audition forms

[stardancer]

Hi when filling in audition forms for ballet schools does it help,let, s say if my daughter came from the hammond On her form, than her locaL dance school,do you think this is looked at.

Or does it look bad only doing one year at a school then applying for another.

[Anna C]

Would you be applying for Upper school or Lower School, stardancer?

[2dancersmum]

To be honest I don't know how it looks on an audition/application form.

 

However, I can tell you that it does happen. I have known of more than one student at an upper school change their mind during the first year of a course and apply to go elsewhere and start in the first year at a different college.

 

I know students who ended up studying somewhere in Manchester, at Elmhurst, at Hammond and at Urdang, who originally did a year at a different vocational school but I have no idea what they put on their application forms when they wanted to move.

 

 

Edited to add that you do have to remember that if you are awarded a DADA by one college, it does not necessarily mean you would get one elsewhere. It does not transfer across with the student.

Edited May 24, 2016 by 2dancersmum

[stardancer]

Hi it will be for upper school,I have just felt, It is more of who you no,

[Tulip]

My daughter went from year 7 at Hammond to year 8 at Tring the central school of ballet at 16. I did put Hammond as her school because that was the truth. Good luck x

[balletmum20]

Out of interest tulip, how were hammond with you auditioning at another school in year 7 x

[Anna C]

My daughter went from year 7 at Hammond to year 8 at Tring the central school of ballet at 16. I did put Hammond as her school because that was the truth. Good luck x

Exactly, Tulip. Stardancer, your best bet is to be truthful. Auditions are mostly about how a student dances on the day, but I would think it best all round to be truthful on the application form.

[taxi4ballet]

Yes, people move from school-to-school all the time. I have no idea what the schools look for on the application forms or what they take into consideration, but it will probably not go down well if they find that you haven't fully answered a specific question.

[Tulip]

I think Tring contact the school for a reference, a long time ago now, but vague recollection of Tring notifying the school.

[stardancer]

Hi I didn't no if you eg go to hammond for one year,get your foot In the door,then audition for other schools if,it didn't work out,wouldn't be more beneficial than your local dance school.

[Anna C]

Well you'd have had jolly good full time training for a year at Hammond, which can only be a good thing, surely?

 

Although as the year starts in September, and auditions for the following year begin two months later, you wouldn't have been there for a year as far as applications are concerned. Or did you mean doing a full year and then auditioning at the beginning of the second year?

[Pups_mum]

I wouldn't worry about it. I'm sure what they see on the audition day trumps anything on the application form. Honesty is always the best policy in applications (not dance related but I know of someone whose child missed out on a sports scheme when it came to light that they had missed some relevant information off the application) but there are a mix of vocational and non vocational students at upper school auditions and as far as I know it really comes down to how they do on the day. If a student has what a particular school is looking for I can't imagine they will be particularly bothered where he or she is coming from.

[2dancersmum]

To me honesty is the best policy and people do have valid reasons for switching schools.  I think age does come into it though.  Children starting a vocational school at year 7 have a long road ahead of them still and a lot of things can change.  Starting vocational school at 16 is a little different I think because you are entering into the final stages of your training and looking towards getting into the profession, getting a contract, more so than long term training.  I think parents and children/students look at the whole package training/education/accommodation/pastoral care a little differently for different ages, even if it is an individual choice.

 

I think I would be a little bit wary of accepting a place at an upper school if it is only because you or your child did not get offered a place or perhaps the funding to attend their first choice school. I believe that to a huge extent you get out what you put in and if a student is there only because it is their last resort I do wonder if they will make the most of opportunities in front of them and thrive - not just in terms of dance training but also friendships - for if a 16/17 year old will feel like they belong if they know it is only temporary? And what happens if the next year, the student still does not get a place at their top choice of school? Do they stay put if their heart is not in it? 

 

If at 16 your child is set on a particular school or pathway, I do feel you need to consider all implications for the child for the different options available.  I don't think a school, looking at an application form, would be swayed either way by a prestigious school or a local ballet school on the application form as it will be the audition itself that counts.

[meadowblythe]

Wow, on that logic, would all our children give up if they didn't get into RBS Upper School (assuming that was their first choice) ?

 

I admire your sentiment, but some of us need to be a little more pragmatic.  Our children have to take the opportunities offered - and yes that does include funding - and make the most of them.

 

Sometimes these things work out - how many times have you heard "thank goodness I didn't get  ..."   ; what may have appeared a "last resort" turns out to be the best thing that could have happened.

[lilacfairy]

Upper school auditions are very competitive , information on your application form can decide where your placed on audition day and whether your in a good position to be noticed. Some upper school auditions are very crowded.

