Hi all. I'm beachymom, and my kiddo is a sophomore in high school. Reading through the magnitude of posts on the BA and BFA MT programs - choices, auditions, geo locations, cost factors. Wow - it's a lot! My son is 16 and we are already beginning to look at possible options in an effort to prep and (possibly, hopefully, haha) save ourselves a wee bit of sanity during his final 2 years of school. Background info - he's always loved the arts, and jumped into the world of musicals (school productions) last year - performances included Peter Pan and Into The Woods. He's hooked. Big time. Vocally, he's a baritone/"baritenor", but can pull off a wide range with a fair amount of ease. (Although in All County, he's was placed as a tenor in both 9th and 10th grades,) We have not done private lessons - dance (they are needed, for sure), voice or acting - as of now, he's only received instruction from the fabulous chorus and drama teachers. Academically, he's taking a difficult course load (honors and AP classes), and get averagish grades - mainly Bs although his transcript will have a couple of Cs and a sprinkling of As, but does get extra GPA points for those who accept a weighted GPA. SAT scores look like they should settle around the 1100/1600 mark. He's not an athlete, but loves the school spirit associated with activities, even sports. Pretty normal kid - great heart and great face (biased mom ;)), tall and lanky (6'1" and still growing), and into his friends and girlfriend. But he will put all that aside to rehearse. And rehearse. And rehearse. And set build. And build again. Etc. etc, etc. I truly think that he's found his passion. So what should our focus be right now? Do we pour into the things that come more naturally such as singing, and even acting? Or do we focus money and lessons into the "dance deficit"? Do we spend the moohlah for a space at a great summer program that is more generalized to MT? Or really focus on the private lessons? Are there certain schools that want only seasoned and trained dancers vs those that take newbies? Certain colleges and universities that are more fond of MT newbies in general? I'm really looking forward to hearing your valued thoughts and opinions. Thanks a million. Really.
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