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Counseling  Students  Who  Think  They  Can:  Dance,  Sing  or  Act  

     

On-­‐site  and  Distance  Consul1ng  Counselor-­‐2-­‐Counselor  Services  

Workshops,  Clinics,  Community  Presenta1ons    

Please  visit:  www.performingartsop1ons.com  

Presented  by    Amy  Goldin,  B.S.,  M.S.        

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•  Degree  Basics  •  Types  of  Schools  •  Dual/Double  Studies  •  Specific  School  Informa1on    •  Audi1on  &  PorJolio  Tips  •  How  to  use  MyCCA  for  Performing  Arts  Students  •  Key  Ingredients  of  a  Successful  Performing  Ar1st  

Today’s  Topics  

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Performing  Arts  Degree  

•  Dance:    •  B.A.,  B.F.A.,  B.S.      

•  Music:  •   B.A.,  B.M.,  B.M.E.,  B.S.  

•  Theatre:    •  B.A.,  B.F.A.,  B.S.    

•  Film/Film  Studies:    •  B.A.,  B.F.A.    

•  Dual  Degrees  &  Double  Majors,  Majors/Minors  •  Hybrid  Programs  

•  BFA,  BM,  BME,  -­‐  very  likely  to  be  audi1on  or  porJolio-­‐based,  pre-­‐professional,  and  require  some  (maybe  few,  maybe  hardly  any)  gen  ed’s          

•  BS,  BA  –  may  or  may  not  be  audi1on-­‐based.  Likely  to  have  more  spread  of  Gen  Ed’s  and  elec1ves  

 

Audition  v.  Non-­‐Audition  Degrees  

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•  Some degrees are deceptive – labels do not always tell the tale.

•  Even when an audition is not required for admission, there may be other situations that will require auditions.

•  Some non-audition programs may have audition-based scholarship opportunities.

Audition  vs.  Non-­‐audition  Caveats  

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•  Stand-alone Conservatories are… •  MOST Highly Selective •  NOT only for Classical Music

“Approximately 1,000 candidates now audition for about 18 places in each year's freshman class…of actors.”

http://www.juilliard.edu/college/drama/index.html (2010)

•  Conservatories, Performing Arts schools or departments that are embedded in Liberal Arts colleges and universities

•  Professional Schools: non-profits, for-profits

Types  of  Schools    

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“It's  'me  to  choose  between  the  two  of  them,  I'd  be3er  make  a  start.    

Someone  help  me  make  up  my  heart.”        

Andrew  Lloyd  Webber,  “Starlight  Express”  

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Double/Dual  (D/D’s)  Studies  

What’s  the  Difference?  Old  Major/Minor    Double  majors    Newer  Dual  majors    Dual  degrees  B/M  combos  Newest  Collabora1ons  among  schools  for  PA  students  in  the  double  or  dual  process  School-­‐developed  mul1-­‐programs  for  PA  students  

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•  Fact: A college degree is not necessarily a

requirement for a PA career •  exceptions: areas with licensure or certification

requirements •  Fact: A degree in a performing art is not

necessarily a requirement for a PA career. •  Fact: A degree in a performing art is not

necessarily a guarantee of a PA career.

 “Who  am  I  anyway?  Am  I  my  resume?”  

Marvin  Hamlisch,  “A  Chorus  Line”    

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•  Training  •  Performance/internship  opportuni1es  •  Experience  •  Repertoire    •  Networking  towards  career  op1ons    •  Gateway  to  addi1onal  academic  opportuni1es  

So  why  get  a  degree?    

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•  Logis1cs  •  Aesthe1cs  •  Parental  Concerns    •  Career  Concerns  

Why  D/D  Studies?  

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•  Unique  demands  of  1me,  effort,  learning,  emo1ons,  on  Performing  Arts  students  

•  Usual  academic  and  social  demands  of  college  life  •  Lesson  1me/prac1ce  1me/prac1ce  &  studio  venues/equipment  requirements  

•  Rehearsals,  Performances    

“Musicians  work  when  other  people  don’t.”  (NYC  voice  teacher/performer/Cantor  Sandra  Goodman)    

Logistics “Only practice on days that you eat.”

