<p>Just try not to have an audition in the middle of a run where you are the lead and singing yourself to exhaustion, as happened to a male friend of ours.</p>
<p>At the parent session before UMichâs MPULSE last summer they advised the kids NOT to do high school shows their senior year, but focus instead on training training training. As far as I know, none of the kids heeded that advice (though they also all do lots of training). ;-D</p>
<p>A friend also advised that D not take any AP classes senior year so she could focus on auditions. More advice that she didnât take â and in her case it might have prevented her from getting into what became her first choice school, so I guess itâs for the best.</p>
<p>In the end, our kids all weigh lots of considerations and make the best choices they know how to at the time. We also know a guy who almost killed his voice by juggling performances, auditions and general stress his senior year.</p>
<p>I find it a little distrubing that UM would give that kind of advice. And really ridiculous that your friend would suggest that your D not take AP courses.</p>
<p>This should be about their college education first and foremost! If itâs only going to be about acting, then people should send their kids to an âacting trade schoolâ and not worry about getting a real college degree. Let them enjoy their final year in high school and be a REAL student. They can worry about the big, bad and very mean world of professional acting after they earn their BFA.</p>
<p>Training is important. I donât think it should be an either/or with training and productions. I think both are valuable experiences. </p>
<p>I also would never advise against lightening up the academic load in senior year as colleges with any selectivity truly want to see students who have challenged themselves academically. You are applying to college after all, not simply trying to get cast.</p>
<p>I think both pieces of advice were extremely well-intentioned!</p>
<p>The point of the UMich advice was that they care far more about the skills a potential student demonstrates in their audition than which high school shows theyâve done, and that those skills would be better enhanced by training than by yet-another high school show. Iâm guessing few of us can disagree with their logic, particularly since theyâre in a better position to know how they evaluate applicants than we are. D got a great HS role this year â and one that sheâd probably never have a chance to do again â so she wouldnât have missed it for the world!</p>
<p>The advice from my friend about AP classes was based on her experience with her own D, who missed a LOT of school the second half of her senior year for auditions. Her D (who is incredibly talented) wanted a BFA or conservatory (and got into one of the very best), so the advice fit her desires.</p>
<p>IMHO, both pieces of advice were very well intentioned, they just didnât fit our Dâs path.</p>
<p>My d was able to do her fall musical, and musical theater class revue before Christmas, then fit in all auditions in January and February. Only disaster averted was that she got really bad bronchitis in January and we were praying and scrambling that it would be gone in time. It was. We also managed to make our flights across country (we live in Oregon) in and out between storms, which was amazing! </p>
<p>My daughter took 4 AP classes and tests her junior year, and slowed it down to 2 this year. She was a National Merit semifinalist in the fall, and grade point average, unweighted, was a 3.8 going into college apps. That has seemed to be just fine with everyone. She was admitted academically into all she applied for early action with no problem and big scholarship offers, so lightening her senior year load worked out very well for her. And Iâm so glad she did! If she had had to make up work for any more AP classes with all the time she missed auditioning, it would have been a nightmare! Instead, itâs very manageable. She has missed 9 days of school for auditions . . .</p>
<p>I think itâs a good idea to discuss this ahead of time and get your plan in motion with what works best for your child. This time last year we already had a possible college list and I looked at audition schedules for that year to forecast into this. It worked out exactly! It made senior year so much easier when we knew what to expect!</p>
<p>Iâm a junior looking at colleges for a BFA in musical theatre. My parents believe that I should have a backup because they believe in my talent, but also know how competitive the business is, and that a double major would be a good idea. With the intensity of a BFA program, is double majoring even an option? Any feedback would be great.</p>
<p>BroadwayBound164 - I suggest that you search the MT forum since this topic has come up before. If you really want to double major then a BA program will usually give you more flexibility to be able to do this. I do believe there was a boy that auditioned a couple of years ago and is double majoring in mt and engineering at U Michigan.</p>
