Episode Description:
Performing arts admissions can come with an entirely different set of rules.
If your student is an actor, singer, dancer, musician, or performer, the regular college application calendar may only tell you half the story.
Now there may also be pre-screens, auditions, repertoire requirements, headshots, résumés, dance calls, callbacks, Unified auditions, and deadlines that happen before the college’s regular application deadline.
Which is exactly how families wind up halfway through senior year asking:
Wait...we were supposed to do WHAT? WHEN?
In Episode 18 of Drop In, Lisa and Josh bring in someone who actually lives in this world.
Jacqui Touchet is an actor, writer, educator, audition coach, and member of the Decision Drop team. Originally from Houston and now based in Chicago, Jacqui attended a performing arts high school before studying theater and political science at Northwestern. She has coached students through the college audition process and brings experience across stage, film, television, and education.
When should students start preparing for performing arts admissions?
Earlier than most families think.
Jacqui recommends that students begin learning how audition and pre-screen requirements work as soon as performing arts becomes a serious possibility for college. By the summer before senior year, students should ideally have their college list taking shape and be preparing their material.
Why?
Because every program can ask for something different.
One college may want a contemporary monologue. Another may want Shakespeare. Another may require a song, dance component, or entirely different pre-screen.
Jacqui’s advice could not be simpler:
Follow the directions.
Do not assume one pre-screen package works everywhere. Know each program’s requirements. Know its deadlines. And remember that the earliest performing arts deadline may be your real application deadline.
For a deeper written guide to this process, read our companion article, Auditions, Portfolios, and Pre-Screens: How Arts and Music College Applications Work on Their Own Calendar.
Unified auditions vs. on-campus auditions
Unified auditions can save families significant time and money by allowing students to complete several college auditions during one trip.
But not every college participates.
Some programs require students to audition on campus, and those dates need to be prioritized early because there are only so many audition weekends and available slots.
An on-campus audition can also give students something Unifieds may not: time to see the campus, talk with current students, meet faculty, and get a better sense of what life in the program might actually feel like.
How should students choose audition material?
Choose something age appropriate, meaningful to you, and something you actually enjoy performing.
Your material should not simply prove that you can sing, act, dance, or perform. It should tell faculty something about you.
Jacqui also explains why students should think carefully before choosing the exact same material everyone else is performing. If a faculty panel has already heard the same song twenty times that day, there may be value in choosing something a little less obvious.
The goal is not to manufacture uniqueness. It is to choose material that lets your own artistic point of view come through.
What are performing arts faculty really looking for?
Talent and technique matter.
But colleges are also asking a much more human question:
Do we want to teach this student, collaborate with them, direct them, and have them in our ensemble for the next four years?
Faculty want students who bring individuality, curiosity, point of view, and a willingness to grow.
That means the audition is not about becoming the version of a performer you think the panel wants. Prepare well enough that you can walk in and actually show them who you are.
What happens when the answer is no?
Rejection is part of being an artist.
A student can prepare beautifully, perform beautifully, and still hear no.
That decision may have nothing to do with whether the student was “good enough.” Audition-based programs can be small, competitive, and highly specific in the kind of ensemble they are trying to build.
Jacqui’s advice is to prepare, rehearse, trust yourself, and then focus on the joy of getting to share your art.
As she reminds students throughout the episode:
Control your controllables.
And remember that there is not one correct path to becoming an artist.
Students can pursue a BFA, a BA, double major, add a minor, or continue performing seriously without majoring in the arts at all.
For families considering visual arts, design, or other arts-based programs beyond performing arts, our broader guide, Applying to Art School: Portfolios, Essays, and Finding the Right Fit, covers portfolio strategy, essays, program fit, and the questions students should ask before choosing an art school.
For students already deep in the college process, you can also learn more about Decision Drop’s college counseling for seniors, including help building a balanced college list, managing specialized application requirements, essays, auditions, and final college decisions.
And if your family wants Lisa, Josh, and Jacqui in your corner while navigating performing arts admissions, connect with Decision Drop. We would love to help.
In this episode:
When students should start preparing for performing arts admissions
What college pre-screens are and why requirements differ
Why following audition directions matters
Unified auditions vs. on-campus auditions
How to choose strong audition material
What performing arts faculty are really evaluating
How students can handle rejection and audition feedback
Performing in college without majoring in the arts
How to build a balanced performing arts college list
How many audition-based programs students may want to consider
What to ask current students and faculty during campus visits
Advice for younger students interested in performing arts
Headshots, self-tapes, thank-you emails, and audition-day logistics
Why the pre-screen deadline may be the real deadline
BFA vs. BA and why conservatory training is not the only path
How students can control their controllables without losing the joy of making art
🎙️ Also available on: Apple Podcasts | Amazon Music | iHeart
Top Questions Answered in this Episode
When should students start preparing for performing arts college admissions?
Students should start learning about the process as soon as they think performing arts may be part of their college plans. Younger students do not need to prepare senior-year audition material yet, but they can begin understanding how auditions, pre-screens, and program requirements work. By the summer before senior year, students should ideally have their college list taking shape and begin preparing the specific material required by each program.
What is a college audition pre-screen?
A pre-screen is material a student submits before being invited to a live or virtual audition. Depending on the program, it might include monologues, songs, dance footage, instrumental performances, or other recorded material. Requirements can vary significantly from one college to another, so students should carefully review the directions for every program rather than assuming one pre-screen submission will work everywhere.
What are Unified auditions?
Unified auditions allow students to audition for multiple participating college performing arts programs during one trip. They can save families time and travel costs, especially when students are applying to several audition-based programs. However, not every college participates, and some schools require students to audition on campus, so families should identify those requirements early when planning the audition calendar.
How should students choose college audition material?
Students should choose material that is age appropriate, fits the college’s requirements, and genuinely connects with them. Strong material should reveal something about the student as an artist rather than simply show technical ability. Students may also want to avoid extremely common audition pieces if the faculty panel is likely to hear the same selection repeatedly.
