Auditioning for 2022 entry

[Duncemum]

Jumping on the post my DD is auditioning this year for Diploma courses, she has decided where she wants to audition and we are in the process of compiling a list of all the different photos she needs, I’m concerned my camera skills might not be up to it!

All the best of luck to her and all others auditioning this year for 2022 entry! My daughter recently went through the video audition process and has just started at Urdang. If you can, buy her a basic tripod that holds her phone. This will let her record herself and take all her own pictures. That will save you from the ‘mum, you haven’t done it right’ conversation which we had before she could do them herself.

My DD found a selfie LED ring (and the tripod) really useful for getting good lighting.

[dancelifemum]

Open days I think are essential we visited some places that DD thought would be perfect and when she got there they just didn’t feel right. Time of for auditions was fine, lots of people move for sixth form so had interviews etc. I didn’t ask though I just informed them.
DD auditioned for her first choice first got offered a place and cancelled her other auditions as she didn’t want to go elsewhere.

Now looking at degree courses as someone who likes to plan she is struggling with not knowing exactly where she wants to go. Fortunately college is calming her down and saying take a deep breath there is time.
What she is finding hard is that everything is based on opinion - we go round in a circle between Bird, Urdang and Conti with PPA jumping in occasionally. I just keep saying audition for them all.

I would audition for all as advised above as you cannot guarantee which ones you will get offers for as there is often a curve ball somewhere in this process....they all get something and sometimes the audition day will make them fall in love with somewhere (sadly we did not get this opportunity last year) and I think Urdang are first round via video again this year.

I believe Urdangs website says that the auditions are in person , as it stated arrive at FTH at 8.30 and be prepared to stay until 6 .

https://theurdang.london/full-time-cour ... auditions/

I may be reading this wrong though .

Yes I believe they have reverted back to in person now from their original info

[tracyelwell]

My daughter is currently at Wilkes Academy and is in her 2nd year. She has chosen to apply for her degree instead of doing the 3rd year, she has a place on the degree course at Wilkes but is looking closer to home.

She is auditioning for Bird and Italia Conti and she was offered a place originally in 2020 to both Colleges so hopefully, she will be fine.

However, she has been offered a place at LMA in London. It looks great and we are going to an open day on Friday, but does anyone know much about this University and if it is any good?

The Stage gave it a great review but cannot find anything else

[islandofsodor]

It looks very snazzy from their online videos!

My ds is studying Btec music at a local FE college and lots of the students on their MT courses seem to have been offered places at LMA. (And I mean lots).

[tracyelwell]

Thanks. I know they run lots of different courses over 2 campuses. My daughter is auditioning for Bird and Italia Conti as well. But she wants to be close to home as her brother was diagnosed with Ulcerative Colitis recently and she is struggling being away from him in Swindon otherwise I think she would stay at Wilkes for her degree. But we don't want her to jeopardise her training either by going to a School because its only 20 minutes from home and make mistake.

Do the College offer lots of places for degree because they are only provisional offers dependent on grades?

So if anyone knows much about them please let us know.

[islandofsodor]

They are Btec students who have a pretty clear idea due to ongoing assesments what their grades will be.

[tracyelwell]

My daughter is doing RSL Creative and Performing Arts, she is the same. But they do over 30+ courses so I guess that is why Music students etc are being offered places. We are going along tomorrow anyway for the open day. My daughter has lots of questions to so she will get an idea.

[islandofsodor]

Just to clarify, although my son is studying music it is his friends on the Btec musical theatre course who are being offered places. His college is non selective, entry is entirely dependent on gaining 4 GCSEs at Grade 4 and there is a huge variety in standards.

[tracyelwell]

Ok thanks. We had never heard of LMA before. My has her GCSEs grade 8 and 9 a full scholarship for her College fees and then scholarship for exceptional talent from the Black Heart Foundation. She received D*, D*, D* for her first year and already has secured her place at Wilkes for next year. But when her little brother was diagnosed with Ulcerative Colitis, she decided not to head to the US were she has a place at The Berklee Conservatory, Boston, but she wants to study closer to home instead.

So to clarify i wanted to know if anyone has been there or had dealings with them. They run the MT degree in London and Liverpool, like all their courses.