<p>Even in the rare BFA programs where kids can double major (like UMich) most kids need 5 years to do it. Since Northwestern is on the quarter system it is much easier to complete a double major (or many kids even do a triple minor) in 4 years.</p>
<p>If you want a double major, I would suggest you consider a BA rather than a BFA to allow for better focus on the craft.</p>
<p>1) I am a home-schooled freshman. What are some basic things I should do to prep for MT?</p>
<p>2) Is majoring in film production and having a minor in musical theater too heavy?</p>
<p>Even though this is pinned as a âHot Topicâ on the page, it seems like a good time to bump it up , especially for the rising juniors and seniors. Posts 1, 2 and 8 are must-read posts!</p>
<p>The following post was made in an independent thread called âAudition Adviceâ from doctorjohn at Otterbein but seems to make a lot of sense to me to add it to this thread to make it, perhaps, easier to find. Its so good that rather than link it, I am pasting the whole thing:</p>
<p>What follows was originally written for students auditioning at our school. But several people have suggested that I post it here, on the main MT board. Iâve removed the specific points relating to our program; what remains is advice that, I hope, may be useful to you in auditioning for many MT programs. Iâd especially appreciate other college reps chiming in. Specific disagreements could be extremely helpful to students in understanding the differences between our programs.</p>
<p>WHAT COLLEGES WANT TO SEE</p>
<p>We want to see you.</p>
<p>We can see you if you play⌠</p>
<p>⢠characters that you understand,
⢠caught in situations that you understand,
⢠who are demanding what they need from the other characters in the scene,
⢠using the words (and, in songs, the music) as tactics to achieve their objectives. </p>
<p>If you make all the charactersâ desires your own, we will be able to see you.</p>
<p>We canât see you if youâŚ</p>
<p>⢠do a piece in an accent that isnât yours, in order to show us that you can do accents,
⢠yell or cry hysterically in order to show us that you can be emotional,
⢠sing very loudly to show us what a big voice you have,
⢠sing very high notes to show us what a great range you have,
⢠use props,
⢠choose a piece with words designed by the playwright to be shocking, or
⢠wear clothing that calls attention to parts of your body other than your face.</p>
<p>In other words, donât push yourself at us. Instead, share yourself with us. Itâs a subtle mental shift, but it has enormous positive consequences.</p>
<p>AUDITIONING: MONOLOGUES</p>
<p>It may surprise you to know that most casting directors no longer use monologues. They typically ask actors to read scenes with someone from their office. Acting is about relationships, and itâs very difficult to act with an imaginary partner. But we donât have the luxury of an hour with each of you, and so we use monologues instead. Itâs not ideal, but almost all professional training programs use them.</p>
<p>Here are some tips that should help:</p>
<p>⢠Because we want to see you, it is better to do pieces written for younger characters, rather than characters who have much more life experience than you do. </p>
<p>⢠Choose monologues written about characters in situations that you understand at a deep level, because youâve been in similar situations, or you have friends or siblings or parents who have lived through them. Maybe a play moved you to tears when you first read it. Maybe you couldnât stop laughing. Both are good signs of connecting with the material. </p>
<p>⢠Choose (at least) one piece that has humor. That may seem to be a contradiction to the previous suggestion, but it isnât. Much comedy comes from tragedy retold in a humorous way. One of the funniest things some characters do is rage and wail. (Thatâs also a reason you should not rage and wail in a piece that you want us to take seriously.) For musical theatre auditions, the humor can be in the monologue or in one of the songs. Up-tempo songs tend to be funnier than ballads.</p>
<p>⢠Some schools may requireâor at least allowâyou to do a piece by Sophocles, Shakespeare, Ibsen, Chekhov, Synge, OâNeill, etc. All of them wrote wonderful young characters. But be careful: sometimes the words in poetic drama become so thick that we canât get past them. We watch you âdoing Shakespeareâ instead of watching you using his words to accomplish your characterâs goals. Generally, itâs safer to do more contemporary material that doesnât demand an in-depth understanding of acting styles. But if a classical piece works for you, it will likely work for us. Howeverâand this is a big caveatâmake sure you understand the rules at each program you audition for.</p>
