The rumors are all untrue!

College Majors Musical Theater Majors
1

<p>Hey, y’all!</p>

<p>I’ve been thinking about writing on the CCM part of the CollegeConfidential MT section for a while and finally decided to do it. Basically, I want to clear up these INSANE rumors that are floating around about CCM. To start off, let me tell you a little about what I personally thought and heard about CCM before I decided to go.</p>

<p>All through high school, I’ve wanted to go to a college/university for musical theatre, but an MT program that had a very strong acting component because I think acting is the most important part of musical theatre. So, Carnegie Mellon and Ithaca quickly became two of my top schools because they’re amazing schools with amazing acting programs inside the musical theatre department. I’m a singer first, but I’m also a dancer, so I knew that attending these schools would mean giving up some intense dance training, but I thought it was the only way to get a good acting education. Schools like CCM, in my mind, were for dancers, for blondes with big boobs who could belt, for mean, cutthroat people–basically, for people not like me.</p>

<p>After my college auditions were over, I was humbled and really blessed to get into FSU, Ithaca, Wright State, Elon, CCM, and waitlisted at UMich. I didn’t get into Carnegie Mellon, my dream school, and I pretty much flipped out like any of us would and thought my dreams of having an amazing acting school were over. Then, I visited CCM.</p>

<p>…and I was SO WRONG! Before I got into CCM, I heard that it was a really nasty, cutthroat place, that no one was nice there, they were all the same, the school cranked out musical theatre robots, it was just a school for dancers, the acting education was terrible, et cetera. Basically anything that could be said badly about the school was said. And it was ALL WRONG. I got there, and the people were amazingly nice. It was the only school I visited where people didn’t badmouth other schools I got into. A lot of people even told me that I had a hard decision but that they knew I’d make the choice that was right for me. After meeting all these AMAZING people who were also AMAZINGLY talented, I toured a few classes, two of which were acting classes… I was blown away. The classes were JUST as good as the ones I saw at Ithaca and at Carnegie Mellon. The teachers care about the students…they spend individual time with them. It’s so amazing. The cut system at CCM is TOTALLY GONE, unless a person just doesn’t work and doesn’t grow at all, in which case someone like that would be asked to leave any program, not just CCM. Everyone there is so unique. CCM really talks about fostering “the art IN the individual.” And it’s so true–everyone is his or her own unique performer. My classmates in the class of 2013 are all SO DIFFERENT and so unique but all so amazing. The school doesn’t try to mold you–it tries to bring out the best in you and to stretch you to become your own special artist. It really is a school for triple threat training, with equally phenomenal training in acting, singing, and dancing.</p>

<p>Have I rambled enough for y’all? hahaha, anyway, I really just wanted to put all that out there, because I was just like so many people who fell prey to the CCM rumors. I went so far as to call it “Cookie Cutter Magnet” way back when. Yep… I was that cool. But I thank God every night that somehow events led me to give CCM a second chance because I honestly think I found the perfect school for me. It’s an incredible place, full of incredible people, with an incredible program. I really hope any of you who are considering it get the chance to visit, see some classes, meet us, see a show, etc., so you can realize what I realized when I visited–that it’s an amazing place. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE private message me if you have any questions. I’d be more than happy to talk with y’all about the audition process, the program, or anything else. Have an amazing day!</p>

2

<p>Very interesting but I’m confused… you talk of all your classmates being unique and amazing so it sounds like you’ve been at CCM for a year… yet you say class of 2013 which doesn’t start till next year… did you mean class of 2012?</p>

3

<p>Whoops! I meant to talk about my classmates separately. haha, the class of 2012, all of which I met, are the ones that are all unique and amazing, although I have a feeling my class won’t be an exception to that! haha, thanks for fixing that!</p>

4

<p>It’s so good to read something like this! It definitely changes my opinon of the school.</p>

5

<p>I’d be much more interested in hearing what you have to say a the end of your freshman year, not merely after choosing to go there and being caught up in the enthusiasm of your final choice. If you had selected FSU, Ithaca, Wright State, or Elon instead, you’d be singing their praises. I am a fan of CCM, but keep posting this year as you go, and tell us what you learn first hand, the good and the bad, not just your first impressions. Oh, and if you want to stay anonymous and give us both sides of the coin, come up with a new screen name that hides you a little better!</p>

