What Musical Theatre Program sounds like a good fit for me?

College Majors Musical Theater Majors
1

<p>Hello!
My name is Katie and I’m just finishing up my junior year of high school in Highlands Ranch, Colorado.
This fall, it is my intention to audition for several B.F.A. musical theatre programs with the hope of finding a rigorous program that will prepare me for the industry, while also allowing me to diversify myself as an artist. I am looking for any insight out there into various programs and what may serve as the best fit for me? Below, I have some pretty cut and dry information about myself that will hopefully allow you to get a better idea of where I am as a performer, and as a a student, and what schools/programs are within my reach.</p>

<p>Academically:
3.78 grade point average, weighted as of completion of junior year
3.6 or so unweighted
I have only took the SAT and the ACT once, I am taking both again in June with the hope of breaking the 30 mark on the ACT and about a 1950 on the SAT–but these are my scores as of now…
SAT: 1890 (Composite)
680-Crit. Reading
640-Math
ACT: 29
32-Crit. Reading
28-Math
28-Writing</p>

<p>As a Performer:
My training has been pretty limited to my high school theatre program, but I have also attended several musical theatre intensives with various Broadway professionals.
9 shows in my high school theatre career thus far, performed in eight, directed one.
Six Leads: Brooke Ashton in Noises Off, Nickie in Sweet Charity, Mrs. Potts in Beauty and the Beast, Helsa Wenzel in Musical Comedy Murders of 1940, Jan in Grease, Sylvia Barrett in Up the Down Staircase.
I’ve been taking voice lessons for the last two years.
I am what you would call a natural belter, mezzo-soprano range.
I have been told I have a very strong voice–strong vocal presence, strong belt and mature sound for my age.
My acting is the strongest of the three musical theatre disciplines, voice is a close second.
Acting is strongest because of versatility, voice characterizes/limits me a bit more.
I have very little dance training and it is most definitely my weakest discipline area.
My acting has carried my dancing in the roles where I have had to dance more extensively (Nickie, Sweet Charity, Jan, Grease), I move pretty well.
It is my intention to really work on my dancing over the summer, especially technique, in order to better prepare me for the dance audition portion of these B.F.A. auditions.</p>

<p>Awards/Recognition:
I received straight superior scores from my judges in both my individual events at the 2008 Colorado Thespian Convention
My two individual events were:
Monologue (Two Contrasting:Oleanna, Oleanna–Popo Martin, Fat Men in Skirts)
Group Musical (Cantata for a First Date: I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change)</p>

<p>After receiving all superior scores from the judges, I was then selected as a Critic’s Choice Recipient for both of these events, and performed on the Mainstage for over 2,000 fellow thespians.
(Close to 800 individual events are presented, I was chosen twice to perform for both events)</p>

<p>As you can see, I have several strengths/weaknesses, if you will, as someone intending to audition for a B.F.A. program, this fall. I would really appreciate any insight, advice, or opinion regarding how I will stack up with others while auditioning this fall–or any programs you know of that would serve me well.</p>

<p>As of now, programs I am particularly interested in are:
Elon
Michigan
UCLA
Penn State
Ithaca
(I know UCLA isn’t BFA)</p>

<p>Any insight would be greatly appreciated!
:slight_smile: thanks</p>

2

<p>It looks like you are a fit academically for most the schools that you have listed :slight_smile: (UCLA is a bit of a shot in the dark, but being out of state may give you a slight advantage). It looks like you are looking for a BFA in a liberal arts environment, rather than a conservatory, and you prefer a college with a campus, rather than an urban setting. It is difficult for any of us to tell you where you stand talent wise, but from what you describe it sounds like you are definitely on the right track! All good things :D</p>

<p>However, as I am sure you have read, pursuing a BFA is very, very competitive and so you may want to consider adding some “play it safe”, not audition, options to compliment your list.</p>

3

<p>Thank you MTgrlsmom, that’s very helpful!
Noticed your daughter is at NYU Tisch? My friend Steph will start her third year in Atlantic there next year. How does she like it? I probably will end up auditioning there, I visited last fall break. I am a little intimidated by the idea of being thrown into an atmosphere like NYC at 18, but it still is a possibility. :slight_smile:
Thank you for your advice!</p>

4

<p>… and remember that a “‘play it safe’, not audition” option needs to be a non-auditioned, academic and financial safety, that you would be happy attending.</p>

<p>To add to the kind of schools you already have on your list you may want to look at Syracuse University – BFA.</p>

<p>Non-auditioned schools to look at are Muhlenberg – BA, Catawba – BA and BFA (audition during freshman year), Christopher Newport University - BA</p>