<p>⢠Make sure that youâre playing characters in high-stakes situations, characters using strong tactics to get something they desperately need from the other characters in the scene.</p>
<p>AUDITIONING: SONGS</p>
<p>We want to hear you.</p>
<p>The same guidelines apply to songs as to monologues. Do songs that you connect with. Choose songs written for younger characters. Choose songs about characters in situations that you understand in your heart. Choose at least one song or monologue that has some humor. Remember: singing is acting with music, not just making beautiful sounds.</p>
<p>But musical values are still essential. Effective audition songs let us hear the range, quality, and size of your voice, your sense of style and command of technique, as well as your ability to act the song:</p>
<p>⢠Range: Itâs better not to try to show us your very highest notes, or how loud you can sing. Again, itâs about sharing, not showing. Songs should live within the range you are comfortable singing. But do make sure that the song has more than a five- or six-note range. </p>
<p>⢠Style and Technique: We listen for good diction, accuracy in pitch and rhythm, support and control of the breath, and the ability of the voice to âringâ throughout the vocal registers used by the singer. Many of you have worked diligently on these issues with your voice teacher. But donât do any of these things for their own sake. Practice the songs long enough so that your technique becomes a part of the way you sing. That way you will be able to focus on acting the song. The best way to think about technique is to view it as part of the constellation of tactics that your character is using to achieve her objective.</p>
<p>⢠Quality: Some singers have a legitimate sound, as in the kinds of voices heard on the original cast recording of Oklahoma! This style, based on operetta and opera, is still very much alive in works like Light in the Piazza. Itâs also the core of most approaches to vocal training, so generally speaking one of your songs should be in this style. There are many places to find this style, including current musicals. But another good place to look is in musical theatre repertoire written from the 30âs to the 60âs, including songs by George Gershwin, Irving Berlin, Kurt Weill, Rodgers & Hammerstein, Lerner & Loewe, Leonard Bernstein, and Kander & Ebb. </p>
<p>Some singers have character voices, required for most of the characters in Guys and Dolls. Some singers can rock it high. Some singers can belt or mix. If one of these is your best sound, let us hear it. Just make sure that youâre not straining or yelling or screaming. </p>
<p>Be very sure that you read the guidelines from each school. This is the area where schools tend to differ in what kind of material they want to hear.</p>
<p>ATTIRE</p>
<p>While you may normally sport lots of rings or military boots or long hair falling across your eyes, those things can be so distracting that itâs all we see. Same for too much exposed skin, or flip-flops, sandals, and most athletic shoes. Remember, we want to be able to focus on your eyes and your face, so that we can hear what youâre saying and singing. </p>
<p>At the same time, an audition is not a business interview, so a suit and tie, or a suit and pumps, are not right either. The intent of those clothes in a business interview is to prove that you can fit into a business environment. Thatâs not helpful to us. An audition isnât a picnic or a party, either, where you might wear torn jeans or cargo pants or shorts or t-shirts with cute logos. Better to not wear those. And itâs not a prom, so avoid wearing cocktail or prom dresses. And donât wear spike heels. You donât want to stumble while walking on stage to begin your audition. If youâre comfortable in heels, and think they make you look good, wear character shoes or something with a similar heel. </p>
<p>So what can you wear? Clothes that fit well, that you feel comfortable in, that you look good inâand feel that you look good inâand that draw our eyes to your face and hands. Shirts and pants work for men and women alike. Skirts are fine for some women, and for many, a dress can work very well. So can classy jeans. We want to watch you, not your clothes.</p>
<p>Again, please pay attention to the specific guidelines from each school.</p>
<p>BRING YOUR BOOK</p>
<p>Experienced singers have a book that includes representative songs that they have studied and know well enough to be able to sing on request. During your audition and interview, you may be asked to sing something other than your audition pieces. So itâs a good idea to bring additional pieces in a separate 3-ring binder from your audition binder. You can organize them in any way you want, but it is very helpful to have a table of contents in the front. Itâs also a good idea to have the full-length versions of your audition songs in your book. </p>
