And even if your skills are at the top of the pack a small program that offers you more opportunities to be on stage can also provide opportunities to network and be seen more often. It’s the chicken vs the egg scenario. Some highly successful people on Broadway probably would have been no matter what program they attended. Some never went to college for theater. Go with the school that fits…and that is different for everyone.
Great answers so far! A few other things are worth considering.
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In my opinion you can’t actually tell much about the actual quality of training kids get in a program unless you know the difference between how specific kids enter versus how they leave. Some school primarily admit only kids with extraordinary talent, looks, tools, and training, so it is no surprise that they often (but not always) graduate and find work, while other schools admit more diamonds in the rough and/or unique character types. I personally know some kids who went to top schools who felt they needed some major retraining after college to break some unwanted habits they picked up in 4 years, so school reputation does not guarantee either quality or (more importantly) compatibility with a given student’s needs.
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D preferred a school with a larger faculty, knowing that some kids will benefit more from one style of training while others get more from a very different method. Every artist needs to learn to pick-and-choose among various tools and techniques they will be offered along the way, and she felt it might be a bummer to be “stuck” with an incompatible teacher for several years. Plus she felt she could learn a little bit from everyone, so more exposure is good exposure. A large faculty might theoretically produce less consistent results, but not all actors are meant to be the same. A small program is also more heavily impacted when professors move on, as they often do.
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Skills training neither starts not ends with college for most successful MTs, so it may not be the only, or even the prime, consideration for some aspiring MTs when they select schools.
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There is no fixed definition of “quality” when it comes to either training or performance. For example, some directors/audiences might love one vocal style while others hate it. As longs as kids are being taught to properly care for themselves and how not to cause injury, many styles and techniques have a place in performing and popular styles will change over a long career.
This is such a hard question that gets pondered every year. But truly, YES, in a vacuum, all things being equal, the actual quality of a lesser known program CAN be as good as or even BETTER than a more well-known program. But more well known programs can, as vvnstar pointed out, offer other advantages because of their reputation (deserved or not) for attracting the best students. Sometimes all it takes is one grad becoming famous (and yeah, maybe that grad would have done well no matter where they went) and - boing! - it becomes a hot program. And suddenly said hot program has a zillion applicants, has its pick of mega talent, and… well, you get the picture. Even if the actual program didn’t change one bit.
You also need to check how the program is set up and run. Don’t go there just for a particular faculty member they may not necessarily be there in the fall.
@vvnstar…and others…very well said! This is the million dollar question isn’t it? Not sure where @theaterwork is in the process with her D…but I just want to add that I can’t say enough about the difference college visits and summer intensive opportunities can make in exploring schools and getting an understanding and a “feel” for the quality of a program.
My D is now VERY interested in a wide variety of programs by having opportunities to train with faculty, spend time on campuses and understand the philosophies of different programs…why one program is a BM, another is a BA, while others are BFA.
Although her personal experiences aren’t the litmus test for what a quality program is or isn’t…she knows what quality training is…and in the end it’s about what the best quality training is for her needs and my bank account! (Personally we are looking at faculty, curriculum and trends coming out of the program…kids getting representation, jobs, and even if all student perform in Senior showcase, and are showcases well attended by industry reps…although I have some reservations about weighing the latter too heavily.)
So, for us (and yes I say us because I am footing the bill) the choice will come down to some non-scientific combination of cost, feel and “strength of program”, based on our unique perspective. (That is obviously assuming she will have a choice!!)
The good news is, after visits and summer programs, we have a much better understanding and appreciation for the positives and negatives to different programs.
Best of luck on your journey!
The talent and experience of the other students in a program will play an important part in creating a school’s level of instruction. The vast majority of the students in D’s program had been leads in high school–and while they couldn’t all be leads when it came to actual full-blown main stage productions in college, a lot of instruction and performance takes place within classes week after week and counts for a lot of what a student learns. D was challenged and inspired by the performers surrounding her in class and the level of classwork helped her grow as a performer.
To try to gauge the caliber of students actually attending, I would try to audit classes or attend productions and show cases. If distance makes that impossible, I would try to find things on You Tube.
Good luck!
To add on to what @uskoolfish said try to sit in on a rehearsal. My daughter happened to be able to sit in on two different rehearsals. One was for a mainstage production and the other a student directed. Along with sitting in on classes and seeing productions she found it very helpful.
