BA / Foundation MT courses Sept 18

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Felicity
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BA / Foundation MT courses Sept 18

Post by Felicity »

Hi all, am completely new to all this but have been trying to climb the steep learning curve as my daughter wants to pursue an MT course after Sixth Form. DD is 18 and taking 3 A-levels in school plus singing/ballet/theatre group outside of school. She is passionate about MT and has been applying and auditioning since last term. The whole process has been a real eye opener regarding how competitive it is to get in anywhere. So far she has (in the order of first auditions):
Arts Ed - Recall then Foundation offer
Mountview - No recall
GSA - Recall still to do
Central - Recall but then rejected
Chichester - Triple threat degree offer
Trinity - First audition in Feb
PPA - Audition in March
So I am wondering, if she gets no more offers, is it better to do a Foundation at Arts Ed (no student loan possible but she could live at home to save money as we are near London) or the triple threat degree course at Chichester? Does anyone here have any experience in either of these courses? TIA.
Munchpot
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Re: BA / Foundation MT courses Sept 18

Post by Munchpot »

Hi

We were in a smiling postition with our DD last year. She had an offer from Chichester, a Performers (not funded) as well as a foundation at Bird

As she really wants to do her degree at Bird she chose the foundation and is applying again this year.

I would certainly recommend the foundation if you can afford it, as I think my DD has improved immensely since she's been on it (especially her confidence)

Ultimately I think it's down to where your daughter would be happiest and when she really wants to go. If that's a place she hasn't been offered this year then a foundation may help her get in next year

Congrats on the offers so far
Felicity
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Re: BA / Foundation MT courses Sept 18

Post by Felicity »

Thanks Munchpot. Good luck to your DD this year. Where is she applying?

There doesn’t seem to be much time between starting the Foundation and then having to start the whole applying / auditioning process again, but I guess it must still be an advantage? I think my DD would benefit from the extra dance training in particular, especially as most of her dance training is ballet.

Her fave is GSA but it’s so difficult to get in plus they need to achieve AAB! But at least she has somewhere to go in September and to be fair she really loved both Arts Ed and Chichester when she auditioned.
Munchpot
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Re: BA / Foundation MT courses Sept 18

Post by Munchpot »

DD applying to Bird, Urdang, Performers, Centre and Italia Connti for degree courses.

Apart from Urdang all her auditions are March -May as she asked for later ones (that's what they were told at college)
Marissa
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Re: BA / Foundation MT courses Sept 18

Post by Marissa »

It's very stressful isn't it! So far we have a unconditional MT degree offer from Gloucester and a HNC from Arden(the Manchester college).
Does DD go for a degree that hasn't got the name or spend a yr at Tmc and have the linked Arden name to help her next yr x still two auditions to go x Trinity and Hammond so still no idea how all will go! Goodluck x
Felicity
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Re: BA / Foundation MT courses Sept 18

Post by Felicity »

Good luck to your DD in her forthcoming auditions Munchpot. I guess it makes sense to wait to benefit the most from the Foundation course.

I agree it is stressful Marissa, especially when most of her friends at school are all accepting offers from Universities (for academic courses) whilst she is still going at it. I have no idea how my DD’s final 3 auditions will go. Singing/acting is more her strength (although she can dance, just less formal training) so I suppose it depends on what they are looking for and who they have already got. Non-school friends of my DD have already got degree offers from GSA and Urdang, which she is thrilled about for them.
Good luck to your DD in her final auditions Marissa.
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Caroline A-C
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Re: BA / Foundation MT courses Sept 18

Post by Caroline A-C »

DS went to Arts Ed for the MT BA and said that although the Foundation course is a good course, it is not a stepping stone to the BA course. If you can afford it then perhaps it is worth doing before reapplying for the BA courses next year as she will be training and keeping on top of things. Many on this site have done the Foundation courses and have been very positive about them. As far as getting into college is concerned, I don't think it is taken into consideration - it is down to how you perform at the audition.
All new to me!
lbm1e14
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Re: BA / Foundation MT courses Sept 18

Post by lbm1e14 »

Caroline A-C wrote:DS went to Arts Ed for the MT BA and said that although the Foundation course is a good course, it is not a stepping stone to the BA course. If you can afford it then perhaps it is worth doing before reapplying for the BA courses next year as she will be training and keeping on top of things. Many on this site have done the Foundation courses and have been very positive about them. As far as getting into college is concerned, I don't think it is taken into consideration - it is down to how you perform at the audition.
Wise words. You have to think of it as an investment in further training and no more. The cost is pretty much £15,000 if you can't live at home. Anecdotally a few get on to the full 3yr course at the same college but the vast majority don't. It will undoubtedly improve chances of getting into a 3yr course somewhere as hopefully after spending that amount DC is better at everything, but as Caroline says it's all about the audition.
Felicity
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Re: BA / Foundation MT courses Sept 18

Post by Felicity »