What are performing arts faculty looking for during a college audition?
Technique and talent matter, but faculty are also evaluating whether they want to teach, direct, collaborate with, and have the student as part of their artistic community. They are looking for individuality, point of view, preparation, curiosity, and potential for growth. Students should prepare thoroughly while allowing their own personality and artistic voice to come through.
How should students handle rejection from a performing arts program?
Rejection is an unavoidable part of working in the arts and does not necessarily mean a student lacked talent or performed poorly. Programs may have very limited spaces and highly specific ensemble needs. Students should focus on preparation and the parts of the process they can control, then avoid trying to reverse-engineer every rejection. A strong college list should include several programs a student would genuinely be happy attending.
Can students perform in college without majoring in the arts?
Yes. Many colleges offer theater, music, dance, ensembles, productions, classes, clubs, minors, and other performance opportunities for students who are not arts majors. Students can also pursue a BA, double major, minor, or another academic field while continuing to perform. There is no single correct college path to becoming an artist.
Is a BFA better than a BA for performing arts students?
Not necessarily. A BFA or conservatory-style program can provide intensive training and may be the right fit for students who want to focus heavily on their craft. A BA can offer more flexibility to explore other academic interests, double major, or develop a broader college experience. Neither path automatically leads to greater artistic or professional success. The better choice depends on the student and the kind of education they want.
Chapters
00:00 – Performing Arts Admissions: Auditions, Pre-Screens & Deadlines
04:04 – Where to Start & Why Following Directions Matters
06:24 – When Should Students Start Preparing?
07:37 – Unified Auditions vs. Auditioning on Campus
11:31 – How to Choose Audition Material That Stands Out
15:00 – What Performing Arts Faculty Are REALLY Looking For
16:24 – Rejection, Feedback & Building Resilience
20:13 – Can You Perform in College Without Majoring in the Arts?
23:09 – Building a Balanced Performing Arts College List
27:18 – What to Ask When Visiting Performing Arts Programs
28:46 – Advice for Younger Students & Seniors
31:21 – Lightning Round: Headshots, Self-Tapes & Audition Day
32:59 – Hot Take: Your Pre-Screen Deadline IS Your Deadline
36:31 – BFA vs. BA: Is a Conservatory Really the Best Fit?
39:05 – Drop the Mic: Control Your Controllables
44:09 – Next Week: Junior Year College Planning
Read the full Episode 18 transcript
Josh (00:20)
Every week we drop the noise.
Lisa (00:22)
Drop the stress.
Josh (00:23)
And drop some knowledge.
Lisa (00:24)
Welcome to the Drop In, the College Admissions podcast by Decision Drop. If you want to learn more about our services or have Josh and I guide your family through this process, please log on to decisiondrop.com and check us out. And do not forget to like and subscribe.
Josh (00:40)
I'm Josh.
Lisa (00:41)
I'm Lisa. Let's go.
Josh (00:43)
All righty, Lisa, episode 18. Yes, I know, one eight.
Lisa (00:47)
Mm-hmm, eighteen.
Josh (00:48)
Exactly. And so today we're gonna spend some time talking about something different. We're gonna talk to the performers, the singers, the dancers, the actors, the musicians. So the kids who hear college application and then find out they also have to audition for the actual thing they want to study.
Lisa (01:05)
Right. And also their parents. Y'all have spent years driving them to rehearsals and sitting through competitions and carrying the garment bags and finding somewhere to eat at 10:30 at night after that show. Don't worry, we know who you are.
Josh (01:19)
Yeah, exactly. And this is one of those college pathways where the regular admissions calendar doesn't always tell you the whole story because now in this process you're adding pre-screens, auditions, repertoire, headshots, resumes, dance calls, and sometimes an entirely separate set of deadlines.
Lisa (01:36)
Woo! That's a lot, Josh. But yes, and this is where families get caught off guard because you think, wait, okay, the college applications, they're due January 1. And then somebody goes, and by the way, your pre-screen was due December 1.
Josh (01:54)
Yeah, or audition slots opened weeks ago and now the date you actually want is gone.
Lisa (01:58)
Mm-hmm. Or you're finding that email from the department sitting in your spam folder back in October.
Josh (02:06)
Yeah, that one really hurts.
Lisa (02:08)
Yeah, it really does, y'all. Cause here's the thing. There are usually not giant dramatic mistakes that you are making right now. They're little. They're tiny. There's very small details that become very big details because you found out way too late.
Josh (02:27)
Right. And so today we're gonna help families understand how this pathway actually works. So when should you start? What is a pre-screen? Where do auditions happen? Who are you supposed to contact? And what exactly is the program looking for once you walk into that room?
Lisa (02:41)
Cause basically our goal for this podcast is for fewer families getting halfway through the senior year and saying, wait, we were supposed to do what? When?
Josh (02:53)
Exactly. And thankfully, Lisa, you and I are not pretending to be experts on every single piece of this.
Lisa (02:58)
We are not. Mm-mm. Nope. We actually have brought in someone who actually lives in this world and we are super excited. And she knows what performers and families actually need and she understands where we're going to need to start.
Josh (03:13)
Right, so let's bring her in.
Lisa (03:14)
Yes! All y'all. Josh and I are so excited. So today, our guest is Jacqui Touchet. Jacqui is an actor, a writer, an educator, an audition coach, and she's based in Chicago. She's originally from Houston and she attended a performing arts high school before studying theater and political science at Northwestern. She has coached students through the college auditions, and her work as an artist spans film and TV and stage. In other words, y'all, she's exactly who we want answering these questions. Jacqui, welcome to the Drop In.
Jacqui Touchet (03:47)
Hi y'all, thank you so much for having me.
Josh (03:49)
Yeah, so Jacqui, like Lisa said, we're really glad to have you here. To get us started, we want to start at the very beginning for the younger student who is just figuring this out and then work our way all the way through to the senior who's already starting at pre-screens and audition dates. That sound good?
