D wore a dark blue dress for one audition and her “This is just me” outfit of dressy leggings, low hanging flowy silk-like tank and a long open sweater over top - with low boots. Didn’t get accepted to the dress school, but got into five with the other outfit.
In my opinion (and based on advice from others who have more experience than I do) clothing should be the least interesting thing about the auditioner. Comfortable, understated, neat clothing that does not distract is our goal. We tend to look for things that don’t wrinkle because that’s just a pet peeve of mine but I don’t ultimately think clothing choices matters THAT much. The schools know what are looking for and they are not going to be fooled into thinking that a perfectly primped, but average performer in a bright red dress is better than a star in drab, wrinkled clothing.
At my D’s Ithaca audition, the auditor complimented my D on her outfit!
I will add to this that my daughter has received compliments from over half the auditor’s (we are 10 auditions in) on her outfit &/or shoes (which is a jumpsuit in a darker color). Since it’s usually the first thing they say to her (I can hear it as she enters the room) I view it as an icebreaker. Overall I don’t think they ultimately care what you are wearing nor do I think them liking her outfit helps in ANY real way whatsoever… but I do think a flashy outfit or something overly-revealing might send a message that you are perhaps trying too hard to be the center of attention. I think that could work against you in the long run, but maybe I’m wrong.
@onepercentmom sorry. At Unifieds.
My D has also gotten multiple compliments on her audition outfits. She loves to dress to express who she is, which typically means a summery dress, dressed with sandals in the warm weather and boots/leggings/and some type of over jacket/cardigan in the winter (and sometimes a scarf if really cold). She changes her outfit depending on her audition. But, she is one who really likes to play with clothes. To my daughter’s dismay, I care about how she presents herself in interviews and auditions, so I check each outfit to make sure it fits (not too baggy, not too tight or wrinkled or low cut) but she uses her creative flair to express herself.
Overall, dress for the auditions we’ve attended has gotten increasingly more casual as the season has progressed. But, it really depends on the person. Yesterday, somebody dressed in a prom dress because she worked in a formal wear store and that really worked for her. Another person wore a suit, while another, a crisp pair of jeans, paired with a tee shirt and and an unbuttoned dress shirt.
I do agree that dress doesn’t matter, especially if you’re somebody who doesn’t “dress to express” in real life. But, if you get joy out of putting together outfits, it can be pretty fun to put together who you are for an audition as well. Since my daughter does enjoy dressing, she has helped people go from something that just didn’t feel like them to something that expresses who they are. Just another piece to make somebody feel more comfortable in showing who they are.
And finally, on the comment of “leggings aren’t pants,” I was raised to believe this as well. But, last year, my daughter proved me wrong when we visited a large college campus. Over 1/2 the girls were wearing leggings to a show at one of the schools we visited. It’s definitely in fashion now and completely acceptable. So now, I realize that times have changed when my daughter goes to school in a short top and leggings 
Anyway, hope this is helpful
@artandtechmom my d is a ballet dancer and loves to wear dresses. She was very professionally dressed for dance auditions with a ballet bun because she is only comfortable that way and when she is nervous she goes into full ballet mode which is a little stiff. She said later she probably came off as trying too hard and too rigid and maybe even untrainable because she was always one of, if not the, best dancers in the room but they seemed put off by it! LOL Sadly dressing like that is how she ALWAYS dresses for dance class, but they loved the guy wearing a pink bandana or the guy who learned how to dance watching youtube! She couldn’t win. She also wore a darker blue crushed velvet wrap dress that looked like she would throw it on over dance clothes (and by the way matched the leotard she wore) which she already owned so didn’t even shop for audition clothes. She was known in high school for dressing up at school so it is just her but once again probably could have been taken for trying too hard. The lady at Pace noticed and said she had put together a great ‘package’ but didn’t accept her. LOL
@toowonderful. Thanks for your reply:). Will they release after each unified or when all unifieds are complete?
@MTdreamz, ugh! So, I guess, be you, but not be you?
For voice, my D is a mezzo belter. She can sing high, but it’s not as smooth for her as the rest of her range right now. Since the guidelines say “sing something you can sing well now,” she chose not to showcase her high voice in her materials. But, at most auditions, she gets asked…“so, your high voice?” lol, you can’t win.
@ZukAndSowash - is the portal updated for Ithaca?
Many thank you’s to all who are providing so much great advice. I like to summarize these for others and wife to read later.
