<p>snapdragonfly,
I think it is great that you shared these experiences as it is not only reflection for yourself and your daughter, but also may help others. </p>
<p>I am not familiar with NTDA. My daughter has never attended anything like that (we are from rural VT) and just went to regular campus college auditions. It seems unusual to me that the “interview” portion included the parent! That is not the case at regular college auditions where they may ask the candidate questions in the audition room and no parent is present whatsoever. But maybe these were informational in nature at NTDA, where you could ask questions about their program? Not sure. </p>
<p>Anyway, two things you brought up that I have some advice about…</p>
<p>One…A student’s articulation as to why they wish to attend X College or X Program…</p>
<p>This is very important and I find some students do not do well with this. When my advisees are building their college list, I have them make a spreadsheet with various categories of “facts” about each college and program (I won’t list all the things that go on it) and also where they list what appeals to them about the school or program and their pros/cons about it, etc. This is so important to do in the selection phase. There should be clear cut reasons each school makes it onto the final list. The student should be able to compare and contrast their schools (this spreadsheet helps with that) and to articulate how each specific school meets their college selection criteria (they should have established selection criteria before selecting colleges). They should explore each school deeply such as the specific curriculum, special features, performance opportunities, production seasons, and much else about each MT program. A student should be able to list many reasons why a certain school is on their list. I find LOTS of students who want to pick the college list on a very basic level (ie., “it offers MT,” “it’s very well known,” “it’s in a city”) and do not explore the schools thoroughly enough to really know them. This is not like picking out a dress but it is so crucial to find schools that are good fits, not simply schools that offer MT or have a nice reputation. If a student can’t tell me why a school is on their list, then they haven’t explored it enough. And it is hard to even discuss the list with them beyond their “odds” at each school (academic and artistic) unless they have really discussed why each school appeals to them. Some kids do a great job of this and others are more reluctant and want to forge ahead with applications. I tell them at that juncture, that besides selecting schools, this is going to come up LATER when many colleges have a “Why X College” Essay prompt on the application or else it may come up in interviews/auditions and then they will have to articulate specific reasons why they wish to attend that school. And sure enough at this time of year, when we are immersed in college essays, and the veritable “Why X College or X Program” comes up in the essays, they do not know the school well enough to write an effective statement! (I could have predicted this in some cases!). They tend to write a generic statement of why they want a BFA but it is not specific to each school. An effective Why X College essay is very very very specific to each school, so that if you can sub another school’s name in the essay, you don’t have a good essay. This will come up in several auditions/interviews (I also interview candidates for my alma mater and it is very telling who can answer “Why do you want to go to this school?”). I strongly encourage all kids to really explore every school deeply (visits help but you must do this even without a visit) and be able to articulate why each school fits you and is on your list…this is important in selecting the schools in the first place, but also in many essays and in auditions/interviews. Schools want to know how you fit them and how they fit you and that you have explored this adequately and can demonstrate interest in THEIR school or program. </p>
<p>Two…you mention your D’s lack of MT repertoire. You go on to mention a lack of training where you live. </p>
<p>In my view, no matter where you live, someone who is going to pursue MT in college and beyond really needs to be exploring the MT canon of both traditional MT and contemporary MT songs. This can be done by listening to soundtracks from a wide array of musicals. Also, find MT singers who have your voice type and listen to their MT repertoire. Once you find songs you like and that fit you, purchase sheet music and work on learning many songs from different MT periods, ballads and upbeat, legit and belt, etc. that fit you. Every MT student should have a “book” of their MT repertoire and by the time they apply to college, should have accrued a number of songs they know. (a die hard MT kid should have lots and lots of sheet music and song books to take to college) This can be done even without a voice teacher. But no matter who your voice teacher is, you should bring MT songs to lessons to work on. It’s also good to know contemporary/popular music and other genres like jazz and classical of course! But for the purpose of MT college auditions, the songs appropriate for auditions come from the MT genre. So, it is never too late to keep exploring MT songs and finding ones that suit you and purchasing sheet music. A beginner might even buy some song collection books even though they have more common songs typically in them. The song you mention, “Maybe This Time” is a great song but not the best for a college audition since it is not considered age appropriate. It is a good one to learn but not for this purpose. Make sure to bring about five songs to auditions (or your MT book)…have two options for upbeat and two options for ballad at least on hand and both traditional and contemporary selections and both legit and belt. If they like your voice, they may end up asking to hear more or something different and you have to have stuff with you that you know. So, don’t just bring your two audition songs to the audition. </p>
<p>I hope this helps as it is just November and there is time to work on these things!</p>
<p>Congrats to your D on the callbacks! In my view, this early audition can serve as an effective learning experience and she has time to work on anything before the next round of auditions and think of it that way if nothing else.</p>
The really competitive schools have told her, that the more times they see her, the better her chances, because if they see her and don’t invite her then, that doesn’t affect if they see her another time. </p>
but just one yes will override all the no’s! And if they don’t have persistence I think they might better start developing it now!</p>