“I attended TAP camp the summer of 2014 before my senior year of high school. The experiences I had and the people I met while there, have stuck with me to this day. It’s a great way to meet kids just like you all over Texas while spending almost a month having great summer fun as well as learning something new information in the thing we all love to do!
For me, I was on a mission to get prepared for college. Senior year is either titled the “Easiest Year of My Life” or for any arts major: “The Most Stressful Nine Months of My High School Career”. Not only do we have to worry about getting in academically, but we must also prepare 3 – 5 different songs with different requirements for more than 7 schools as well as fly all over the country and wait two months longer than everyone else to see if we’re going to college. Going to TAP camp allowed me to keep a moderately sane mindset while going through such chaos. I was taught to be prepared for anything that could happen and any surprises that may throw me off balance. I was also given careful advice from those who had already gone through the process, not to take on too much. It seems easy to apply to so many schools so that you’re guaranteed an admittance but that brings a lot of expenses and a lot of 16-bar cuts.
The most important thing I learned at TAP was to be myself. I’m sure that sounds incredibly cliché but it’s also very true and so important. I was auditioning for the next four years of my life, so why would I present the people behind the table with a character? No matter how many times I rehearsed my slate and songs, as long as I walked in there with confidence, I still aced the audition.
Being at TAP camp also helped me learn what I wanted to get out of a school. The schedule is very intense: get up, workout, breakfast, work, lunch, rehearse, dinner, maybe some fun, sleep and do it all again the next day. This assured me I was not interested in a conservative school. When we went off-campus or had free days, that made me think that I was interested in a big school full of kids who weren’t only interested in the arts. Thanks to TAP Camp, I’m at my dream school, the University of Oklahoma, and loving every minute of it. If you’re unsure of how to take on this career, go to TAP Camp and soak up all that you can because it’s worth it.”
-Lena Owens (Musical Theatre Major, University of Oklahoma)