<p>I’m glad someone other than me are saying great things about the THEARTSEDGE. If your goal is to get into a top tier MT program this is the place to go in your junior/senior summer year.</p>
<p>Congratulations to bargrl’s son for his acceptance to his first choice! Do you mind sharing what he’s chosen? Also, do you know what the mix of local and out-of-town kids is at THEARTSEDGE? Do they provide guidance in choosing appropriate schools, as well as preparing to apply/audition? Thanks!</p>
<p>Thanks. My son hasn’t made a final decision yet as he hasn’t heard definitively from the other schools (he only applied to top tier schools-yikes!). He actually has a couple of favourites now after attending the on campus auditions. But we all have the security of knowing he has been accepted.
At the Arts Edge summer intensive last summer, Halley hosted a college fair where reps from many colleges came and answered questions for students. Parents were permitted to attend this session as well for an extra fee. I see this year, Halley has added a workshop specifically on writing the application and essays. That alone, would benefit all students.
At the end of the 2 weeks, there is a private meeting with each of the parents to discuss your child’s specific needs.
Please check the links to see exactly what Halley has planned for this summer.
I know there was a mix of kids who flew in and some kids who lived in Manhattan.
I hope this helps!</p>
<p>My D attended Arts Edge last summer and received invaluable advice for both her song selection and especially her monologues. In November She auditioned for early decision to NYU/Tisch and she said she felt well prepared and at ease. Lucky for her, she was accepted into Tisch.</p>
<p>Thanks for the info! Congrats to tutu17 for her d’s acceptance to Tisch!</p>
<p>My D just accepted to OCU and plans to attend June session. Anyone else reading this list have a child who will be attending that session?</p>
<p>We just got the email! My son got in Broadway Theatre Project! He sent in a DVD audition! So excited!</p>
<p>Congratulations theatremomma! I’m happy for you & your son. Keep us posted on what your son decides, or how you’re thinking about the possible options. Yay!</p>
<p>Thanks! Everyone here is very excited. Well, we skipped the non-audition open house today. So nice not to need a backup! BTP seems so great!</p>
<p>I went to college with a Halley Sheffler. How many can there be??? You know, there are so many good places. My daughter is a Stagedoor kid and worships the place.</p>
<p>I am confused. Is this post about getting into a summer program so the student can have fun and learn? Or is it about honing your craft so you can hopefully get into a top program?</p>
<p>To me, it should be one and the same. If you are having fun at a top notch program, you will hopefully learn what you need to get into a great program. Of course, I’m one who doesn’t believe a teacher should teach to the test, if you have a good teacher then they will learn what is on the test. I want my D to have a fabulous time doing what she loves and I’m thrilled for her to get into the amazing BTP program.</p>
<p>beenthereMTdad wrote:</p>
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<p>Which post are you referring to? Was it post #330 by Calliene that said:</p>
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<p>If so, I don’t get your question. Going to a summer program, any program…but I’ll go with Stagedoor Manor for the moment since Calliene’s post mentions it…IS about honing one’s craft and artistic skill set, all while learning and hopefully enjoying oneself in the process. I know that is true of Stagedoor. It is not simply about having a good time but about immersing oneself in training (singing, acting, dancing, and other skills) and performance skills as well. But not all programs are about preparing you specifically to get into a top college program. Stagedoor, for example, does not work on prep for college auditions per se. However, the deep immersion in acting or MT (some go for one or the other) and all the training and production experiences are good prep for someone planning to pursue this field in college. I did not send my kid to Stagedoor to prep for college auditions. I sent her for the immersion in musical theater and the program was amazing and a very significant aspect of her development as a MT performer. What she gained there, along with what she did here at home, all prepared her to be ready to audition for college MT programs. But she didn’t do college audition prep at the summer program. She prepped with her voice teacher and an acting coach at home in the fall of her admissions year. But her 8 summers at Stagedoor formed a huge core of her development as a singer, actor, and dancer. One doesn’t need to attend a summer program that specifically does college audition prep. You can prep for your auditions at home with coaches. A summer program is an opportunity to pursue MT in an intensive program among great faculty and talented peers who share your passion. And ya know, I can tell you the very large number of kids I know who went to that program who have gone onto ALL of the well known BFA in MT and Acting programs, as well as top BA schools for theater, and the HUGE number who have met with great success in the professional theater world, including at the highest levels. These kids did not go to a summer program focused on prepping for college auditions. But their summers at Stagedoor were quite formative in their development as actors, singers, and dancers to be ready to do college level work in the field and to pursue careers in the field too. </p>
<p>All MT summer programs that I know of are about learning and developing skills in their craft. Only some summer programs aim to work on college audition prep, but all these programs are good prep for someone who wants to pursue MT or Acting. A summer program doesn’t have to be for the purpose of college audition prep per se but rather for MT training itself, which is good prep to be ready for college level work. Specific audition prep can also be gained through private coaching at home. A summer program doesn’t have to be for the purpose of audition prep. My kid’s wasn’t. But her “prep” of years at this summer MT program at SDM was prep for a life in the theater. And yes, she loved it. She had fun at this summer theater intensive program and she also had fun in her BFA in MT program and she is having fun now as a professional actress. :D</p>
