Musical Theatre
College Audtion & Application Info
The Musical Theatre college application process is quite different than standard college applications. Here are a few resources and links to help educate yourself and your student if this is a path that they may be considering.
Applying for most musical theatre programs will require both an academic acceptance and an artistic acceptance from the school you are interested in. Because the MT programs are quite competitive (frequently accepting only 10-20 students each year), many students will apply to between 10-25 schools. Normally, the students will use the Common App to submit their academic application (including essays, transcripts, test scores, etc.) and to designate interest in a musical theatre degree. That degree designation then normally sends the students an email prompting them to upload artistic "prescreen" information -- including specific prescreen video submissions (more details below) and sometimes other requirements like headshots or an artistic resume. Only if students "pass" a prescreen are they invited to participate in auditions for the school. Auditions can be in person or virtual depending on the school. Only after auditions, will students learn if they have been offered a place in the school's musical theatre program. (Artistic acceptance requires academic acceptance, but a student could be accepted academically and NOT be offered a place in the musical theatre program.)
This is stressful!
Wait, what about those prescreen things?
Prescreen requirements vary from school to school, but a basic list of things that your student should learn and then film includes:
Feeling overwhelmed? Us too.
TIMELINE: Most college audition coaches recommend beginning these preparations in JANUARY of your student's JUNIOR YEAR. And, in order to get the jump on scheduling auditions they recommend submitting as many of your academic and artistic applications as possible by OCTOBER of SENIOR YEAR. That means that the students spend the summer between Junior & Senior years selecting materials, rehearsing, and then filming their prescreen videos so that they can begin writing essays as soon as the prompts are available and then submitting applications as soon as they open in the fall. Auditions will usually happen January-March. Students will normally receive decisions in April-May.
There are tons of resources online. And there are tons of great college audition coaches, programs and conservatories if you have the resources for that. Groups like: The College Audition and MTCA have links and resources on their sites. There are many free groups and resources online. We really encourage you to do a ton of research as early in the process as possible.
But also: Talk to other parents, and former Hays Legacy Players parents. We're here to help you!
Oh, and don't forget financial aid! Fill out the FAFSA and CSS.
Applying for most musical theatre programs will require both an academic acceptance and an artistic acceptance from the school you are interested in. Because the MT programs are quite competitive (frequently accepting only 10-20 students each year), many students will apply to between 10-25 schools. Normally, the students will use the Common App to submit their academic application (including essays, transcripts, test scores, etc.) and to designate interest in a musical theatre degree. That degree designation then normally sends the students an email prompting them to upload artistic "prescreen" information -- including specific prescreen video submissions (more details below) and sometimes other requirements like headshots or an artistic resume. Only if students "pass" a prescreen are they invited to participate in auditions for the school. Auditions can be in person or virtual depending on the school. Only after auditions, will students learn if they have been offered a place in the school's musical theatre program. (Artistic acceptance requires academic acceptance, but a student could be accepted academically and NOT be offered a place in the musical theatre program.)
This is stressful!
Wait, what about those prescreen things?
Prescreen requirements vary from school to school, but a basic list of things that your student should learn and then film includes:
- 2-3 contrasting songs
- 2-3 contrasting monologues
- dance videos
- a wildcard (something that shows schools who YOU are)
Feeling overwhelmed? Us too.
TIMELINE: Most college audition coaches recommend beginning these preparations in JANUARY of your student's JUNIOR YEAR. And, in order to get the jump on scheduling auditions they recommend submitting as many of your academic and artistic applications as possible by OCTOBER of SENIOR YEAR. That means that the students spend the summer between Junior & Senior years selecting materials, rehearsing, and then filming their prescreen videos so that they can begin writing essays as soon as the prompts are available and then submitting applications as soon as they open in the fall. Auditions will usually happen January-March. Students will normally receive decisions in April-May.
There are tons of resources online. And there are tons of great college audition coaches, programs and conservatories if you have the resources for that. Groups like: The College Audition and MTCA have links and resources on their sites. There are many free groups and resources online. We really encourage you to do a ton of research as early in the process as possible.
But also: Talk to other parents, and former Hays Legacy Players parents. We're here to help you!
Oh, and don't forget financial aid! Fill out the FAFSA and CSS.