Jacqui Touchet (04:03)
Yeah, sounds great.
Josh (04:04)
Okay, all right, so let's dive in. Here's my first question for you. We have a student who's getting ready for auditions and they find out that performance programs may have pre-screens and auditions. So where do they start and who should they contact?
Jacqui Touchet (04:17)
So I think the most important thing to start as soon as you decide you're interested in a program that may have these multiple requirements built into the application process is do your research, figure out what every single deadline is for every single program that you're interested in, write all those down, and then you also need to start to gather all of the different requirements for the different pre-screens because different programs may have slightly different requests.
This one may want a 90-second monologue and a 90-second song. This one may want a 60-second monologue and then a 60-second Shakespeare monologue. So you really need to do yourself a favor and figure out what all those different requirements are super early on. You are setting yourself up for success if you just follow the instructions.
That is one huge thing that so many students miss because you think, well, I'll just do one set of pre-screens and send them in everywhere. When in reality, schools are usually pretty specific about what they're looking for and that's the first way you can show them that you are serious about this, that you're gonna be a good student, you're gonna be a good fit for their program, is if you read the requirements and submit what they're asking you to submit.
And this is also a skill that will carry you really far in your career as an artist in general, outside of college. That is one of the biggest pieces of feedback I hear from casting directors. On all of their notices, they say in big bold letters, please follow audition directions.
It's a very simple step that you can follow and so many people make that mistake and think they can just do whatever it is that they wanna do. So be sure that you are letting these schools root for you in a way that you know that they want to. They want you to succeed. They want to have the best fit for their program walk into the door right away. That makes their job easier. That makes your life easier. So just follow the directions and make sure you're getting really clear on what those directions are right off the bat.
Lisa (06:09)
I dare say follow directions, super important. Thank you, Jacqui. Let's add that to our spreadsheet, Josh. So now we have, you knew it was coming.
Josh (06:15)
I knew it was coming. As soon as, I knew it was gonna happen.
Lisa (06:19)
You knew it was coming. But also, yes, let's make it a column on our spreadsheet. I love this. Okay.
Josh (06:24)
Yes, yes. Yeah, so Jacqui, thank you. That was pretty informative there. So another follow-up question. Being practical, when should all this have started for students?
Jacqui Touchet (06:34)
So I think as soon as you know that you're interested in a college application process that's going to involve maybe an audition or maybe a pre-screen, start to familiarize yourself with what that world even looks like. So if you're a freshman and you're like, I'm 50-50, but I'm pretty sure I want to pursue something in performing arts for college, start looking at those websites now. The requirements may not be the exact same by the time you start applying.
But the more familiar you can get with what the realm of possibilities is for these kinds of applications, so that way by the time you reach your senior year or your junior year and you're actually starting to prepare your materials, you feel like you already have a pretty good idea of what it is you're going to be asked to do. It just may be slight specific changes in the requirements, but nothing that's going to totally blindside you at that point.
I think at the very latest you want to have your list of schools ready by the summer before your senior year so you can start actually preparing that material. And by that point, usually all of the pre-screen and audition requirements will be available for your admissions year.
Josh (07:37)
Awesome. Thank you, Jacqui. Okay, so another question. In terms of helping students and parents to sort of understand this process in this world, let's talk about sort of Unified auditions versus individual colleges. What should students know about Unified auditions versus auditioning directly at a specific college?
Jacqui Touchet (07:54)
So I think Unifieds are a really great resource to take advantage of if you can. Usually there are 20 to 30 schools that are officially part of Unifieds, but for example in Chicago, if you come to Chicago Unifieds, there are maybe 25 schools that are part of the Unified audition cycle here. And then there are additional schools that come to the city at the same time and do their own thing and hold their own auditions at the same time anyways.
And it's a really, really great way, if you're auditioning for college programs, you have to cast maybe a little bit of a wider net than if you are doing a traditional application process because auditions can be a real wild card.
So if you're able to take advantage of Unifieds, it's a great way to come into town. You save on time, you save on money, you're able to really have a lot of focus for that weekend and just spend your time thinking about those auditions. However, there are some benefits to going in person to colleges directly for auditions if you're able to.
The main one would be that you are able to see the campus. You can tour. You can maybe speak to current students more than you can at Unifieds. At Unifieds, the colleges are on a pretty tight schedule, so you won't even usually have much time to speak with faculty about their experiences at the school or ask the kinds of questions that you may have the time and space to ask if you do go visit in person.
But a lot of those opportunities you may have later on in an in-person callback weekend or during an accepted students program. So I wouldn't worry too much about not getting to go directly to schools. I do think Unifieds are a great way to get a lot of auditions done without having to travel every single weekend and miss a bunch of school and spend so much extra time and money when you could do it in a more condensed format.
Lisa (09:41)
Jacqui, I think you bring up an amazing point where I know we always tell students, if you can get on campus, get on campus. So, y'all, why not kill two birds with one stone? If you can be proactive and you can look at, okay, I know I need to do this audition. Let me reach out, like Jacqui said. Let me see when I can do it. And then does that work with my schedule where I can go and visit campus? That is a fantastic idea.
So it's all again about being proactive, look at that spreadsheet, look at your deadlines. Yes, Unifieds are great, but if you can get on campus, even better. Love it.
Jacqui Touchet (10:14)
And just to add one thing, which that reminded me, not every school goes to Unifieds and not every school is going to offer a traveling program for their auditions. So you should also really be aware of that too, when you're planning and scheduling all your auditions, because if you're applying to five or six schools where you have to go in person, there's only a limited number of weekends during the audition season. There are only a limited number of days.
So you need to be able to prioritize those schools that you have to be there in person on campus at some point within this six-weeks window. And then you can plan your other auditions around that. It would be great to go in person to all of them, but there are only so many weeks in the year.
And so you need to be really proactive about planning the ones on campus that you have to be on campus for and then seeing what else you can fit in around that.
Josh (11:03)
Yeah, excellent.