<p>Well said. And a kid who loves MT, their eyes light up when they see hours and hours of acting and music and dance on these summer program brochures. It’s like asking a jock if he is going to have any fun at a summer sports camp. But just like the jock, our kids may not choose to do this in college. They do it now because they love it. Let whatever happens, happen. They go because they love it. It doesn’t have to have any other motive.</p>
<p>Agree that they go because they love it and no other motive is necessary. My kid picked her summer program when she was nine years old and loved it and went back every summer all the way up until she left for college. We never picked a summer program for either of our kids with college in mind. Both chose summer programs that catered to their passions. That’s all that mattered. My MT kid’s life is the theater, always has been, always will be. The summer program had nothing to do with getting into college. She attended the program every year for its own sake and lived all year just to go back again. That said, all she learned there inevitably developed who she was when she applied to college but that is because it contributed to her growth as a MT performer, but applying to college had nothing to do with choosing to attend this program. She didn’t go there to help her get into college. She attended the program for the experience itself. I have to say, however, that looking back on it, this program shaped her for this field and the connections she made there are very very very much a part of her life today professionally. In fact, she is currently performing in a show in NYC with two people who she once attended the program with in her youth.</p>
<p>theatremomma, I agree with another thing you wrote…not everyone who attends a summer theater program may go on to pursue the field in college or as a career. But the summer program was worthwhile due to meeting their interests at the time. I have another daughter who went to another performing arts summer program for four summers, even though she never pursued that field in college. She was always involved in the performing arts, but not as a lifelong career. My other kid has wanted a life in theater from the time she was a tot and did go onto study it in college and now has a career in the field. But both daughters had worthwhile experiences at summer theater programs that were intense.</p>
<p>I was just asking what the purpose is of attending a summer program or summer intensive? What is the goal? Prep for college or just enjoying the experience? </p>
<p>Thank you theatremomma for answering the question with post #334. I hear a lot of posts on this subject here on college confidential. I know there are several good programs around the country and there are probably several different reasons for attending them as well.</p>
<p>I have a kid finishing up her BFA MT this year and summer programs were something we never thought of pursuing so I do not know what one’s motive for attending is. We live near NYC so her summers were spent auditioning for professional work (movies, TV, radio and TV commercials) plus theater.</p>
<p>In my view, the main purpose for attending any summer program, including ones for musical theater, is to have an intensive experience in your area of passion and to train in that area. I don’t see it with college admissions in mind so much. Nonetheless, such training is beneficial to someone who is planning to attend college for MT. The training is helpful and also a chance for the total immersion, much like a BFA program will be like. It is a chance to be with talented peers from around the country (and out of the country) who share your passion for MT, and in many cases, are a more concentrated talent pool than one would have locally. One plus (though not the primary reason to attend), is that it is a chance to self assess among a national talent pool and see how one fares in such a setting…I know this was helpful to us as one of several ways of ascertaining that our kid was competitive for BFA in MT admissions. Another side benefit, though was not the reason I sent my kids, but when one goes away for the summer (in my case, for eight summers), there is no big adjustment when they go away to college. They have done that sort of thing before, though under supervision. When my MT kid got to college, it was almost like a chance to do her summer program intensive stuff year round! Another side benefit are the friendships formed with those in the summer program that often can be lifelong bonds. </p>
<p>That said, some programs differ. For instance, some programs are just training. Some programs combine training with production experiences. Some programs are at a college and give a taste of that particular college program. Some programs do college audition prep. Some programs are a mix of ages and some programs are just for rising seniors. Some programs are one or two weeks, some are three, some are four or five, and some are six or more.</p>
<p>I would not truly frame the question as you have: “Prep for college or just enjoying the experience?” MT training itself is prep for the profession, for college and beyond. It is part of the development of a young actor/singer/dancer. While I didn’t send my kid to her summer program in order to get into a college MT program, one can’t deny that MT training is beneficial in order to be ready to go to college for MT. A summer program is one way to train in MT that is intensive, whereas during the school year, it may just be a few hours per day. </p>
