<p>Yeah enjoy them!! You get to do what you love to do in the auditions… It is a waste of time to get too nervous or flustered…</p>
<p>Although my D will not audition until next year she has already learned so much from reading all of your suggestions here.</p>
<p>Also, my D has a friend who auditioned this season and at the last minute decided to go audition for another school last week as she did not have any acceptances yet. Her friend had only done 6 auditions previous to this one and they were all very well known programs.</p>
<p>Fortunately for her friend she received her first acceptance from the program she auditioned for last week. My D has now realized that she needs to really make sure that she chooses the schools she decides to audition to well as she does not want to be in the same boat her friend was at this time next year.</p>
<p>Check and double check that all of your application requirements are in for each school. Because MT majors have to apply to so many schools, it is easy to overlook something. My daughter missed sending SAT’s to Miami. We received a frantic phone call from someone from the MT dept. saying he needed her SAT scores ASAP. We did a mad dash to get them in as the review was last week. He wanted to make sure they were there for her and I am glad he called, but it could have been avoided. Moral of the story, check and double check.</p>
<p>If you are planning on auditioning for MT or Drama, be prepared. My son auditioned at one very well known school where they asked for their binders with music in advance. They went through them and asked several kids to sing something else. Thank heavens they had other music along with them!</p>
<p>This may sound *****y, but keep your school list under your hat if you have friends you have done theatre with also auditioning. My kid shared the list he had spend a year putting together and researching, with someone of opposite gender thinking they were not competing for same spots, but that person shared them with someone else, and a slew of friends all auditioned for the same schools. Things at school have become very tense as the results roll in. </p>
<p>Also - know in advance just how competative this process is. We were made aware of this a few years ago when a VERY talented gal go aced out of everywhere she applied. A true wake up call.</p>
<p>Mom4X - Although the sting may be a little worse if someone you know gets an acceptance, and you get a rejection, especially if you perceive yourself as competing for the same “slot”, the fact remains that competition is fierce and adding a handful more students to any one school’s auditionees probably has little impact on the final decisions.</p>
<p>The thing that is truly a shame in kids not doing their own school research is that by using someone else’s list, they may be auditioning at schools where, if accepted, they truly aren’t going to be happy.</p>
<p>I know a current freshman who was shocked to realize that she was taking the same theory and piano classes as music majors, even though she is at a school where the MT degree is a BM. This shouldn’t have been a surprise to her - but she relied on other people’s lists, and didn’t research such things. It hasn’t really been an issue for her, since she had a strong musical background, but for some kids, the same situation would have been extremely tough.</p>
<p>I know of a few students who have ended up in programs where either 1) they didn’t take voice lessons every semester, or 2) the voice teachers are grad students. Or, schools where you only take dance for 2 years. Or, schools where the academic side is more or less than you desire. If you are relying on someone else’s list, they may be fine with any of these scenarios, but it may not be what you want to get out of college.</p>
<p>For future students, instead of just giving your friend a list of where you’re auditioning, I would suggest countering with – what do you thing of College X, or School Y, and then discussing what you like or don’t about the program – you might get info on schools you hadn’t previously considered as well.</p>
<p>Frankly, I think things would get even more tense and uncomfortable if friends were secretive with each other about the schools to which they were applying. That’s not the way friends are expected to act with each other. And in reality, while the odds of overlapping applications among students from the same geographic area are pretty good anyway, the number of friends from your area applying to the same schools as your son pales against the total number of applicants at the school. The view that one of your friends may “knock” you out of contention is not a constructive way for students to look at things. You are going to be judged on the quality of your own audition and other relevant admissions criteria. It’s a waste of time, energy or focus to worry about whether your friend, who applied to the same school, is going to be perceived better than you. If that’s the approach you take, then you better worry about the other 800 applicants too and by the time you’re done worrying about everyone else’s talent, oops, you forgot to prepare yourself to the best of your abilities.</p>