[stardancer]

I am very lucky to have a daughter, who appreciate s any offer given to her, by any vocational, school, be it small, big,well astablished, none astablished.

The only time she was concerned is finding out a school you thought did ballet alot is taking up most of the day,s acting, singing, musical theatre and more private lesson, s in singing.

We would never think any school is second best just not suitable at the moment

[Francesizzi]

balletmom20..... just to let you know Hammond are not happy about Year 7/8 auditioning elsewhere, there was email about it

this year.

[taxi4ballet]

Upper school auditions are very competitive , information on your application form can decide where your placed on audition day and whether your in a good position to be noticed. Some upper school auditions are very crowded.

Well, whether that's the case or not, at the end of the day it doesn't really matter where you are positioned in the audition. If they like you, you will be noticed and they will take you. In my dd's upper school year, there are some who came from full-time vocational training elsewhere, some from the other side of the world, some who did various associates inc SA's and some who came from local dance schools, who never did associates anywhere. They are all in the same class together.

[2dancersmum]

I perhaps didn't express myself very well if people think I advocate giving up just because you don't get into your first choice of school - and no I was not thinking along the lines of RBS Upper Schools and thinking of anywhere else as second best.

 

My post was more in response to stardancers comment about 'if you go to eg the Hammond for a year, and it didn't work out,- and 'more beneficial than your local dance school?'

 

I quite agree that they have to make the most of opportunities offered and that was precisely my point, that the student has to be in the mindset of making the most the school they attend and NOT be viewing it as their only option. Again, it was stardancer who made the point that her DD was concerned that a school she thought offered a lot of ballet actually offered a lot more singing, acting and musical theatre. It is an individual decision but as with any stage of their training, I think you do have to weigh up all options available if your DD wants to do classical ballet, for instance and as stardancer put it the course offered is 'not suitable at the moment'. For an individual this may be accepting an offered place but if they still have access to high quality ballet training locally, continuing to train for ballet locally and trying again for a more ballet focused course the following year - there is no set one route suits all solution.

 

My DD had her heart set on classical ballet and on Elmhurst school in particular until the time of the auditions when it was a different school she much preferred. So no, there was never a question of "last resort" but I have heard the words "thank goodness I didnt'get/didn't go" many times as she thrived at the school she went to. She still intended auditioning for classical companies up until about the first term of her final year but then didn't. She has been working as a professional dancer since she graduated,still on her first contract and has no regrets that she is not a classical ballet dancer.

 

But there are a lot of students out there at the moment who have finished their auditions and are on reserve lists, or who have places but no funding or have been offered foundation places. Especially for those who have widened the net from the more ballet focused courses and gone for 'professional dance' or MT and so include colleges like Laines, Bird, Performers, Urdang, Millenium, Bodyworks. Each of them has to weigh up all their options - as what is right for one will not be right for the other.

 

And to come back to the original question - I still don't believe it matters if you have 1 year at a vocational school, local training or a foundation course on the application form, it is still the audition that will decide if you are offered a place.

[Pups_mum]

Re the positioning in auditions - obviously it will vary from place to place, but I asked my DD and she said that in every audition she did this year the order seemed to be either alphabetical or height order, or she was just left to find a place herself. Obviously that has been planned from the info on the applications but it all seemed fairly objective.

Lines tend to rotate anyway, and I'm sure the panels can spot someone who really interests them wherever they are in the room.

It's natural for us all to want to do anything we can to help our children, but when it comes to this sort of thing I am quite convinced that all you can do is be honest and hope for the best. What will be will be.

[southerndancemum]

Can I ask a related question...

when we come to fill our forms in (assuming we still go down this route), do we say DD is: RB JAs / Tring CBA / local school details or just one of them? and if so, which one? 

do the forms ask if you are an associate anywhere?

 

Thanks,

[Legseleven]

We were advised to give details of DD's local teacher and associate scheme so that they are clear about everyone involved in teaching DD.

[sarahw]

From memory all forms ask for current dance school and some also ask about Associates. Some ask for hours of different types dance per week.

 

I just answered all exactly as asked and didn't offer info not asked for.

[Anna C]

IIRC I put dd's local teacher first, then underneath I named her ballet teacher at both Associate schemes.

[HAIRBELLES]

Hi Stardancer my dd currently at The Hammond auditioned in yr9 for Elmhurst and I put that she was there on the form .

She auditioned again for Upper School and made it to finals .

The only problem I would say that you might come up against ,especially if your dd has a dada , is that if your dd gets a final audition you have to get a form ,they send to you , filled in and sent back by your teacher.