<p>Since it appears from your list of schools you are interested in programs which require you to take general education courses as well as focused study in your major… you may want to look at the following auditioned BA programs as well – Wagner College, University of Northern Colorado, Coastal Carolina University, James Madison University.</p>

<p>In the interest of Full Disclosure I teach at JMU :)…</p>

<p>In terms of how you will “stack up” it is too difficult to tell. Each school is looking for a different combination of students, and a different combination of skills in each student.</p>

<p>All the best of luck to you! Use the summer to research schools, prepare audition materials, and start any application materials you can start.</p>

<p>This site is a terrific resource, but make sure to combine the information you find here with research on the individual school’s websites, and visit schools if possible too.</p>

5

<p>kdrink - my D thoroughly enjoys living in NYC, loves NYU/Tisch and CAP21 in particular, but I am always a little careful about promoting the school, because I realize that an urban environment is not necessarily everyone’s “cup of tea” so to speak :). She is a real city girl, independent, and very comfortable in NYC; plus she went to HS in a “big city”, which may have contributed in her being ready. D was keen on pursuing a BFA in a liberal arts environment, and liked the conservatory type training Tisch offers (small classes in a “big school” setting). She attended Tisch CAP21’s summer program when she was a rising senior, and thankfully she was accepted when she applied/auditioned :D, because she fell in love with the program.</p>

6

<p>KD - I also was going to suggest Syracuse to your list - which by the way I think you have created a wonderful list. I also would suggest adding Indiana University. If you get your ACT up you could get a nice 4 yr scholarship even bigger than the one you would already qualify for. I’m sure you would be accepted to the non-audition BA Theatre program where you could also take voice and dance classes and you could audition for the BFA MT. IU Bloomington is a beautiful safe campus that you should at least visit.</p>

7

<p>I just want to re-emphasize: find a good non-audition school, that you qualify for academically, THAT YOU WOULD BE HAPPY ATTENDING!! Admission rates are extremely low at the schools you have chosen – and every year many talented students are turned away. </p>

<p>And yes, I also agree that you should take a look at Syracuse. My daughter will be a senior this fall, and is extremely happy with the program.</p>

8

<p>thank you all so much for your input/advice/insight!
:slight_smile:
so helpful!</p>

9

<p>You might want to also consider Otterbein College in Ohio, right outside of Columbus. It’s a very strong program in a beautiful small town. They do have a strong dance component to their degree, but I also think someone w/ less dance, once accepted, could really train and improve their dance skills immensely. Our son was accepted to Elon, Ithaca, and Otterbein, and will be a senior next year at Otterbein. We had never heard about it until here on this forum.</p>

<p>For a non audition, we also recommend Muhlenberg - our daughter is transferring there for her sophomore year. It is in Allentown, a smaller than NYC town. We like the surroundings of Otterbein more, but Muhlenberg has fairly close proximity to both NYC and Philly.</p>

<p>Good luck in your search!</p>

10

<p>Hello,
I am a frustrated mom behind the power curve trying to research some other options for Musical Theater degrees. </p>

<p>My daughter is just finishing her junior year of HS in Germany where we are stationed with the military. She is going to BTP this summer and is very excited as she feels at home when she is performing. I am excited that she is going to BTP for the skills improvement but also for a reality check in what it would take to do a BFA program and be “in the business” with all its stresses, etc.</p>

<p>in MT and do a dual major in education which she is agreeable to. Our thought is that in today’s society we cannot imagine investing well over $100,000 in a college education and then have a daughter who cannot get a job. </p>

<p>We have been wrong before but want her to be successful and love what she is doing.</p>

<p>As we are in Europe we are out of the loop compared to many students about whom i have read on this forum. </p>

<p>Bottom line is that we are coming back to the States(east coast) in two weeks to look at schools and we have no BA programs on the list.</p>

<p>I have heard that Christopher Newport has a good MT BA program where you can also do a 5th year and get an education degree. When I went looking to find it, it was unclear to me whether that still exists.</p>

<p>I have heard great things about Baldwin-Wallace but don’t know if they have a BA program in addition to the BFA.</p>

<p>In a BA program do you take classes of the same calibar as/with the BFA students? </p>

<p>I guess what I am asking is if a BA program is second rate compared to the BFA or is it the same level of teaching but just not so much of it?</p>

<p>Do BA Programs do senior showcases?</p>

<p>Please help. So much to do and so little time!</p>

11

<p>There has been much discussion on this forum in the past about this topic. To explain it very briefly, most schools that offer both programs have a separate faculty for each. In other words, the BFA teachers usually teach only the BFA students; the BA teachers teach only BA students. That is the case at many schools including Syracuse, where my daughter is a rising senior. There are exceptions, and I’m sure you’ll hear from others who can tell you which schools have a different system.</p>