A caveat about judging a program by a rehearsal or performance is that you need to know exactly who and what you’re seeing. I could have formed vastly different opinions of D’s school depending on which of the 60+ annual productions I stumbled in to, and no single one (including mainstage) would have provided a meangful impression of the overall program as many kids do shows off campus and many student shows are very experimental.
Agreed @MomCares We saw a mainstage show at what most consider a top school and it was terrible. The bigger issue we had were some students were in the audience as well and their behaviors and attitudes were terrible completely changing the vibe we got from the school in a previous visit. It really goes back to that feeling of “fit” which is completely subjective and different for everyone. That’s why campus visits especially when accepted are so important.
I had a similar experience with audience drama at a top school that I found very off-putting. It did shape my feelings about the school, yet realistically was no actual indication of what one could learn there or even of the overall “vibe” of the school.
Just another thought- different schools have wildly difference policies/opportunities when it comes to visitation, sitting in on class, etc. I have known people who have crossed off schools based on whether or not they could “try” before you “buy”, and of course it’s a personal choice. Some schools do a lot of “wooing” for prospective students (esp accepted students) some don’t. Doesn’t mean training is better at one or another- but the “vibe” can be very different during the application process.
Sitting in on classes can be pretty useful. On one college visit, my D sat in on a musical theatre voice class and was alarmed at how unhealthy the vocal technique was. She said the students were really straining and it looked painful when they sang. That school was quickly crossed off the list because vocal health is extremely important to her. She will insist on sitting in on voice classes and taking a voice lesson at the schools she is accepted at, for sure! 
I would never say it’s not valuable- I am just saying some schools are more open to it than others. If it is an “absolute must” for you (which is perfectly valid) make sure it’s an option before you apply
How exactly does one insist on sitting in on voice classes or taking a voice lesson at an accepted school? That access may not be provided every time you ask.
By the time some acceptances roll in, many colleges are entering into their final exam period. It’s not uncommon for there to be restricted access to classes at that point. Even if the schools make themselves available for accepted student visits, that’s more time off you have to factor into your senior year unless you are lucky enough to have a spring break you can use for that purpose but again, if you are pushing mid-April at that point, many schools are winding down spring semester.
I think sitting in on classes is a great thing to do if you can, but I would not rule a school out if you are unable to do so. Often the choice comes down to gut and when you are talking about the gut of a HS senior, all of the upfront analysis and research can get thrown out the window very quickly by one really nice tour guide that you fantasize will be your BF vs. one that is a turn off. Like it or not, that may be as effective a driver of choice as anything so don’t panic if that happens.
As a teacher, I can tell you that sitting in my room on any given day may or may not give you an idea of what my classes are about. Of course, that is exactly what happens for my evaluations (an admin observes me teach) but I get to make sure that the lesson observed is the “best” of what I do (showing the broadest range, using the most depth etc). If a random person walked in the door at a random moment- who knows what their impression would be. It’s kinda like my house…given preparation time and things look great, catch my by surprise and you may mistake sections of my home for a refugee camp. (esp as we begin to pack the kid for back to school) Which one is the better representation of the “real me” - well, I suppose a jury could lean either way.
In the same vein, classroom visits to bfa programs can be seen in multiple ways. A well planned, well executed accepted student’s day can be an amazing selling point - a poor one (or a “drop by” visit) can be a catastrophe. Which is the “real” school? I don’t know if one can really “know” a school/program until they are there day to day. There is definitely a “leap of faith” element to choosing a school.
An anecdote about sitting in on classes: D sat in on a group MT Techiques class at her school and was underwhelmed, but later realized that neither the teacher nor any of the students she saw were actually in the MT program. In small programs you pretty much know what you’re seeing, but in larger programs there’s more variation (which can be a huge bonus once kids are enrolled).
Good points above about visits. The trick is to really understand what it is you are looking at and what matters. Not always easy to discern.
My daughter did an accepted student visit to a school that shall remain nameless. Great school with a solid academic reputation and very strong MT program with students on Broadway etc… She sat in on several classes including a sophomore acting class which included scene work and then the classmates not in the scene provided feedback. The instruction was fine but what struck her was the quality of the feedback provided by the students. It didn’t demonstrate the level of sophistication she would have expected even from her own high school drama class never mind a class full of 2nd year college students. I’m not saying that these students were not perfectly bright and talented (I don’t know if they were or they were not), but I guess providing quality feedback was either not taught or not expected as part of the classroom experience and it bugged her.