<p>Your comment about things becoming tense as results come in is telling. Students who are friends, who have worked with each other in school shows, should be able to celebrate each other’s successes and be supportive for each other when faced with disappointments. There is always going to be intense competition in this field and auditioning for schools is just the beginning. What’s going to happen when friends at a college audition for the same school production? As those who get roles and those who don’t see each other every day, are they going to be frosty and tense with each other? To succeed in a college MT program, a student, among other things, needs to be able to commit to a collaborative process in which there is no room for petty jealousies. The values and perspectives underlying this process need to be developed before a student is in college.</p>
<p>I understand your concerns. I, as a parent, experienced my own share of anxieties when my daughter was auditioning for college. My daughter, however, took the approach that she was unconcerned about what other friends were doing and that all that mattered was the time and effort she put into the process. She routinely shared with many friends from the 2 summer MT programs she attended and with her high school theatre friends the schools to which she was applying and they with her. They were good resources for each other as they discussed schools of interest. On occasions when they were applying to the same schools, they shared with each other the audition dates they had in the hope that they would see each other at the auditions. They were a great support group for each other. As results came in, they were there to celebrate each other’s successes and to commiserate over rejections including situations where they applied to the same schools and some were accepted and others were not.</p>
<p>I completely agree with MichaelNKAT as I am going through this situation with my friends, who all auditioned for musical theatre.
However, here’s a tip about auditions:</p>
<p>Relax and the world relaxes with you.</p>
<p>Somehow, in a new city that I had never been to before, in a professional studio where several auditions were going on, I was able to completely calm down. I didn’t freak out when all of my sheet music ripped and fell out of its three-ring binder. Nor did I begin to hyperventilate when my name was called to sing my songs. I wish I could say the same for my fellow auditionees. I could see their nerves clearly. But, don’t get me wrong. It’s perfectly fine to be nervous. Somehow, I wasn’t affected too badly. I don’t know why. I guess I just remembered that when I’m calm, the people around me can be too. This mantra set me up for a great, relaxed interview during my artistic review.</p>
<p>I just wanted to add my two cents about competing with friends in MT. Competition is part of the business. The kids have to be able to handle the competition and learn to be happy for their friends who win parts (or admissions) over them. It is going to happen over and over again. People always laugh at me because every time my daughter has an audition, I call my friend (who’s daughter is my daughter’s biggest competition) to come to the same audition. She does the same with me. I met this woman when our kids were eight years old at a professional audition when they were going for the same part. My daughter got it. Next time we met at an audition, her daughter beat my daughter out for the same part in callbacks for American Girl. That’s when we really became friends. Two years later, they were both chosen out of hundreds of kids to be in a professional production of Annie together. Now, we still go together for many, many auditions. The kids know that, though they are pretty equally talented, they can’t get every role every time. Funny, they always seem to find themselves at callbacks going for the same role. They are truly thrilled for each other when the other lands the role. In college, kids can’t be bitter when they lose a role to a classmate or friend. That would make the entire experience horrible and frustrating. They all need to learn how to compete only with themselves to do their best and understand that some things are out of their control.</p>
<p>Last spring, as a freshman, my daughter auditioned for her college’s production of Tintypes. Roles for 3 males and 4 females and many students received call backs. My daughter and one of her friends, who is also a soprano, received call backs. Prime competition for each other. Instead of treating each other as “the competition”, once they got the sides for the call backs, they decided to help each other prepare and spent a load of time practicing together. They were determined that despite the odds for freshmen, one of them would get cast. Their collaboration paid off; they were both cast and the time they spent working together created a synergy between them during the ensemble portion of the call back that influenced the director in this regard. They also were each better prepared as the result of the critiquing and coaching they gave each other. It was a great example of how the right attitude and perspective pays off not only in terms of personal relationships but also in terms of enhancing the work product.</p>