<p>If you are looking for a BA degree, I would suggest looking for a school that ONLY offers that degree. There are many excellent schools in this category; a BA is certainly not inferior to a BFA, but it is different. At a school that offers both an auditioned BFA and a non-auditioned BA, the BA students would probably not get the same opportunities and training.</p>

12

<p>bengerman5 - I understand that Wagner College offers a dual major in Theatre and in Education. You may want to look at this program, as they offer intensive training in Musical Theatre as well:</p>

<p>[Theatre</a>, B.A. | Theatre Department](<a href=“http://www.wagner.edu/departments/theatre/]Theatre”>Performing Arts Department)</p>

13

<p>bengerman 5–as a rising senior in high school like your daughter, I would have to agree with what onstage has said.
While I am considering schools with BFA programs and BA programs, I am pretty opposed to going to a school that offers both. There are excellent BA programs that have training very similar to BFA programs but with a more widespread, liberal arts education–shying away more from the conservatory-style training. So either can work well, depending on the student. With schools that offer both, I definitely feel like those in the BA program are not offered the same opportunities of those in the BFA (this includes teachers, performance opportunities, individual attention, etc.).</p>

14

<p>kdrink - My DD will also be auditioning for schools next year. Like you she has decided that she does not want a BA program at a school where there is a BFA. I think this is a personal preference for many people.</p>

<p>She also has Elon, Michigan and UCLA on her list of schools. She is undecided on Penn State yet, but I think she will probably audition there also. Her list includes UARTS, Hartt, NYU, JMU, Marymount Manhattan and Millikin. She also loves Muhlenberg and will apply to there as her non audition school. She will probably also audition for USC since we are in SoCal.</p>

<p>My DD will be going to UARTS for the month of July to do their summer MT program and hopes to work on her dance and monologues a lot while there. She has a very good vocal coach she works with at home and they are already working on 6 or more songs to choose from for her auditions. Like you she needs to work on her dance more and feels like she should get plenty of that at UARTS this summer.</p>

<p>In the fall DD plans to dance 3 times a week and work on voice and monologues. She does not want to audition for anything in town until after she finishes her auditions.</p>

15

<p>Please contact me if you have any specific questions about the BFA in Musical Theatre ([THE</a> HARTT SCHOOL: MUSIC-DANCE-THEATRE](<a href=“The Hartt School - University of Hartford”>The Hartt School - University of Hartford)) at The Hartt School of the University of Hartford. I can also schedule for an information session and campus tour.</p>

<p>Please feel encouraged to contact me through college discussion or call me at 860.768.4148. </p>

<p>A great place to begin your search is on the National Association of Schools of Theatre’s member list. It is a list of all of the accredited programs across the nation. NAST establishes national standards for undergraduate and graduate degrees and other credentials. ([Member</a> Lists](<a href=“http://nast.arts-accredit.org/index.jsp?page=Member%20Lists]Member”>http://nast.arts-accredit.org/index.jsp?page=Member%20Lists)) From there you’ll be able to further your research by checking out each school’s individual website.</p>

16

<p>Please be aware, however, that the NAST (mentioned in the post above) does not include all theater or musical theater colleges, including some of the most renown ones (examples: CMU, UMich, NYU, CCM, Syrcause…). While the list may be useful, it just includes programs that belong to that association. </p>

<p>The “Big List” of Musical Theater College programs here on College Confidential lists all schools that offer musical theater programs and in my opinion, would be a better list to use or else one would be eliminating some of the best MT programs in the country if limited to the list of programs belonging to NAST. </p>

<p>Here is a link to the “Big List” of MT programs:</p>

<p>[Colleges</a> For Musical Theater Major Discussion FAQ](<a href=“Yahoo | Mail, Weather, Search, Politics, News, Finance, Sports & Videos”>Yahoo | Mail, Weather, Search, Politics, News, Finance, Sports & Videos)</p>

17

<p>'ello, I have basically the same question as the author of this thread and am hoping you guys can help me. I am really over my head in this musical-theatre-college-application-and-audition thing; I am a rising senior in a small highschool in suburban IL with a bad theatre program with almost zero guidance for people who are applying for colleges, much less people auditioning for a musical theatre program. I will provide information in the same vein as the first post - ANY information or advice that anyone has would be greatly appreciated. </p>

<p>Academically:
4.23 gpa - all honors classes/AP (all classes that are offered, I am taking them)
ACT: 34 - I do not plan on taking the SAT itself, though I will take the SAT subject tests in the fall.
I am part of National Honor Society and have worked a part time job throughout sophmore and junior year (I am told colleges like that)</p>

