It depends what you are looking for from a college. Merit hunters can benefit greatly from high scores and a challenging academic courseload as it stands out far more in performing arts. D18 had much better offers than her twin brother (with very similar stats) who was applying for more conventional academic majors (she had 4.0UW/35 ACT/9 APs with 8 5s). She got Regents at multiple UCs, an OOS tuition waiver at UT Austin and a full ride (which is what she took).
Yes the application process is painful and time consuming. But so is doing 25 hours a week of performing arts all the way through high school. A parent can definitely do a lot to help with coordinating the audition schedule.