Lisa (11:03)
Look at that, y'all. We are not even halfway into our podcast. And Jacqui has mentioned proactiveness. Also, it depends, because right, it also, it depends, y'all. We are already to that part of our podcast. It depends if a school will offer it. It depends if they will let you. It depends on how short their audition times are. And do your research. That is probably the one big thing you can take from this podcast or any of our other podcasts. Research, research, research. Okay, sorry.
Josh (11:31)
Yeah, it's a pretty consistent thing. Alrighty. So Jacqui, let's have you take us inside the audition room itself. So if you could talk to the students and parents, what separates a strong audition from an average one?
Jacqui Touchet (11:46)
I think something that can really set an audition apart is the material that you choose. That's a huge thing to think about. Most schools have some information about this online, but please pick pieces that are age appropriate if you're singing or doing a monologue. Do not come into an audition room as an 18-year-old high school senior and perform a monologue that's written for a 40-year-old parent of three.
That's not a life experience that you hold. That's not a role that you will ever get cast as. And so you want to really be smart with the material that you're choosing and make sure it's going to show you off in your best light.
So you want to pick material that you're passionate about, material that speaks to you on a personal level, even beyond just picking something that's age appropriate. You want to pick something that says something about you and that gives the faculty information about you beyond just your talent and your skill.
You want to show them who you are as an artist, what matters to you, what kinds of stories matter to you, what kinds of musical pieces speak to you on a personal level. And that's something that is really important and can really take your audition to the next level. They want to see a performer who is smart, who has a point of view, who knows who they are or knows who they are right now. Obviously that answer is going to change so much throughout your life.
But find pieces that you love to do also. They can tell if you're walking into the audition room and slogging through a monologue that you have to do because it fits the requirement. And they can tell when you walk into a room and you have so much joy and passion about the piece you're performing because it's a piece that matters to you, that means something to you on a personal level.
I also think don't walk into an audition room and, there are no hard and fast rules about what you can and can't do, but you do want to think about picking pieces that these faculty have not seen done 20 times already that day.
If you're going for musical theater, there are certain musicals that are really popular in a bunch of different high schools. And so you can assume that probably a lot of students will come in singing pieces from that musical. So you may be doing yourself a favor to try to find pieces that are more off the beaten path, maybe something that's not currently on Broadway, something that no high schools in your area have performed in the last couple of years.
You can also find online sort of these unofficial do not sing lists. I wouldn't take those to heart too literally, but keep in mind if you're walking into an audition and you're singing Defying Gravity, all the people on that panel have seen Cynthia Erivo do it. They've seen Idina Menzel do it. And I don't know about y'all, but that is not a comparison that I want to invite between those two women.
Lisa (14:27)
Nope.
Josh (14:27)
Yeah, no, no.
Jacqui Touchet (14:28)
You are doing yourself a favor to pick something that is not super well known and associated with a certain incredible professional performance already. And there are ways to find material like that. You just want to try to be aware of what you think other people may or may not be doing.
And remember that the more unique the pieces that you pick are, the less likely you're going to be inadvertently even compared to other students that are auditioning in the same cycle as you.
Josh (14:58)
Yeah. Thank you, Jacqui. Those are super important points.
Lisa (14:59)
Mm.
Josh (15:00)
Encouraging students to have that individuality in their performances, which also, as you mentioned, says something to the faculty about the student as well. So okay, beyond talent and technical ability, what are the faculty that you mentioned who were evaluating these auditions, what are they really looking for?
Jacqui Touchet (15:17)
Beyond talent and technique, which are a factor certainly, but those are things that you will learn and develop in a program like this. More than anything, I think these faculty are looking for somebody that they want to work with and collaborate with and be in a room with and grow with over the next four years.
They're building an ensemble of artists to work with and to learn from each other and help each other grow. They want you to bring your most unique self into the room. They're not looking for some carbon copy of somebody else that already attends their program.
They want to find people who have point of view and have individuality and aren't afraid of the things that make them unique and aren't afraid to come and lead with those things in the audition room because that's going to make you a stronger artist, a better collaborator. It's going to make them see why they need you in particular at their school as opposed to anybody else.
Josh (16:17)
Excellent. Thank you, Jacqui. Okay. So the next question, I think this one, this one to me is the most important one, right? So we're talking about auditions and we're talking about the technical aspects and we're talking about what faculty are looking for. So let's turn the focus to the students themselves. How should students approach audition feedback or rejection, especially when they don't receive an explanation?
Jacqui Touchet (16:39)
This is honestly a really hard question. There's not one right answer. Everybody is going to have their own process and relationship to feedback and rejection and it's just a journey that you have to go on as an artist inevitably because our work is so subjective and there's never going to be a way to make everyone happy.
You will face rejection. You will face some times where you don't know why you are not getting the feedback you want or not getting the results that you think you want out of something. I think it is just such an important lesson to learn.
I know for myself, in my college audition process too, I experienced so much rejection and I learned something from each rejection that I faced. And really more than anything else is facing rejection as an artist helps you build up confidence and resilience if you allow it to.
You have to take those rejections and find it within yourself to feel even more sure about your art and even more sure about why you are doing what you want to be doing. And that is going to carry you so far in this industry and really any artistic industry that involves so much rejection because that rejection is never gonna go away.
I can't sugarcoat that. It's always going to be a part of your life. Even the most successful actors, musicians who you look at and you're like, well, they get everything. They're so successful in all these objective methods. Even they still experience rejection all the time.
You just have to know that it isn't about you. It is a competitive industry. You can be rejected for any number of reasons, sometimes for no reason at all, which can feel so, so frustrating. And it's just important to not dwell on what those reasons could possibly be so that you can try to fix something or change something about yourself to prevent this rejection from ever happening again in the future.
You need to focus on your wins. You need to focus on the things that make you feel empowered in your art and the things that make you feel successful, which don't need to be getting cast in every single thing or getting accepted into every single program.
You can find the joy and find the win in the process and the joy of auditioning, the joy of getting to share your art for just a couple of minutes with faculty members who are there because you guys share a love for this same art form.