<p>The purpose in attending a summer MT intensive is not an either/or. One is there to be immersed in MT training (and in some cases, production work) and all the while, hopefully is enjoying themselves because if you don’t enjoy it, it makes no sense to attend a summer intensive for MT, let alone go to college for MT, right? So, I think going to a summer MT intensive is to be immersed in MT, train, be among a high level of talent and instruction, and prep for future MT work (college and beyond), and hopfully enjoying the experience all the while. It is no different in asking why go to a BFA in MT college? My kid went to train in MT, get an education, be with like minded peers, get great instruction, and to enjoy the experience of her college years. I mean “enjoyment” is not the opposite of “prep.” Hopefully, you prep, train, and learn at these summer MT programs, and enjoy it too. The experience itself should be worthwhile whether you go to college or not. But if you do go to college for MT, the prep is invaluable because in order to be ready to apply to a college for MT, you better have training and production experience. You don’t have to go to a summer intensive to get that, however. But you do need it.</p>
<p>I’m going to mention another aspect of SOME summer programs, but not all. While my kid’s summer program, Stagedoor Manor, involved classes in acting, singing, dance (and other related areas), it also involved theater productions. I realize not all programs have this aspect. But this aspect was invaluable, I think. I realize kids do shows at home. My kid certainly was in all her school productions, community theater and professional theater the rest of the year. But the productions at her summer program were incredible youth theater opportunities and not like we have at home for youth (not to put down the good productions our school does…and we don’t have youth theater productions in the community here). At Stagedoor, they stage 36 productions per summer (likewise, at my other daughter’s program, French Woods Festival of the Performing Arts). I’m speaking of Stagedoor right now, but not implying it is unique but simply that’s the program my MT kid attended for 8 years (16 sessions). These productions are at a very high level. I was in awe the first time we attended a performance weekend there. These shows are given 2 1/2 weeks to rehearse, in between the kids also taking classes/training each day. In this regard, it mirrored the way many professional productions prepare and was unlike our school shows or community theater which take more like 2 1/2 MONTHS to prepare. It was intense and professional with high expectations. The shows they stage are not all typical of what all schools may choose to put on…for example: Sweeney Todd, Jekyl and Hyde, A Little Night Music, Nine, Follies, RENT, Chicago, Avenue Q, and so many more. The talent and the level of the production work is very high. The roles my kid got to play there, she may never get to play in the future. But the pace and level of production prep was similar to what is expected now of her professionally. The professional show she is currently in also rehearsed for just three weeks. </p>
<p>While I believe training is soooooooooooo important, I also think that the tons of productions my kid was in, including the 16 musicals and 15 cabaret shows she did at Stagedoor Manor, on top of all the shows she did in our state and professionally out of state, contributed to her readiness for a BFA in MT program, even though that was not the intent in sending her to Stagedoor. But production experience is very valuable because it is applying what you learn in training and is a chance to portray a character. It is a chance to learn to prepare. It is a chance to collaborate. It is a chance to perform and develop stage presence, which is different than simply training. I think by the time my kid applied to college at age 16, she had been in 45 shows. The ones at her summer programs were some of the very best experiences she had, though school shows and adult theater were also invaluable. </p>
<p>Also, particular to Stagedoor Manor, is that they have a select cabaret troupe, called Our Time Cabaret, where they select about 40 of their very talented MT students each session to rehearse and perform a musical cabaret revue. Those selected for this troupe are rehearsing this show, their other regular musical, and training in classes. This troupe is mostly made up of ages 13-18, though my kid was lucky to be cast in it starting at age nine. This troupe was the highlight of my D’s years at Stagedoor. For many years (though they discontinued this), the cabaret troupe performed in venues off campus…at resort nightclubs to the general public. The expectations were on a professional level. My D’s peers in the cabaret have gone onto the top MT programs int he country and many have gone onto Broadway, tours, regional theater, off Broadway, movies, and TV. I can think of so many of them currently working in those areas and it is very exciting to know all these young people who I saw not too long ago perform onstage at Stagedoor who have now made it professionally. The 8 years my kid got to spend with this cabaret troupe impacted her life. I also believe that being part of that troupe impacted my kid in another way. She wrote her own cabaret revues for our high school and directed them and staged them, something never done by a student at our school. She learned so much at Stagedoor that she created this same sort of show (though totally her own original creation) for the students in our community. She knew how it was done. She also went on to create a summer program locally for MT youth and wrote a musical revue and conduced MT classes for the youth here the summer before she left for college. I feel that so much of what she learned at SDM has carried over to her life today. And as I mentioned previously, her life in the profession now is intertwined with numerous former Stagedoorians in NYC and beyond. The network is unending. </p>
<p>This is a taste of some of the things she gained at her summer program.</p>
<p>Has anyone had any experience with the CCM High School Musical Theatre summer program?</p>