Going To Musical Theatre School: Who Should Go & What Happens After

I went to The New York Film Academy to study Musical Theatre and Acting For Film & TV more than 10 years ago. It’s wild to think how much time has passed—and how many of those early memories still stick. Like the time I kicked Bruno into a wall during combat class and everyone lost it (don’t worry, no one was hurt, it was just acting 😉).

But I’m not here to talk about combat class - I’m here to talk about what musical theatre school is like, who the kids (and adults!) that go to these schools are and what they are doing now 10 years after graduating. That way you can get a clearer picture on whether or not going to school for musical theatre is the right choice for you or not.

I reached out to some of my former classmates to see what they are up to now and ask them to share their experience before, during and after musical theatre school. So without further ado, let’s jump right in!

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Who Is It For?

Most musical theatre schools you have to audition for to get in (I actually don’t know of any that you don’t have to audition for…). So of course a certain level of proficiency is required to attend an arts school. I personally had very little experience with musical theatre - actually if I’m honest, I didn’t have any experience. I grew up in Switzerland and our schools don’t put on shows like many of the schools here in the USA do. When I was in high school I auditioned for one of the biggest musical theatre productions in Switzerland and I got in! But my voice teacher and my teachers at school advised me to not take the role (it was an ensemble role) as it would have been incredibly stressful to do this show simultaneously to school and they were worried that I would blow out my voice (I definitely would have, my technique back then was not sustainable at all). Everyone who took part in that production was a professional musical theatre performer. I would have been the only school kid there. So I took everyone’s advice and turned down the role, meaning I never participated in a musical before going to musical theatre school. I also never had any acting classes or experience! The only thing I had was vocal training and some dance classes from years prior.

I quickly realized that I was one of just a handful of kids at my school who got there without any experience. Some of my classmates - like Yasmin Schancer and Will Van Moss who sent me a life update video - had a ton of experience in their home countries! Yasmin was a child actress in Poland, performing at some of the country’s biggest venues and Will was an opera singer and performer in Belgium and the UK.

So who should really go to musical theatre school? Should you already have some experience? I don’t think experience matters very much - everyone can learn a ton, no matter how much experience they have. Since musical theatre focuses on three skills - singing, acting and dancing - everyone has room for improvement. As long as you have a passion for music, you’re willing to learn and you got accepted, you’ll graduate with more knowledge and honed skills than when you entered, setting you up for success.

What Happens At School?

Every school is different so your experiences will vary from school to school. The New York Film Academy program was unique in the sense that it was only 2 years long, no liberal arts classes (meaning you don’t graduate with a Bachelor’s degree) and it has a focus on both live theatre and film (it’s a part of a film school after all). School was a lot though - we were in class from 9am til 7pm and then rehearsals from 7:30pm till 10:30pm. Because the program is only 2 years (actually only 18 months), you are at school a lot, learning as much in as little amount of time as possible.

NYFA really focuses on setting you up for the real world as much as possible. They don’t focus on anything that’s not actually going to serve you in your career. The faculty consists of teachers who perform at night. We had multiple opportunities to go see our teachers perform on Broadway, which was such a cool experience.

We were also always putting on some sort of show - either a full blown musical, a reading of a new musical or a talent showcase. They wanted us to audition, perform and rehearse as much as possible to get a taste for what it’ll be like once we graduate.

What About After School?

Of course going to school for music doesn’t guarantee success. It just prepares you and gives you the tools you need to follow your dreams and audition, audition and audition.

I personally didn’t stay in the musical theatre world. While I learned a lot at school (like how to actually tell a story and not just show off my vocal skills), I also learned that musical theatre wasn’t right for me. I missed singing and writing pop songs, so after graduation I auditioned for The Berklee College Of Music and got my degree there. During my studies I got signed to a manager in Nashville, moved down there and recorded my debut album. I was living the artist life before realizing that I had a huge passion for coaching (I blame my mom, she’s a teacher haha!). When I had to cancel my tour in spring of 2020 - we all know what happened then - I decided to pour all my energy into vocal coaching and formed VoxTape Studios. I’ve been running this studio ever since and couldn’t be happier to help singers work towards their dreams.

But my classmates’ journeys all looked different from mine.

CorBen Williams stayed in NYC and auditioned as much as possible. He ended up booking an ensemble role for the National Tour of Beetlejuice and was on the road for 3 years with them.

Caroline Pihlwret moved to the UK (she’s originally from Sweden) and performed on many cruises and hotels all around Europe.

Bru Uribe moved back to Mexico City where he is performing as both a musical theatre and just theatre performer.

Yasmin Schancer did it all - she worked behind the curtain as a director and producer, did streaming online, stepped away from the arts for a bit and is now back as a songwriter and folk artist.

Will Van Moss first moved back to Belgium because of visa issues and then came back and has since landed roles on TV shows and off broadway productions.

It was so fun for me to see what everyone has been up to 10 years after graduating. Most of my classmates are still involved in the arts somehow and that’s wonderful to see.

It’s Tough

Being in arts it isn’t always an easy road. This industry can be quite hard. Most of your time you’ll spend auditioning for roles and you’ll hear “no” over and over again. This can cause a lot of self doubt and burn out. Yasmin isn’t the only one who stepped away from music and theatre for a couple years before returning back to the arts - some actually never returned at all. This industry is not for the faint of heart, but if you truly love it and you can’t see yourself doing anything else, it’s worth trying and pursuing your dreams.

One Common Thread

Like I said, most of your time will be spent on auditioning for various roles after graduation. But you can’t just live off of auditioning, you somehow have to find a way to pay your rent, groceries, utilities, etc. This is why you’ll most likely have to get some sort of job that helps you pay those bills.

I want to start by saying that there is absolutely no shame in having a “day job” if that job has nothing to do with music or arts. Try to find a job that is flexible with the hours so that you can audition when being called in for a role without losing your job. Restaurant gigs are usually pretty good for this!

What I loved about getting these updates from my fellow classmates was seeing how they diversified. Will - as someone who speaks 5 languages - became a dialect coach and Bru turned his passion for photography into a headshot business. This allows both of them to make money while also staying connected to the industry. How smart!

What I Took Away From These Conversations

So, should you go to musical theatre school (or any music school for that matter)? This is a decision you’ll have to make for yourself. Myself and all my classmates enjoyed our time at school and we learned a ton of valuable things there. Most importantly, we made great friends and got connected to the industry before we graduated. But is it 100% necessary to go? No, I don’t think so. It really depends on who you are as a person and how good at your craft you already are.

Talking to people I trained with more than a decade ago made me realize a few things:

• 🎭 Theatre school is just the beginning—not a final destination.

• 🔀 Everyone’s path looks different, and that’s not a bad thing.

• 🔁 You’re allowed to change directions, take breaks, and come back.

• 🎤 You don’t need to be on a stage for your voice to matter.

Your path doesn’t have to look like anyone else’s—as long as you stay connected to what lights you up, you’re doing it right.

🎧 Watch or listen to the full episode here

(including the clip of me kicking Bru into the wall during combat class) and hear these stories straight from the people I went to school with:

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