Yes we were seeing the Arts Ed Foundation as an investment in further training but it’s a lot of money and then she has to go through the auditioning process all over again of course.
I had heard good things about the triple threat course at Chichester as they have a London showcase and tour opportunities. Does anyone have recent first hand experience of this course and where students end up afterwards?
jennifer1972
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Re: BA / Foundation MT courses Sept 18

Post by jennifer1972 »

Felicity wrote:Yes we were seeing the Arts Ed Foundation as an investment in further training but it’s a lot of money and then she has to go through the auditioning process all over again of course.
I had heard good things about the triple threat course at Chichester as they have a London showcase and tour opportunities. Does anyone have recent first hand experience of this course and where students end up afterwards?
Chichester has been debated widely on here. Have a look at some of the older threads and you will come across it. It seems to be a bit Marmitey! Some people love it and others don't think much of it at all!
Marissa
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Re: BA / Foundation MT courses Sept 18

Post by Marissa »

What about Gloucester? Any advice. I know it doesn't have the name but we chose it because it was triple threat and had a London showcase. They also have a broadway workshop too x DD is just not sure whether to turn it down for a hnc Year at TMC/Arden.
lbm1e14
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Re: BA / Foundation MT courses Sept 18

Post by lbm1e14 »

Felicity wrote:Yes we were seeing the Arts Ed Foundation as an investment in further training but it’s a lot of money and then she has to go through the auditioning process all over again of course.
I had heard good things about the triple threat course at Chichester as they have a London showcase and tour opportunities. Does anyone have recent first hand experience of this course and where students end up afterwards?
Kzgirl's DD has just started there so I'm sure she'll chip in. I get the impression that it is a very good training and has improved a lot since some of the earlier posts. Also some of them are more about the MT Performance course rather than the triple threat one.

The issue is that pretty much nowhere publishes meaningful stats on outcomes. Yes they may say we've had people end up on cruise ships, or on the west end or on tours. But it may be one person a year. What about all the others? How many get agents? Does their qualification get you on Spotlight? These points apply to every Uni not just Chichester who may or may not deliver. The point is you don't know.
Robin64
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Re: BA / Foundation MT courses Sept 18

Post by Robin64 »

Felicity wrote:Hi all, am completely new to all this but have been trying to climb the steep learning curve as my daughter wants to pursue an MT course after Sixth Form. DD is 18 and taking 3 A-levels in school plus singing/ballet/theatre group outside of school. She is passionate about MT and has been applying and auditioning since last term. The whole process has been a real eye opener regarding how competitive it is to get in anywhere. So far she has (in the order of first auditions):
Arts Ed - Recall then Foundation offer
Mountview - No recall
GSA - Recall still to do
Central - Recall but then rejected
Chichester - Triple threat degree offer
Trinity - First audition in Feb
PPA - Audition in March
So I am wondering, if she gets no more offers, is it better to do a Foundation at Arts Ed (no student loan possible but she could live at home to save money as we are near London) or the triple threat degree course at Chichester? Does anyone here have any experience in either of these courses? TIA.
I would choose a foundation over a uni BA and we actually did last year but I am massively aware this is a personal choice and there has been lively debate on this issue in the past. It obviously depends on finances too of course although there does seem to be a couple of free foundation type options available that we didn't know about last year. There is housing benefit for foundation which helps.
dancemom43
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Re: BA / Foundation MT courses Sept 18

Post by dancemom43 »

DD turned down degree at less reputable colleges to do a foundation at Bird but luckily got moved onto degree in the first week. It is about where they would be happy but we always look to see where those in the West End Musicals have trained and you really dont see many from a Uni tbh.
Housing benefit can be around £85 a week so helps with living costs but you have to fight hard to get it and it does not depend on parents wages / savings either.
chivers61
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Re: BA / Foundation MT courses Sept 18

Post by chivers61 »

dancemom43 wrote:DD turned down degree at less reputable colleges to do a foundation at Bird but luckily got moved onto degree in the first week. It is about where they would be happy but we always look to see where those in the West End Musicals have trained and you really dont see many from a Uni tbh.
Housing benefit can be around £85 a week so helps with living costs but you have to fight hard to get it and it does not depend on parents wages / savings either.
Your point about not seeing many, if any, Uni graduates in West End musicals is a valid one but I would question using it as a benchmark. The so called big prestigious London colleges make much of their representation on the West End, but out of the literally hundreds of performers that they churn out each year how many will get onto a West End show? The answer is probably proportionately not that many. 10%? There just aren't that many jobs on the West End. Remember that the pool of talent is probably anyone who graduated from any PA college, including abroad, in the last 10 years. That's a lot of people. As parents we need to be realistic and realise that none, if any, of our DCs are going to make a living on the West End. They're going to make a living doing all sorts of things - short run shows, plays, cruise ships, panto, commercials, photo shoots, radio voice over work, national tours, and maybe if they're lucky, chorus on the West End every now and then. Sorry to sound like a killjoy but that, along with working in retail, catering and giving singing and dancing lessons, is where the future lies for the vast majority of our DCs. Success in the PA world is getting paid to perform, no more no less. It doesn't matter where, or doing what (within reason). And any college which gives any other impression is, I'm afraid, not being honest.
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