<p>As a transfer (I’m currently a college sophomore) the stakes were a little higher for me this year than when I originally auditioned. I’ve learned A LOT and grown immensely as a person and a performer in the last 2 years, so it helped to come in with a renewed perspective. My advice may be a little biased due to my situation, but I suppose it can apply to everyone with an open mind.</p>
<p>1) Transfers- don’t burn any bridges at your current university. Worst case scenario, you might find yourself continuing your education there. I made the mistake of being open about my desire to transfer and had my program head say to me that there were “certain opportunities and roles” that I missed out on due to my honesty about switching schools. Be cautious about who you choose to tell and keep your results to yourself (both the good and the bad) until you know for sure where you are going to end up.</p>
<p>2) Go into your auditions with a winning attitude. Auditors know that it’s a stressful, high-anxiety situation for everyone. Being negative is going to set you apart from the rest in a bad way. Nobody likes a grouch.</p>
<p>3) This is going to sound really contrived, but go into your auditions and show them your PASSION. I auditioned at my top choice school with more enthusiasm than I knew I had and it showed- I got accepted this week! Remember- this is what you love to do!</p>
<p>4) Everything happens for a reason. I broke my foot during my initial audition season and ended up at one of my safety schools. It gave me the opportunity to regroup and figure out what I wanted to do, not to mention valuable opportunities to perform and most importantly- learn. Don’t stress about getting into what you think is the perfect school. You’ll go where you’re meant to go.</p>
<p>Now that this wild ride of auditions, acceptances, rejections, and final decision has come an end, I wanted to add two thoughts for those that are preparing to apply and audition. First, if we were to do it over again, I think we’d skip doing onsite auditions at the schools that take 5 or less of each gender and do those at Unifieds. The odds of acceptance are so slim. This would help cut down on costs. Secondly, as a parent, I think I was most surprised by how mature and honest the thought process was that my child went thru when it came time for a final decision. When this started a year ago, it was BFA MT or Theatre only. Based on the many great suggestions on this cc forum, I was able to convince including 2 BA non audition schools. In the end, it was a BA Theatre program chosen. My child had realized there were still many areas to explore and this was the best fit. Thanks all for the great advice. Reading all the posts has not only been informative but also made me realize I’m not the only one out there with a child who loves the arts!</p>
<p>For me…the biggest reward was the time spent with my daughter. I knew “then” it would be special, but I realize “now” how special. We will always remember all the little things and big things: hotels, hours in airports, overweight carryon’s, WINTER coats (we are Floridians), late night ice cream celebrations…and of course my admiration of her courage to walk in to those rooms over and over again and “do her best!” My biggest piece of advice is to savor those memories and be so careful to understand the stress these kids are under and not to use the audition trips as “teachable moment’s” but rather just be there for love and support.</p>
<p>Pohs…I’m a year later and your words brought back memories and made me cry</p>
<p>Posh - ditto to what HoosierMom says, my time with D during audition season will always be a special memory :D.</p>
<p>New one: assume nothing. Don’t assume you (1) didn’t get in; (2) did get in; (3) did horrible; (4) did well based upon the comments of the adjudicators. They may be just being nice. They may be jerks. They may have little or no influence over the final decision. They may have only part of the influence on the final decision (the other half being in the hands of those academicians.) So, go in there, and do your best, and don’t let yourself get caught up on whether you got it or not. Just be proud of doing your best and hold your breath until the results get in.</p>
<p>Listen to chrissbyblu: assuming, as our grandmas would say, makes an a-- our of u and me. Every year, I hear of kids who are startled and devastated to hear that they didn’t get into a particular school because “I thought it was a sure shot.” I always scratch my head and wonder “What made you think ANY audition based program was a sure shot?”</p>
<p>And it goes both ways. My D was accepted to a school where she thought she had one of her worst auditions/interviews and the auditors appeared very unimpressed and were non-responsive. It was a shock to get the acceptance letter – especially because it came in a small envelope looking every bit like a rejection. She also didn’t get accepted to a school where the auditor was very complementary, worked with her on her monologues, told her why their school would be a great fit, etc. So it is important to not read into or obsess too much about how each audition goes – just keep going and do your best. My D said that the auditions were the easy part for her . . . it was the waiting afterwards that was agonizing.</p>