Music educator Shinichi Suzuki

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•  Performing  ar1sts  may  “march  to  the  tune  of  a  different  drummer”  

•  Some  students  may  be  equally  passionate  about  mul1ple  studies  

•  Technology  &  Social  Media:  a  double  edged  sword  for  Performing  Arts  students  

Aesthetics  

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Uncertain1es  of  geang  and  maintaining  good  jobs  in  the  Performing  Arts.    Parents  want  some  kind  of  hope  that  their  children  will  be  able  to:  

•  Leave  the  nest  •  Pay  their  own  bills  •  Get  a  job/career  that  offers  employee  benefits  (esp.  health  benefits)    

•  Be  happy  

Parental  Concerns  

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•  Parents  may  be  suppor1ve  •  Parents  may  be  OVERLY  suppor1ve  •  Parents  may  be  wary  •  Parents  may  be  indifferent  •  Parents  may  be  strongly  opposed  

       Impact  of  Parent  Attitudes  on            Performing  Arts  Students’  Aspirations  

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•  Time  it  takes  to  find  job(s)  •  Effort  to  “sell”  yourself,  over  and  over  again  •  Dealing  with  rejec1on  •  Understanding  the  world  •  Ongoing  (life1me)  study  •  Working  with  professionals  who  know  a  lot  more  than  you  do;  how  to  not  get  burned,  used,  exploited…  

PA  Career  Concerns  

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“The  1me  to  pursue  a  career  in  the  performing  arts  is  when  you’re  young  and  cute,  energe1c  and  fundamentally  unaeached;  can  run  errands,  get  coffee,  travel  to  remote,  perhaps  difficult  places,  do  grunge  work;  learn  lines,  staging  and  choreography  rela1vely  effortlessly,  endure  impossibly  long  rehearsals,  do  8  (or  more!)  shows  a  week,  keep  yourself  in  high  energy  and  great  shape,  and  can  live  on  ramen  noodles  and  odd  jobs.    You  can  always  go  back  to  graduate  school.  You  can’t  always  go  back  and  try  to  make  this  kind  of  career  happen.”    -­‐  Amy  Goldin,  COPA,  Inc.    

So,  why  risk  it?  Why  walk  on  such  shaky  ground?      

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•  Curriculum  Gateways    •  Opportuni1es  to  con1nue  with  performance  studies,  while  also  pursuing  other  interests  and  perhaps  higher-­‐wage,  more  accessible  career  paths  

 •  Student  may  be  able  to  take  “major-­‐only”  courses,  get  “major  –only”  perks  

D/D  Studies:  Pros  

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•  Depth  and  breadth  of  college-­‐level  and  professional-­‐level  courses  

•  Private  lessons  (music)  or  studio  classes  (dance,  theatre)  or  studio  1me  (technology  areas)  

•  Networking,  networking…  •  Higher  level,  more  pres1gious  creden1als    

More  Pros:  

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•  Doubly  hard  admission  processes,  audi1on  component  skews  conven1onal  “fit”  probabili1es  

•  Limits  course  choices  outside  of  majors  •  May  take  more  than  4  years  •  May  rule  out  the  possibility  of  Study  Abroad  •  May  require  travel  between  2  different  campuses  or  loca1ons    

D/D  Studies:  Cons  

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•  Scheduling:    may  include  weekends,  evenings,  school  vaca1ons,  and  don’t  forget  to  include  1me  for  personal  rehearsal  and  prac1ce  

•  Transferring  (schools,  programs,  majors)  is  tricky,  1me  and  credits  could  get  lost.  Some1mes  transfer  into  a  PA  program  is  not  possible.    

•  Not  for  the  faint  of  heart.  It  could  be  a  tough  4  (or  5  or  more)  years!    

More  cons…  

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It  is  easier  to  format  a  D/D  process  within  a  B.A.  or  B.S.  –  harder  in  the  professional  degrees  (i.e.  B.M.,  B.F.A.)  

The  Reality…  

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No  maeer  how  hard  you  try,  or  how  much  you  want  it,  some  PA  majors  simply  do  not  lend  themselves  to  facilita1ng  a  double  or  dual  program.  And  some  students  are  not  cut  out  for  the  diversity  of  studies  and  overwhelming  demands.        