And the more you can fall in love with auditioning and the more you can view it as just an opportunity to do what you love for a couple of minutes, the less you're going to feel rejected and the less you're going to feel personally brought down by experiencing any kind of rejection.
You have to prepare, you have to rehearse, you have to trust yourself and you just have to find a way to not let that rejection let you give up or let you doubt yourself or let you doubt why it is that you're doing what you do.
Josh (19:33)
Yeah. Thank you for that, Jacqui.
Lisa (19:35)
Man, that was like a warm hug and such amazing insight for adults listening to this too, like in life, right? Everyone's gonna have rejection, hard stop. So it's just how you work through that rejection. Man, Jacqui, I think I also needed that reminder. So thank you. Woo, okay, sorry.
Josh (19:55)
Yeah. Building up, it's always a good reminder, it's that resiliency, right, that really gets you through. And so, whether that's through the audition process or even the college application process, traditional or non-traditional, right? So it's all the same messages are applying here.
Lisa (20:09)
Yep. Full circle, y'all. We're a full circle podcast.
Josh (20:13)
Okay, so Jacqui, let's talk about the kids who are maybe interested in performing arts, but maybe not the major. So can students pursue serious performance opportunities without majoring in performing arts?
Jacqui Touchet (20:24)
Absolutely. I think there are so many successful performers out there who will speak very publicly about the fact that they didn't study whatever their art is in college. It is not the end-all be-all way to success in the industry at all.
There are lots of benefits of majoring in the performing arts, but being a well-rounded person will make you a better artist full stop. There's no question in my mind that the more well-rounded you are as a person and the more you invest in your personhood outside of just developing your technical ability in your art, it's going to make you a better artist. Absolutely.
And so if you decide to major in the performing arts, great. There are other ways to invest in yourself and to make yourself a more well-rounded person. And if you decide not to major in the performing arts, you are building that well-roundedness and that growth as a person into your college education already, which is also great.
You can always take classes in the performing arts at most colleges. You can pick up a minor. There are extracurricular activities, especially if your school does have larger programs for the performing arts. There are always going to be clubs and ways to get involved without needing it to be your major.
Josh (21:40)
Awesome. Thank you. Are there schools with strong performance opportunities that sometimes families overlook because they're not known for, they're not a performing arts school?
Jacqui Touchet (21:48)
I would say that most schools will have performance opportunities of some kind, even if they're not known as big theater schools or music schools or whatever the area is that you're interested in.
I would start local if you're interested in finding kind of these hidden gems in terms of their performance opportunities. Start to find colleges in your area, see what information you can find about their performing arts programs, whether they're super big and well known or whether they're smaller, see what unofficial student-run performances you can find close by to home, try to go see them.
And then I think another way to find out more about schools that are maybe not as well known for their performing arts but might have great opportunities is talk to existing students.
So if you have grown up in orchestras and bands and have done that, elementary school through high school, in school and in extracurricular activities, reach out to some kids who are a couple of years ahead of you who may or may not have gone into major in those art areas, but even if they didn't study that in college, it was something that they were interested in. That's how you knew them. They were involved in it and participated in it for a really long time.
Reach out to students a couple of years ahead of you that you've met through your own artistic activities and see how they have found ways to incorporate that into their college education, whether it's as a major or extracurricular.
Josh (23:09)
Nice, excellent, good. Okay, let's talk about the list itself. We always try to talk to students and one of our continuing messages on the podcast, and when we work directly with students, is the importance of building a balanced list. So how does a student build a balanced college list when artistic admission is so unpredictable, as we've just been talking about?
Jacqui Touchet (23:28)
I would recommend, if you can, finding a couple of programs that you really like that don't require an audition. An audition is just such a huge unknown variable that you only have so much control over and there are lots of really great programs that do not require an audition.
So if you can find a couple of those that you really are excited about, that you really love, having those on your list is going to take a lot of pressure off of you in terms of how you're approaching your auditions.
If you know, well, there are a couple of schools that I still have to work hard to get into them academically, but if I do get accepted, I won't have to then also rely on this additional unknown variable. That can be a really helpful thing to add to your list.
And then, yeah, I just think you may again have to cast a little bit of a wider net than if you were applying just for schools that don't have this secret third thing.
Josh (24:22)
Excellent. Okay. So how many audition-based programs should a student realistically apply to? So kind of thinking about that balanced list. So how many of those should they have on their list?
Jacqui Touchet (24:31)
I think it depends on the student, it depends on the programs that you're selecting. If you have your heart set on applying to all of the top most prestigious, most competitive programs within your art area, then you're gonna need to apply to a lot more schools than that because these super top, well-known small programs are incredibly competitive.
And then even outside of those programs, like this sort of next wave of audition-based programs are still also very competitive. It's just a really competitive major, or really all audition-based programs are just, they're competitive. They have a lot of unknown factors.
So I think you need to be realistic and maybe be a little bit more selective with those top programs because auditioning for all of them is not going to guarantee that you're going to get into one of them.
So really just be selective about which ones are you interested in just because of the name and the reputation that they hold and which ones are you interested in because something about those specific programs really speaks to you and really feels like it would be a good fit for you. That way you're not needing to apply to those 10 and then 20 others just to find somewhere that you'll be able to get into.
But I think that if you have a balance of programs that don't require auditions, those competitive programs that would really be a dream if you were able to get accepted, but you just can't rely on so much, and then audition-based programs that are maybe a little bit bigger. So again, they're all competitive. They're all hard to get into, but certain programs accept a higher number of students.
And so you may want to mix some of those larger programs into your list as well just to have some variation in the size of programs that you're applying to.
But yeah, when that audition is in play, you really can't count on any school as being a guaranteed acceptance. So if you're thinking of, I don't know if y'all speak about like safety schools or if you use different terminology for that, but a safety is never going to have an audition. That is just too much of an unknown to really count on in any kind of acceptance.
