NYMT/BYMT 2024!

AAAAAGGHHHH! So excited! One happy muso got Into the Woods!!!

@Mumster40 it's never too late to start dance. My dd started dance lesson 2 years ago, she had never taken 1 single lesson before. She was lucky and was offered a scholarship by the dance school so she was able to take every single class available.

She has been applying and auditioning for sixth form this year and has been offered places on Musical Theatre and also Dance at Artsed (we didn't even apply for dance). Unfortunately she can't attend due to costs. If your DD is determined on studying MT its def worth considering some dance lessons. Also just remember they are looking for someone with potential who they can train not the perfect performer otherwise they don't need to be there.

Good luck to all the musicians waiting! And to the BYMT crew who are on a reserve list too, crossing fingers for all.

On the college/uni front for us it was eventually decided our kid wasn't as suited to A levels as they might be to other routes. So will be doing an extended diploma which is worth 3 A levels. Should things change, a good mark in that (as could be reasonably anticipated) would get them into most universities - I mean, not Oxbridge and not medicine but those things were never in consideration! So in our opinion, we already have that "something to fall back on" people bang on about. Mine absolutely cannot wait to get started - and has 18 days left of school before study leave 😆

The advice we were given was to try and do a degree rather than a diploma, allowing for various things in the future (such as teaching). We were also given info we didn't know then on funding which is doubtless going to be useful in a couple of years!

We anticipate the uni auditions as being one with lots of research to do, lots of location specific prep, and lots of waiting and rejection. But hopefully, one with the right outcome in the end! It's one of the advantages we see from a specialist college for the next two years, as they know what they're doing and can aid the prep side. Finding time to do things like adding to repertoire while also at full time academic school is almost impossible here - what needs to be done is done but the nice to haves, rarely happen between homework, training, rehearsals and so on. When they are part of the everyday, it's different.

Also @doesanybodyhaveamap and@yodaforpresident ! Much appreciated advice thank you x

@disorganisedmummy @Biscuitsneeded Thanks for the excellent advice. We are still a long way off drama school so who knows what will happen by then! At the moment they are very keen on MT but dance isn't strong as they've never taken classes. Glad to hear your DC are doing so well! Good luck to all the musicians this weekend.

@Mumster40, Ds is year 13 and has a place at Conservatoire for September. Very much like @doesanybodyhaveamap he and we decided that traditional unis wouldn't be right for him as most don't do a BMus in music performance. He auditioned for 4 and got an offer from 1, thankfully the best place for him. Hes autistic so it was more important to us that he got an offer for the right place for him. Had he not got an offer he would have taken a year out and re applied. It is very tough and ds really struggled with rejections initially but as time goes on we are more and more sure that where he's going is absolutely the right place for him and we know he will be so happy there. It really depends on just how passionate your dc is about MT. My niece for example is in her first year of specialist musical theatre/dance college and loving it. It's from 16-18. She really stressed about whether to do A levels (quite academic) and then go on to MT college but she desperately wanted to try. She will start auditioning soon for conservatoire/MT courses. I do believe it's important to allow kids to do what they're passionate about. But, they do need to be realistic and have a back up plan.

Sorry that was a long post!!

@Mumster40 we have this coming up- in our case likely some drama schools and also some music conservatories (because they still can't decide 🙈) but we won't be doing any traditional uni's in parallel. We just know it's not right for them. So if they don't get a place they're happy with, it's a gap year and more training.

Thanks everyone for the kind and encouraging comments. Rejection is sadly very reflective of the industry and something that all our DC will need to get used to in order to survive. A valuable part of the journey and a good indicator of whether they have what it takes to stick it out as a career......I keep hoping my DC will discover a passion for Chemistry or Economics....can't bear the thought of the drama school audition trauma that will be looming in the next couple of years! That must be a LOT worse than a NYMT/BYMT disappoint. Hats off to all of you who have gone through this or are going through it now. Did you encourage your DC to apply for drama school/MT as well as University?

My DD was also accepted from the reserve list for BYMT last year @Mumster40 so it does happen.

So apparently musician results will come out Saturday morning.

Thank you @CatatonicLadybug she has decided to go neutral as the accent is not required so why risk it?

We had until March 8th at midday to accept the first round offer from BYMT, so two weeks from the email.

@Mumster40 - yes pass the biscuits!! It feels like constant waiting. So last year, they didn't advise when they had completed any round of casting but looks like this year they will. I know last year, and I assume this year too they will advise when the final cut off of any offers happens, which can go as late as June I believe. My DD who was on the reserve list last year got placed in the first round this year, and my DD currently on the reserve list was placed first round last year. Nothing is ever straightforward is it... ? I assume based on the email yesterday we'll get info at each stage of casting until the final cut off. Keeping fingers crossed for your DC for good news next time.

@wonderfullife123 we can share the biscuits then! Yes, I suppose it will be after Easter at the earliest. From your experience last year do they ever give a ‘no’ after the first round of ‘nos’ ? Or do they keep all of the shortlisted kids on a very long unending waiting list? It’s encouraging to hear that your daughter did get offered a spot last year though. Fingers crossed for them again this time!

Hi! Fingers crossed for the musicians waiting! @Mumster40 my DD2 got the same email yesterday - I wonder how long the 2nd round offers have been given to accept? Last year, my older DD finally received an offer in May - they didn't alert last time when each round was completed and she'd almost given up hope. I vowed that I would just crack on and book holiday this year but will wait for this round I think. Guess we might hear just after Easter?

Sorry to hear that.

Only yesterday ds mentioned that he hadn't heard anything from BYMT as they spoke to him at a workshop about potentially being involved in a project. His summer is booking up so if anything comes of it, great, if not, he has some exciting things in the pipeline including being in the band for a support act for a well known artist.

Bit of a BYMT update. But not great news….we were told yesterday that the second round of casting has been completed. DC hasn’t been cast in a show during this round but we’ve been told that they want to keep them in consideration for THIRD round casting at the beginning of April….! Third round casting?! Didn’t even know this was a thing? It’s like auditioning for a west end show! Oh well. Back to the waiting room and the biscuits…! Did anyone else hear some (hopefully) good news yesterday? Wishing all the NYMT musicians the very best of luck x

Same here- desperate for ITW!! (I expect all the musicians will be keen for a bit of Sondheim...)

Allhailthebrain Ds really wants Into the Woods but he's put that he's available for all shows . He'd rather do one of them than none of them if you get me.

Haha, love it. 14th, yeah we aren't far off it 😂

Fingers crossed for all the musicians! Hope you get news soon!

Do any of them have a preference as to which show they'd love to play in...?

Also waiting for musician news although my ds gets the emails not me so am totally reliant on him telling me which is rather worrying!

Keeping everything crossed for some good news for you soon

Closed Friday. They said middle of March. We are definitely in the middle of March now 😂