6

<p>Oh, I totally understand what you mean. This isn’t fact or anything at all, it’s just what I saw when I was up there, and I was blown away–moreso than the other schools I visited. I’ll definitely keep y’all posted as the year goes on, and believe me, I’m not trying to say it’s perfect or anything. haha, I’m just really excited and knew that this time last year, I would have never even considered the school because of insane rumors, so I wanted anyone else in that same boat to give CCM a second look. Thank you for your input!</p>

7

<p>Mom4x, I visited CCM this spring with my d (pre-decision, accepted incoming MT), and we found exactly what captainsmiles reports. CCM MTs who were on their way places stopped and welcomed my d, invited her to eat and hang with them after hours, gave us tours, and generally treated us like family. The faculty similarly invited us to sit in and watch classes, run-throughs, and more. D even had an unusual (lucky) opty to work individually with one of the vocal profs. It was by every measure, warm, individual, and very impressive. I think the odds are something like 2-3% of auditioners get invited, and smaller classes would seem to mean mean more roles and time in the spotlight for everyone. I think partly b/c the class size in MT is 16-23 students per year, there is both a sense of small community and a strong measure of mutual respect among the MTs for having “made the cut.” Maybe as you say, “prospects” are different than “customers” but we didn’t get this kind of reception at other top MT schools. While body types and vocal ranges vary dramatically, every single MT we saw at CCM was amazingly talented, and we saw most of them in performance mode over the 2+ days.</p>

8

<p>Thank you so much for saying all this! CCM is my top choice school. I’ll be applying soon for MT and already I have butterflies! I can’t stand it! Perhaps you could tell me more about your audition experiences if you have the time? And maybe put in a good word for me! :)</p>

9

<p>So nice to read about CCM and all the praises! My D is set to audition at Unifieds for them and I am glad to hear about the nice people there as it is far from home and I was hesitant about her applying, but heard wonderful things about the program. Thanks!</p>

10

<p>I, too, encourage CCM kids to come back and post their thoughts once they’re actually in the program. I think everyone would like to know if the claims that a cut policy has been eliminated are actually true. It was still there as recently as the class of 2011, when four students were cut.</p>

11

<p>Actually, on another thread under CCM, a student did post the current information about a year ago.</p>

<p>Here is the link on the CCM website explaining their system:<br>
[Evaluation</a> and Graduation](<a href=“http://www.uc.edu/ccm/musical_theatre/evaluations.htm]Evaluation”>http://www.uc.edu/ccm/musical_theatre/evaluations.htm)</p>

<p>In a nutshell, failure to pass evaluations can remove students from the casting pool for shows the following quarter, and failure to pass 3 or more can remove them from the Senior Showcase, but they would not be removed from the program.</p>

<p>This is a formally adopted change since the students that you refer to from the class of 2011. I cannot speak directly about the students you mention, but if the “student buzz” is correct, I can state that in at least 2 of those cases, the students would most likely have been removed from their program (or the University) even if they had been at a school that didn’t have a cut policy.</p>

12

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<p>It’s interesting how that always seems to be the “buzz” when students are cut at schools with a cut program, yet it is a rarity at non-cut schools to ever hear of students being removed from their program or the University.</p>

13

<p>That definitely does change my opinion of CCM, I didn’t really think of it as being very high on my list but now I’m not quite sure where it falls. Thanks for posting this!</p>

14

<p>I have been tracking down videos from the major MT schools on youtube and those from CCM are awe-inspiring. And it looks like they have fun on ocassion, as well! The proof is in the pudding. Or on youtube!</p>

15

<p>Hi! I am wondering are there specific songs that CCM likes or dislikes in auditions?</p>

16

<p>I have to agree. I’m a prospective MT student, and when I was creating my list of schools, I sort of put CCM on there because I was curious. I’d heard rumors about the school’s snobbishness and some of the website’s articles rubbed me the wrong way, so it wasn’t at the top of my list. Then I visited. And now it’s my top choice! It’s an absolute perfect fit for me; the students, the faculty and staff, facilities, and campus blew me away. I sat in on a class and the students were having the time of their lives, and so was the teacher! It got me so excited about my future as a MT student. The amazing part was that I had visited a few schools prior to CCM, and I was feeling a bit down about the odds of being admitted to a program and whatnot. And at CCM, of all places, that unsure, frightened feeling melted away! I was in my element, full of confidence. I’m actually excited for auditions now, rather than shaking in my boots! So thank you, CCM! Can’t wait to see you again in February!</p>