<p>As a Performer:
I have been in theatre since I was in 2nd grade. I have taken several triple threat and musical theatre classes over the years, but, my experience has been generally limited to highschool productions. </p>

<p>Acting: Freshman year, I was the title character in the play, and was the only female freshmen cast. Things have generally gone in this vein, although I know that highschool is not the greatest indicator of ability, especially my highschool. I have not been able to fit any acting classes in my highschool schedule.
I have been in several community theatre shows, but have not gone to any competitions, or anything like that.</p>

<p>Singing: is my strong suit - I have been told that I have natural talent though voice teachers are scarce around here, so I have only been able to take lessons sporadically for about 2 years. I have been in the highest level choirs in my highschool as well as the audition only madrigal and jazz choirs since freshmen year. I have taken piano lessons, play oboe in the school orchestra, and am the senior drum major in the marching band (I’m not sure if this makes any difference for a musical theatre major).</p>

<p>Dancing: among dancers, I’m not that great, but I have taken dance classes for about 10 years - 10 years of ballet, 4 years of jazz, 3 years of lyrical, and have taken a very little bit of hip-hop and tap, and will be be stepping up my dancing this year to prepare for auditions. I taught ballet and tap for a year, and have helped choreograph a few of the songs in our school productions. </p>

<p>Acting and lack of expirence I fear are my greatest weaknesses, that and me just having no idea where to start. I would be just as happy teaching musical theatre at a college level (or <em>possibly</em> highschool) as I would be working professionally.</p>

<p>As of now, programs I am looking at are:
Indiana Bloomington (I understand that this is very competitive and a long shot)
Illinois Wesleyan
Cinncinati
Northwestern University (not thrilled that you don’t audition until the end of freshmen year)
Northern IL
Colorado University- Boulder (I lived in Colorado for a few years and really enjoyed living there)</p>

<p>I know that none of you have seen me act or anything, and it is hard to judge based just on what I have told you, but any insight would be greatly appreciated!
thanks!</p>

18

<p>Flummoxed,
You have some very impressive achievements, and I am sure you will succeed wherever you land. The schools you list are very different from each other. Indiana (MT) and Cincinnati/CCM (MT) are very selective audition-in programs that are more conservatory style. Both will give you scholarship $ for your grades, but you will ultimately be pursuing art over academics (Carnegie Mellon and BoCo would also be in this category). Northwestern will have you in the classroom much more, and your grades will figure into admissions (Michigan is also in this category). Not sure I can speak credibly about your other choices, but I believe Colorado Boulder is not well known for its MT.</p>

<p>Do you want to pursue a BA or BFA? That’s your big first question.</p>

<p>As for your talents, you probably have plenty of dance to get past the screening auditions, and most BFA programs will give you lots of help to get ready for Broadway, if not the Rockettes. Get with a coaching program like MTCA- they can give you lots of help and counseling on schools, dos and don’ts (there are a million of them), supply material and coaching on monologues and songs, and help you hone your audition for your top choice school(s). We did this from California via Skype and had great results (D attending CCM MT/BFA this fall; accepted at many competitive programs). Sorry if I sound like a shill for MTCA, it’s just the one we used, and the only one I can speak to. Certainly there are others out there that are well qualified to help you.</p>

<p>Enjoy the ride :-)</p>

19

<p>Flummoxed, as your grades and career aspirations (teaching and/or performing) seem to make you a perfect fit for Northwestern, please let me just point out that while you audition into the MT Certificate Program after your freshman or sophomore year, your major is Theatre from the get-go, and the training is substantially similar whether you make the certificate program or not. Freshman year also gives you time to take care of many of your academic distribution requirements, freeing you up for more theatre electives down the road.</p>

<p>For someone with your strengths and perceived weaknesses, a strong academic non-audition program might be just the ticket.</p>

<p>That said, please remember to include at least one totally safe non-audition school among those to which you apply. You seem like a lock for NU, but in the real world, of course, there are no sure things!</p>

20

<p>Seat Filler: I don’t really know the pros/cons of a BFA/BA, though I have been advised to pursue a BFA…? I’d really love to teach at a college level (a lot of really bad teachers have inspired me in the past year or so) although performing is of course my first love… basically I’d like to keep my options open in that respect.
I will certainly check out MTCA, that is a very good idea, thankyou. </p>

<p>Perischack: thank you for the advice about NU and the way they audition etc. my parents are scientists and weren’t really able to help me with that part of my college quest. do you have any recommendations for non-audition schools? i haven’t really come across many…</p>

<p>all that being said, I did a lot more research today and will probably have an entirely new idea of what I’m looking for by tomorrow and probably have more specific questions… thanks so much you guys!</p>