So you want to make sure you have at least something on that list that you're excited about that does not involve an audition. Maybe 10 to 15 is a good number to shoot for if most of your programs are audition-based, but again, it really does depend on those exact programs that you're applying for.
Josh (27:01)
Okay. Yeah.
Lisa (27:02)
Nope, that was perfect, Jacqui. And I know our terminology, we like to say your foundation likelies, same as safeties, because we want you to like your school, just like Jacqui said. You need to like your school that it's a foundation school. Same goes with auditions, same goes for just building your college list in general.
Josh (27:18)
Exactly. Exactly. All righty. So Jacqui, our last question for you. In terms of visiting programs, so if a student or a family has an opportunity to go onto a campus to visit a program, what questions should they ask current students or faculty when they're on a campus?
Jacqui Touchet (27:34)
This is such a great question. I think the most exciting question to ask, and I think the one that's really gonna give you a lot of information about whether this school's gonna be the right fit for you, is asking current students and faculty what they love about this program, this program in particular.
That is always gonna be a way to get them talking. They're gonna be speaking about something they're excited about, so they're gonna wanna share with you. And if they feel like you're genuinely interested in, you would assume that they are passionate about the program that they're a part of.
And so if you invite them to speak about it in that way, you're gonna get a lot of information. You're gonna get a good sense of that person's vibe and the program's vibe if you start to ask those kinds of questions.
You can also get more specific asking about what are their favorite classes or performances that they've been a part of so that you can start to get a feel for what specifics of this program, what are they like and do they speak to me or do they not speak to me, those kinds of things.
And they'll just help you get to know what this school really has to offer artistically and help you get to know whoever you're speaking to a little bit better.
Josh (28:35)
Awesome. Well, Jacqui, I lied. That wasn't my final question. I did have one more one little, one last little question to get us out of here. And this is the last question.
Lisa (28:44)
Jacqui, he does that. He does that a lot. FYI.
Jacqui Touchet (28:45)
It's okay.
Josh (28:46)
The final question as we move towards our other segments here, what's one piece of advice you give a ninth- or tenth-grade student who's interested in the performing arts?
Jacqui Touchet (28:54)
Well, if you're interested in performing arts like theater of any kind, musical theater, acting, directing, I'm going to say read plays. That is such an underlooked way to grow as an artist.
If you want to pursue anything within theater, I think there's chances that you'll have to perform a monologue from a play at some point or do a treatment on a play that you love that you'd be excited to direct or you'd be excited to design for or something like that.
Reading plays, it makes you a better performer. It will help you develop your own taste and your own artistic voice so that when the time comes to select programs and to select audition material for these programs, you'll know what it is that you're actually looking for. You'll know what you like, what you care about, what kinds of things you want to learn more about and what areas you want to grow in if you have already started to develop your personal taste in theater and dramatic literature.
So go to the library, go to a used bookstore, sit in the drama section, sit on the floor, pull out all the plays from the shelf, read as many as you can. Plays are not that long, so you can get through a lot. If you're reading the first 10 pages and you don't vibe with it, put it back and pick a different one.
And then once you start to find plays and playwrights that you really like, you can research them online, find more things they've written, find similar playwrights and read more.
Josh (30:18)
And there was a second part to this last question. What would you tell a senior who was already applying?
Jacqui Touchet (30:23)
Well, prepare and rehearse and as my high school acting teacher would always say, control your controllables, right?
So follow the directions, but not everything is a controllable. All you can do, aside from knowing your material, preparing as well as you can, making sure you feel rehearsed and you aren't going to walk into that room and worry you're not going to remember something, all you can do really beyond that is bring your fullest self to the audition.
You have to know that you are special and you are unique. You bring something that nobody else brings. You need to hold on to that and do not let this process take away the joy and passion that you have for this art form that compelled you to start in this process in the first place and pursue this in college.
Josh (31:11)
Wow. Awesome. Jacqui. Thank you. Those are, that was a, I like...
Lisa (31:14)
Control your controllables. Yep.
Josh (31:16)
Hey, another, that's a sticker. That's another sticker.
Lisa (31:18)
No. Josh said it, I didn't. Okay. Okay.
Jacqui Touchet (31:18)
That's a good one.
Josh (31:21)
Right. Okay, so Jacqui, as we sort of barrel to the close of the podcast, we're gonna do a little bit of a lightning round, just a couple of quick hitters here, just some quick quick answers, just kind of whatever pops into your brain here.
Lisa (31:33)
Wait, wait, does that mean that I can't ask 22 follow-up questions though?
Josh (31:38)
That's exactly what that means, Lisa. That's why it's called Lightning Round. So anyway.
Lisa (31:41)
Ugh. Rude. Okay. Okay. Fine. All right. Okay. Jacqui, are you ready? I guess, since I can't ask questions. Got it.
Josh (31:50)
All right. So first one, professional headshot or a great phone photo?
Jacqui Touchet (31:55)
Great phone photo, totally fine. Just make sure you have a clean background and that the picture looks like you.
Lisa (32:00)
Okay, song from a show you've been in or one you've never performed?
Jacqui Touchet (32:04)
Never performed.
Josh (32:05)
Okay, self-tape or in person if you get the choice?
Jacqui Touchet (32:08)
In person.
Lisa (32:09)
Yo, this is so fun. Okay, biggest pre-screen mistake in one word.
Jacqui Touchet (32:15)
Material.
Josh (32:15)
All right, so thank-you email after audition, yes or no?
Jacqui Touchet (32:18)
Yes, if an email is publicly shared.
Lisa (32:21)
Mmm, one thing every performer should pack for audition day.
Jacqui Touchet (32:26)
Water.
Lisa (32:27)
Mmm.
Josh (32:28)
It's important. All right, so Jacqui, finish this sentence. The best audition I ever saw was the one where the student...
Jacqui Touchet (32:34)
Made me laugh and then cry in the span of three minutes.
Lisa (32:39)
Wow. Y'all, this was fun. We've never done a lightning round. Josh, I like this. Yes!