@CaMom13 and SoCalPops. Thank you for talking me off the ledge on Saturday. I was prepared for YES or NO, but the BA redirects from Top tiers, I found myself in a bit of state of confusion. Your notes were helpful in the BA+contacts/BFA discussion. Good training, fit and opportunity is now the focus and worrying less about Brand name as you mention. It was also helpful to decipher the BA within a school that also has a BFA, vs a school with only a BA (@collegeboundSam seconded that motion) and noting that some of you point out each school is different and has different perspectives about mainstage @BeBop1 Thanks for your notes and your story gives us clarity. We feel blessed about any offer regardless of Tier but was very confused as we are learning so much so fast. When we were handed the redirected BA after hearing about their top tier contacts/opportunities and work after graduation and that their BA was really good, the confusion set in. I think you and others are right that we should focus more on training and fit and worry less about brand name. @KaMaMom thank you for also hitting home the need for the personal decision. Your child’s story of the rough year, leading to a glorious school decision and career hits the mark. @MTDreamz Thank you for the list and the notes about them and your notes about piano and music theory are eye opening, and now we will think about a summer of dancing and music theory/piano lessons to get a running start at the year. Also thank you for opening my eyes to the gap year (also @Dramallama18 gap year note) @collegeboundSam, thank you for the note and the thoughts on BA/BFA within the same school and discussion about lists. @Kkrazie good advice about the long journey, I may be jumping the gun a bit, we should just wait this out and see what lays out on the table in the end. Your perspective from the orientations was really helpful. It continues to hit home the importance of training. @Dramallama18, thanks for the good words. Trust me, now that I have learned about an audition coach, I wish I could go back in time and start that process. But as she is flying back from an audition as we speak, then an audition Friday and then off to Chicago Uni’s, we are once again late to the dance?. But if a gap year is in order (as you point out if not 100% happy with the situation in the end), this will be one of the first calls. Notes for the class of 2024 that a coach might have caught, be careful if one of our songs is great for 16 and 32 bars but is not great for the school that wants the whole song. Help learning to act the song better, would have also been a nice early lesson, still figuring that one out as we are trained more as just a singer. @speezagmom. Thank you for the notes about the NY schools with no dance calls/walk-ins and especially Molloy/Cap21, I had seen them but didn’t know what the two-school program was about. I will mention those to my daughter for Chicago.
Thanks again for so much help. Sorry if I missed someone or a key point, but I go back and read your notes often and garner something new each time. BAL in all of your endeavors, your advice has been priceless. Take care.
@onepercentmom the thin letter was a no from Ithaca. I could not find anything on the portal that gave this information. The letter itself asked my son to let them know if he was interested in pursuing another major. As I understand things, at some schools, no means no not only to MT but also to the school. Apparently, this is not the case at Ithaca which probably is why there is no status update on the portal.
As the mom of a boy, fwiw, I haven’t seen any girls’ outfits so far this year that I thought were inappropriate. On campus, at Unifieds, all of the girls I have seen have chosen really great outfits. Some are more unique and quirky (I personally love seeing the outfits that show personality) and I love that there is so much diversity. It seems to me that this is one of the things you shouldn’t sweat too much - your kid knows his/her style, let them be comfortable and be themselves. They are doing something really hard and really brave and feeling self-conscious in clothes that don’t feel natural could just add to the stress.
@ZukAndSoWash hi there. So sorry:( Did Ithaca send rejection letters already? The waiting is so hard. When did your kid audition? We auditioned in NY and was curious what the turnaround is?
Sorry for my repeated questions. I went back and saw they were answered:) Best of luck to everyone!
@ZukAndSowash - So sorry it was a no for your son.
@artandtechmom how funny! The same thing happened to my D at unifieds lol
Update…my son surprisingly did not get a no (yet) from CCM’s audition last weekend. He felt he did horrible! This weekend we went to Chicago for Roosevelt. The weather again was not the best and there were only about 10 kids there auditioning–and more guys than gals! They said there would be no notifications until mid March. This really is a long, drawn out, exhausting process. Hang in there everyone!!!
CCM: Last year, we knew individuals who got both a no and a yes the Friday immediately after auditioning at Chicago Unifieds…then the next two Friday’s there were further decisions, all from Chicago. The following week (last week of February), they seemed to contact everyone with a final no or yes and then invited the accepted to come to an on campus event the first weekend in March.
@loribelle Thanks! Do you think if they redirect someone to the Acting BFA, they don’t get the “no” right away from MT? Because I could see that happening with my son…he auditioned for both.