College Discussion - View Single Post - REFLECTION "I wish I would have known "this" when I started the process!"

theatermom · 09-19-2005, 01:55 PM

I knew that as soon as I hit the "submit reply" button that I would hear the sound of ruffled feathers and raised hackles.

Please do not read my opinions as if they were directed to any one child or parent specifically, because if you read my comments with the care with which I wrote them, you will see that I believe that successful performers come from everywhere. I think it's a bit narrow minded to distill everything that I wrote down to the notion that I think that anyone who was rejected from a program "deserved" it. A wee bit simplistic, don't you think? For anyone who reads my post and is offended, I am sorry that you feel that way and you are certainly entitled to your response, but I didn't post these sentiments without thinking about what I said and I have to say that I stand by them.

I don't think, however, that these comments remove me from the "encouraging and supportive" group. In truth, my comments came out of my concern for the x-hundred kids who applied for admission to MT college programs and got in nowhere. I'll ask you all - why do YOU think these students weren't admitted anywhere? It is easier to explain why a student DID get into A, B & C program but NOT D,E & F. For example, it could be the much discussed topic of having to "cast" a class or program and there already being three blonde ingenues in the class or it could be the fact that a specific program has a marked preference for belters over legit singers, etc. But to those of you who are offended by my post, what do YOU believe it means when a student auditions for a full range of MT programs - reaches, mid-level AND safeties - and gets in nowhere? How do you interpret these results and if it happens to your child, what is the loving and responsible approach to take? These are the issues I'm trying to raise and I believe they are the issues that Musicalthtrmom was alluding to when she began this course of discussion.

With few exceptions, the rejected students and their parents do not post here - they may be reading, but they are not posting, which is a shame because I, too, think their voices need to be heard. And what they have to say could make a real difference long term to so many others.

If we limit our discussions to the safe, the accepted and the happy outcomes, are we really serving the full range of people who come to this site looking for advice and support. I, for one, don't think so.

09-19-2005, 01:55 PM	#69
theatermom Member Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Philadelphia Threads: 14 Posts: 621	I knew that as soon as I hit the "submit reply" button that I would hear the sound of ruffled feathers and raised hackles. Please do not read my opinions as if they were directed to any one child or parent specifically, because if you read my comments with the care with which I wrote them, you will see that I believe that successful performers come from everywhere. I think it's a bit narrow minded to distill everything that I wrote down to the notion that I think that anyone who was rejected from a program "deserved" it. A wee bit simplistic, don't you think? For anyone who reads my post and is offended, I am sorry that you feel that way and you are certainly entitled to your response, but I didn't post these sentiments without thinking about what I said and I have to say that I stand by them. I don't think, however, that these comments remove me from the "encouraging and supportive" group. In truth, my comments came out of my concern for the x-hundred kids who applied for admission to MT college programs and got in nowhere. I'll ask you all - why do YOU think these students weren't admitted anywhere? It is easier to explain why a student DID get into A, B & C program but NOT D,E & F. For example, it could be the much discussed topic of having to "cast" a class or program and there already being three blonde ingenues in the class or it could be the fact that a specific program has a marked preference for belters over legit singers, etc. But to those of you who are offended by my post, what do YOU believe it means when a student auditions for a full range of MT programs - reaches, mid-level AND safeties - and gets in nowhere? How do you interpret these results and if it happens to your child, what is the loving and responsible approach to take? These are the issues I'm trying to raise and I believe they are the issues that Musicalthtrmom was alluding to when she began this course of discussion. With few exceptions, the rejected students and their parents do not post here - they may be reading, but they are not posting, which is a shame because I, too, think their voices need to be heard. And what they have to say could make a real difference long term to so many others. If we limit our discussions to the safe, the accepted and the happy outcomes, are we really serving the full range of people who come to this site looking for advice and support. I, for one, don't think so.