I have read articles in The Stage which praised the school but its not the same has dance mums experiences.

[Littleone]

Hi
I have no direct experience ,but a friends daughter was offered Degree at both LMA (Liverpool) and Wilkes this year. Talking to her Mum , Wilkes definitely came out on top !

[Harry2003]

So to clarify i wanted to know if anyone has been there or had dealings with them. They run the MT degree in London and Liverpool, like all their courses.

I have read articles in The Stage which praised the school but its not the same has dance mums experiences.

I have never heard of this college, have no idea of it’s transition stats for graduates into the industry and have been reading the last few comments with interest.

For what it’s worth I will throw a few of my thoughts into the mix:
* Your daughter sounds very talented
* Status of college matters
* Thousands of very talented students are being trained every year. They will hopefully graduate and join thousands of other highly talented trained professionals out looking for work
* The fact that a largely unknown college has held auditions and is offering places before ALL other colleges have even started and most not even opened applications rings alarm bells to me - desperate to bag some students, praying they will accept and remove the hassle of later auditions and possible rejections.
* Any college offering loads of places at this point in the game is playing a numbers game and is not sure of themselves.
* Reading between the lines, I would think that the inference above is that the college is offering places to students who are not up to getting into top flight colleges because they come from non selective, part time, state run courses (I am certain some of those students will be very talented, BUT NOT ALL)
* The inference is NOT that your DD is not talented (I am sure the college is rubbing their hands in glee when a genuinely talented student walks through their doors)
* My concern would be that your DD is selling herself short, won’t get good enough training, won’t get adequate competition from her peers to help her advance sufficiently.
* location is not the way to pick a course for best prospects into the industry.
* if her brothers condition is going to hinder her progress at this stage has she considered taking a year out? Many MT students start a bit later.

Just the musings of a mum who has been around the performing arts world her whole life with multiple friends in the business and 2 sons who have been/are going through this process now.

[tracyelwell]

Thank you when the two of us talked this morning we literally said the same as you stated. We went to the open day and she hates it very flashy, selling on Robbie Williams being part owner and when she asked about the visiting teachers she didn’t know half of them. She wasn’t impressed with the dance classes she see and was picking up problems with technique which annoys her.

She has now decided to audition for Mountview, Arts Ed, LSC, IC and Bird.

She said ‘i am not being big headed or anything but someone wouldn’t leave Oxford or Cambridge University to go to East London when Oxford and Cambridge University offer the same training with top teachers its the same for me with Wilkes.

I can only get parallel as the training is second to none and i would recommend it to anyone.

She has also built herself some great contacts over the last few months as well after getting down to the full two for Morgan in Disneys Disenchanted, Cindy Tolan the casting director fed back to say the other girl was given the part due to her being over 18 and of course no chaperone etc, but they did say she will be considered for other parts and understand she is training.

So back to auditioning.

[islandofsodor]

I’d hesitated to use the word flashy but that’s the word my daughter used too.

My husband did some work at Wilkes several years back and is friends with one of their teachers as they used to work together at a different college. Jonathan is from our local area originally so I know of some of the earliest students when he first opened as he recruited from local dance schools a lot including some of the youngsters who’d been in panto with him. Progression into the industry was good, even back then when they only offered the Level 3.

[tracyelwell]

Yeah my daughter does love it there. Last year she found it all very commercial based and they had classes in commercial daily along with ballet.

This year they are doing a lot more technical jazz which suits her, she is excels in jazz etc.

The teachers are amazing and the school is really got a name for itself in the industry. She saids the principals are lovely and visionary which shows in their performances and they really care about their students.

[amo185]

I think the best advice is just to let your DD audition and see where she gets offers. Her college choices are very different, the size of their intakes very different and the courses they offer are very different. Maybe she is not yet sure of the direction she wishes to take. Competition is tough and many excellent candidates do not get offers at their chosen college. However I agree with the above comments that choosing a lesser college (even if offered some kind of scholarship or funding) is not worth taking. Thousands are now training for a saturated industry. I have seen posts discussing whether this is immoral and whether colleges should now be held to account. Work out what you can afford, aim as high as you can and see what happens! Good luck to your DD!