Josh (32:44)
We might have to add this in. I think, Jacqui, I think you have helped us to create a new segment for this podcast. So this was, yeah, 100%. This was definitely fun. Okay.
Lisa (32:51)
Yep. Thank you, Jacqui. This was fun. Yes.
Josh (32:59)
So we're gonna transition into the sort of final, the last two parts of our podcast here. We always have a section where we do Hot Take or Hard Truth. And so Lisa, we'll let you start off first to kind of show Jacqui how it's done.
Lisa (33:11)
That is a lot of pressure. Okay. Y'all, my hot take for this week. Your pre-screen is your deadline. All right. So if your pre-screen is due December 1, I do not care if the university application says January 1. For your family, the deadline is December 1.
And I think this is where families truly get into trouble because they are looking at regular admissions calendars and assuming that that will tell them everything that they need to know. And it doesn't, y'all.
If your application has a deadline, it could have a pre-screen deadline, then it has an audition registration deadline, everything that Jacqui was saying, and then you have an actual audition date. And they all may be different. Or some of them could be the same. Again, it goes back to doing your research.
So, parents, especially if you have a younger kiddo listening, do not wait until senior fall to start figuring this out. Find the earliest deadline and work backward. When you do, now you're gonna look for your audition material. When does that need to be chosen? When do you need to record? Do you need a pianist? Do you need a headshot? Do you need a resume?
Do they have callbacks for auditions? Are they Unified auditions? When do the audition slots open? Because December 1, y'all, is not the time to start thinking about your December 1 pre-screen.
Josh (34:37)
Exactly. So yeah, the deadline, as Lisa mentioned, is really the end of the process, not the beginning of it.
Lisa (34:42)
Right, exactly, 100%. If you treat the earliest performing arts deadline like your real application deadline, the whole fall gets a lot calmer and a little less chaotic, which is what the three of us really love.
Josh (34:57)
Bingo. Okay. So my hot take is about the college list. If there's only one program on your list that you would actually be happy attending, you don't have a college list. You have a lottery ticket.
And I think that this is especially important in performing arts admissions because artistic admission, as Jacqui has already pointed out, can be incredibly unpredictable. You can be talented, you can be prepared, you can have a really strong audition, and you can still be told no.
So maybe the program has 10 spots, maybe they need a different voice type actor this year. Maybe they already have several students who do exactly what you do. There are pieces of this that have absolutely nothing to do with whether you are talented enough.
Lisa (35:39)
Right. And like Jacqui said, control the controllable. And that's really hard, kiddos. We acknowledge that, even as adults. That is really hard to do. Especially in the theater performance space, because that audition feels so personal.
Right? You're not just submitting a transcript. You are standing there doing the thing that you love in front of someone who is deciding whether they want you in their program. Of course, that is going to sting.
Josh (36:06)
And that's why the list matters so much. So absolutely have your dream program. Go after it. Go for it with all you got. But I'd like more than one place on that list where if the acceptance comes you can genuinely say, yeah, I can see myself there.
Lisa (36:21)
Right, cause y'all, there is more than one happy ending in this space, always.
Josh (36:26)
Okay. All right. Jacqui, so we saved you for last because you actually live in this world.
Lisa (36:29)
Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.
Josh (36:31)
What is your hot take or hard truth about performing arts admissions? What do students and parents really need to hear, even if they might not love hearing it?
Jacqui Touchet (36:40)
Okay, I'm gonna say that a BFA is not always the best choice. I know that a lot of the top and the best known programs for the performing arts are conservatory-style programs or BFAs where you're involved in classes for your art area pretty much all day every single day.
But attending a school like that where you study the arts all day every day with little to no time for any other classes may not be the right fit for everyone. In fact, I think getting to explore other subjects in college can be incredibly valuable to your growth, not only just as a person, but also as an artist.
Technique is so important and BFAs can provide a valuable and concentrated time to really hone in on your craft and for some people, that is exactly the kind of program they need for college. Do not get me wrong. I'm not saying don't go to a BFA. I'm not saying conservatories are not a good way to get that education because that is absolutely the right fit for some people.
But on the other hand, it does not mean that you love your art any less or mean that you will be any less successful professionally if you choose a program that does allow you to double major and explore other interests or if you elect to not major in the arts at all and explore the arts extracurricularly or as a minor.
There's no one right path to becoming an artist. Like Lisa said, there are so many happy endings for this industry starting with the college process and beyond. And so the best thing you can start to do now is take the time to learn who you are and learn why you want to be an artist.
And you may just be able to do those things outside of a BFA or conservatory-style program. Those kinds of programs are just not going to be the right fit for every single person who wants to pursue this professionally.
And they absolutely are the right fit for some people, but you don't need to feel like you have to do that or like you're giving yourself some sort of plan B, accepting the fact that you may fail in the performing arts if you decide to study something else or study something with your performing arts majors, because that's not the case at all.
Lisa (38:45)
Mm-hmm. Mm-mm. Ooh. I love that. Great hot take, Jacqui. Good job, first time.
Josh (38:51)
Exactly, yeah. That's a good hot take, one that we hope starts some conversations at home.
Lisa (38:56)
Jacqui made a good point, because sometimes the thing that you really need to hear the most in this process is not necessarily a thing you want to hear. Am I right?
Josh (39:05)
Right.
Lisa (39:05)
Thank you. Did you like how I was fishing for that compliment? Am I right? Da da da da. Okay, Jacqui, it is Drop the Mic time, which is where we're wrapping up this amazing podcast. Thank you again for being on it. We are gonna give you some time to think about it. So we're gonna have Josh go first and then me and then you. Okay, so Josh, you're up.
Josh (39:23)
Okay. So riffing off of the advice that Jacqui got from one of her mentors about control the controllable, do everything you can control before you walk into the room.
So know the material, know the requirements, know where you're supposed to be, know what you need to bring. Get there early. Do the boring preparations so you're not standing backstage wondering whether you printed the right resume or learned the right cut.