“And,  in  the  end…”  Sir  Paul  McCartney  

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•   Juilliard/Columbia:  2  program  choices:    •  Exchange  (4  yrs.)    •  Joint  Program  BA/MM  (5-­‐6  yrs.)    

•  NEC/Tums  (2  Bachelors)  (5  yrs.)  •  NEC/Harvard  AB/MM  (5  yrs.)  •  Carnegie  Mellon  BXA  (4  yrs.)  Interdisciplinary  degree  programs  

Examples      

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 “The  five-­‐year  joint  program  with  the  Blair  School  of  Music  [and  the  Owen  Graduate  School  of  Business]  allows  a  small  cohort  of  par1cularly  mo1vated  students  to  overlap  their  undergraduate  coursework  with  work  toward  the  MBA,  facilita1ng  the  earning  of  both  the  undergraduate  and  graduate  degrees  in  five  years  (ten  semesters).”  

Vanderbilt:  Blair  to  Owen      

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•  Is it possible to double major? “Yes,  but  it  is  difficult.    The  Musical  Theatre  Concentra1on  is  a  credit  intensive  concentra1on.    Some  students  who  come  to  JMU  with  AP,  IB,  and  Dual  Enrollment  credit  do  choose  to  pursue  a  double  major  (School  of  Media  Arts  and  Design,  English,  and  Communica1ons  are  the  most  popular)  and  are  able  to  complete  both  majors  within  four  years.    Others  choose  to  minor  in  another  area  (Dance,  English,  History,  and  Non-­‐Profit  Studies  are  the  most  popular).    Many  students  who  want  to  double  major  choose  to  pursue  the  Theatre  Concentra1on  which  is  a  less  credit  intensive  concentra1on  [than  the  performance  program].”  

James  Madison  University  FAQ’s  

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•  Dual  Degrees  “These  programs  are  intended  for  applicants  to  the  School  of  Music,  Theatre  &  Dance  who  also  seek  the  technical  or  academic  studies  associated  with  the  College  of  Engineering,  the  Ross  School  of  Business,  or  the  College  of  Literature,  Science,  and  the  Arts.  Students  interested  in  these  degree  programs  must  seek  concurrent  admission  to  both  units.    Each  has  unique  admissions  criteria,  deadlines,  and  requirements.”    

University  of  Michigan  

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 “Double  majors  in  the  School  of  Theater,  Film,  and  Television  and  other  academic  units  are  not  permieed.”    

UCLA  

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•  Each  school  has  its  own  policies  and  procedures  •  Research  and  explore  websites  •  Connect  with  representa1ves  and  faculty  •  Visit  schools,  preferably  when  performances  are  taking  place  

_____The  Bottom  Line_____  

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•  Prescreens:  Required?  For  what  majors?  What  are  the  requirements,  deadlines,  procedures?    

•  Audi1ons:    Apply  before  set  audi1on?  Pay  close  aeen1on  to  deadlines!  Loca1ons?  (Travel?  Expenses?)    

•  Audi1on/PorJolio  Guidelines:  Check  school-­‐by-­‐school.    •  Heed  requirements.  Don’t  submit  more  than  a  school  asks  for.  •  Recordings  do  not  need  to  be  done  on  pricey  equipment.  •  Audi1on  dates  tend  to  be  very  restricted  and  very  strict.  

Audition/Portfolio  Tips  

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Key  Ingredients  of  a  Successful    Performing  Artist  

©  COPA,  Inc.  2013  www.performingartsop1ons.com    

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•  School  Lists/Shared  Comments  •  Milestones:  add  audi1on  info,  including  deadlines  and  actual  audi1on  dates  

•  Tagged  lists  –  cau1on:  expect  to  update  lists  yearly  

•  CSQ’s  help  students  and  parents  see  the  importance  of  academic  achievement  

Using  MyCCA    

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Managing  made  easy  

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Engage  &  Empower  Students:    Save  yourself  time  

       

On-­‐site  and  Distance  Consul1ng  Counselor-­‐2-­‐Counselor  Services  

Workshops,  Clinics,  Community  Presenta1ons  Please  visit:  

www.performingartsop1ons.com  

COPA,  Inc.  College  Options  in  the  Performing  Arts  

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