<p>Actors, it doesnât hurt to have a similar book with your monologues. </p>
<p>LAST THOUGHTS</p>
<p>Lead with your signature piece, the one which you are most comfortable doing and that you feel is most representative of you as a person and as a performer. You may be tempted to do your weakest piece first to get it out of the way, and save your best for last. Itâs not an effective strategy. Remember the old adage: you only have one chance to make a first impression. </p>
<p>Donât yell, either in the monologue or the songs, unless itâs for comic effect.</p>
<p>Share yourself and your work with everyone in the room. We are your audience and we all want you to do well.</p>
<p>And before you start, remind your body to breathe. </p>
<p>For all of my colleagues, let me thank you for your interest in our schools, and your passion for theatre. I know that all of us look forward to meeting you and sharing your work.</p>
<p>Best wishes to all.</p>
<p>doctorjohn</p>
<p>December 25, 2010</p>
<p>^^^ Thanks for reposting here EmsDad. Doctorjohn is truly a nice guy! Itâs clear that he cares about, and is trying to help all of the kids pursuing this path, not just those landing in his program. THAT is a great educator.</p>
<p>Glad Iâve found this post 3 years laterâŚbut still very applicable!</p>
<p>This a great time of year for rising seniors to find this thread, as one of the best pieces of advice we got was to FINALIZE your list of schools by mid July and have all applications and essays ready to submit by late September, so you can optimize scheduling auditions. Many kids donât start thinking about this until school starts in September, but itâs a LOT easier if you get much of the work done over the summer (including finalizing audition material selections).</p>
<p>Also â summer is the best time for rising Juniors to prepare and submit YoungArts audition materials.</p>
<p>When is TOO EARLY to start the college process? Sophmore in HS? Freshmen?
I am currently a HS freshmen going into my sophomore year.</p>
<p>MomCares, we took your advice that you posted some time ago (Iâm pretty sure it was you that posted a suggested schedule!) and my D is pre-filling out applications and writing essays now. Sheâs not thrilled about it crowding into her summer (haha!), but I know sheâll be happy in the fall when she doesnât have to do all of this clerical stuff! </p>
<p>BwayDreamer, in my opinion, I think the best thing you can do is train and work with the best people possible. And most importantly, make sure that those folks truly know what they are doing. Iâm not sure where you live, but if you are able, I would seek out individuals who are current in their disciplines in relationship the MT world. We have learned the hard way that working with folks that are ill-informed, use out-dated approaches or are prejudiced against current MT trends can waste time, energy and money. Of course we didnât initially go into those situations knowing that, so my advice is to do your homework and find people who really know and understand this world to help you go down the right path. Best wishes to you!</p>
<p>@kksmom5 â I so understand how hard it is for your D to focus on doing all this application work during the summer, but based on watching kids who did it later itâs even harder when it has to be squeezed in around school+training+auditions+rehearsals later in the year. </p>
<p>Plus we found MANY benefits to being mostly finished in early September. The obvious benefit was that D got her pick of audition time slots at most schools, which made scheduling 10 auditions simple. The school counselors were completely at Dâs disposal for much of September and October when no one else was ready to work with them, she got the best and quickest teacher recommendations as she was the first to ask for them, and the admissions offices at all the colleges were easy to contact and very helpful early in the game. There was plenty of time to send and re-send paperwork. Not to mention the pleasure of being finished later in the year when all her senior friends were sweating bullets trying to meet deadlines. 
</p>
<p>As it turned out we had a family emergency in late August that stretched far into the fall, so it was extra nice that her applications had all been completed before that started happening. D also decided to apply binding ED to her first choice school, so that also upped the importance of having everything ready early.</p>
<p>Good luck with all that paperwork! We found it fun to take our big file and some computers to coffee shops several days a week and D would write essays while I organized her to-do lists. Good bonding times, mixed with some quality hair pulling. ;-)</p>
<p>I had wanted my D to begin working on applications this summer but we are finding that most applications are not available until Sept 1. How are you working around that?</p>