But once you walk into that room, you have to let some of that go because the folks who are evaluating you are not only doing so in terms of whether or not you can hit the note or execute the combination. They're meeting you.
They're trying to picture what it will be like to teach you, work with you, direct you, have you in an ensemble for the next four years, as Jacqui mentioned earlier. So don't spend the entire audition trying to be the version of a performer you think they want. Be prepared enough that you can actually show them you.
Lisa (40:18)
Yes, prepare and then be the performer. Woo, Josh, look at y'all. I had to go after Jacqui and after you. Y'all, you're making this so hard.
Okay, so mine's gonna be for kiddos this time. I know usually I speak to parents, so I'm kind of going off script here. Y'all, your art does not need to become more real because a college says yes, right? It's not going to do that.
And it does not mean that you are going to become less because a college says no. I think that is so important to hear. I really want you to listen right now. Like Josh said, this process can start making you feel like every audition is a judgment.
Whether you're talented enough or whether you belong on stage or whether you should keep doing this. It's something that you've loved for years.
And don't let it do that. You were a singer before the Common App. You were a dancer before the pre-screen. And you were an actor before somebody behind a table was taking notes on your monologue. And you're still going to be that person when this process is over.
Yes, work hard, prepare, take the audition seriously, but please. Please do not hand one college, one faculty panel, one admissions decision, let them decide whether your art matters because kiddo, it does. It matters.
Josh (41:51)
Good. All right, Lisa, that's good. That's a good one. All right, Jacqui, you're up.
Jacqui Touchet (41:54)
That was a really good one. I guess, I feel like mine kind of follows both of yours. Those are both such good points and it just makes me think about how to be an artist, you have to also be a person.
And our art form is subjective. All art is subjective, which means that there is no degree of technical perfection that you can achieve that is going to please everyone or make everyone think, that's the best dancer I've ever seen. That's the best actor I've ever seen. That's not real, you know?
Everybody, it's such a subjective thing, the arts and the performing arts. So don't lose touch with who you are and what makes you unique to try to please everyone or to try to approach some unattainable level of perfection that you think is expected of you.
This can be such a hard industry, but it can also be so rewarding and so meaningful. And if you invest in your relationships and you invest in your community and you invest in yourself, you're going to be a better artist for it.
And you're going to be more in touch with the stories that you want to tell and the reasons why you're doing this. We are all artists because we think that it's an important thing for the world to have artists. At least that's what I think.
And probably many of you listening agree with me there. And so you want to be in touch with those reasons. Why do you think it's important?
And I think the more you build up your life and invest in your life outside of this industry, outside of your college auditions, and then outside of the industry as a professional, the better prepared you're going to be to handle all of the highs and lows that come from working.
Josh (43:31)
Yeah. Wow. Thank you, Jacqui. So that's exactly what I feel like our performing arts families need to hear.
Lisa (43:36)
Great. Truly, Jacqui, thank you for helping make this process feel very figure-out-able. And I know I'm bringing that word back. It's not a word, but we're making it a word. It's a whole thing, Jacqui.
Josh (43:46)
It's not a word.
Lisa (43:47)
It is for us. But thank you for doing that and making a very complicated process feel like all our families can take a breath and really just realize, hey, this is what we can do. This is what we can work on. And also I think families are gonna immediately get done with our podcast and go check the seventeen deadlines that are all coming up.
Josh (44:09)
All righty, okay, Lisa. We have spent a lot of time with our seniors this fall.
Lisa (44:14)
We should, y'all, because you are in it and you are living it right now in real time.
Josh (44:18)
That's right. They are, but next week for our episode, we're gonna turn our attention to the juniors, to the Class of 2028.
Lisa (44:25)
Woo juniors, y'all. I just got a little chill. We're already talking about the Class of 2028. Hi y'all, it's your turn. And before anybody panics, no, we are not telling you you should already be filling out the Common App.
Josh (44:41)
Yeah, please don't.
Lisa (44:41)
No, please don't. Because this is the year that we want you to work on your lists and look at your choices. Because if you start doing this now, it's going to make your senior year a whole lot easier.
Josh (44:56)
Right, exactly. So we're talking testing. When should you take your first SAT or ACT? Should you take both? And why I'll just show up for one and see what happens isn't really a testing strategy that we recommend.
Lisa (45:07)
Nope. And we are talking about grades because junior year matters a lot, y'all. It is the last time colleges will truly see your GPA. And it also happens to be the year when your classes get harder, your activities get busier, and then suddenly you feel like everybody wants something from you.
Josh (45:26)
Right. And we're also gonna talk about starting your activities resume now while you still remember the things you actually did.
Lisa (45:32)
Please do this because the future you does not want to sit there next August saying, wait, what was that thing? What was that thing that I did sophomore year? You don't want to do that.
Josh (45:44)
No. And also campus visits. When should you start? What schools are actually worth visiting first? And what should you be paying attention to besides whether the campus is pretty? That is important though, but there are other things.
Lisa (45:55)
True. And listen, y'all, we are not telling you that you have to have your entire college list figured out right now. You don't need to. But what you should start doing is doing research, learning about other schools, going onto their websites. Think about things that you like and that you don't like. That is what's going to help this year feel more manageable and then next year hit it out of the park.
Josh (46:19)
Exactly. So juniors, so no panic, no trying to do senior year early. We're just gonna start working on a plan.
Lisa (46:26)
Just a plan, y'all. We're gonna work on a plan and work backwards. So, juniors, parents of juniors, y'all, this one is definitely for you.
Okay. So remember, we are Decision Drop, making your college journey collaborative, simple, and most importantly, yours. And if you would like us in your corner, and that includes Jacqui, our amazing human and our special guest this podcast, because she is a part of the Decision Drop team.
And you want us helping your kiddo find the right place to keep growing as both student and performer, head over to decisiondrop.com and check us out.
Josh (47:02)
Thanks for dropping in, y'all. We'll see you next week.
Lisa (47:03)
Bye.
