So now I have a mental picture of @GoForth 's S doing moves like Mick Jagger in Hershey Park. I think it might be worth the drive out from Philly!!
Iāll be visiting there around the July 4th time, too.
Some more insights - it seems that some aspects to winning the audtions for this show were not playing too square, and being able to sing. Also, being a bass player ups your odds because the fewest entries were for that instrument.
Iād love to see this performance @GoForth !!
My D is certainly not the best at anything musically. Her āvocal techniqueā is always āin progressā. But sheās an entertainerā¦and gets hired. For many of our kids, these are āperformanceā degreesā¦which require the ability to be in front of an audience day after day after dayā¦and entertain (even after they have been up too late with their buddies). Andā¦as for the singing commentā¦I have found the more you can do (even just decently), the more chances to be hired. Being multi-talented never hurts.
@bridgenail - yes. S is a breathy singer and wants to work on that, but it can suffice for some things.
Hi. Another quarter-year has passed. S has signed up for classes, just three undergrad semestersa remain in his future. Somehow, his 2-year academic scholarship has been extended to 3 years. No explanation about it, but it appeared in the system, named as a 3-year scholarship, so we will take that.
We will meet S next week at Hershey Park to pick him up after his last performance - he still has 35 more performances before being done. Busy summer. After the last set, we start the mad dash back to UNT - a 21-hour drive somehow in a 36-hour period.
This semester will be the first school semester out of the dorm system and in an apartment. Thatās all for now.
Congrats on the surprise scholarship extension! That never hurts!
Safe travels! We just got back from moving our son into Bruce Hall. Heās enjoying himself so far. Friendly school. I enjoy seeing him surrounded by music people.
Oh, That is great! Bruce Hall was fun. So handy for classes in the College of Music next door.
He stayed in the brand new Joe Greene Hall for orientation and said it was like a hotel. Small rooms too. Bruce is much more home-y and the location is really great for a music student. All good so far. Hope your son enjoys apartment living. Both my older kids were just so glad to get off a meal plan and cook for themselves, but they hated the food at their universities and UNT so far seems better in that regard,
Mean Green (the all-vegan cafe) is nice. Bruce hall cafe is nice enough. I think the cafe way over by the sports facilities is supposed to be nice too. S has gotten into cooking since staying in an apartment in Hershey Park this summer.
Sās professor had spoken to S about the possibility of grad school. S and I have batted the idea around before and canāt see a very strong case for it right now.
So, it seems like a good time to wrap up the GoForth Journal, which logs the thoughts along the way about preparing for and then navigating through a jazz bass music major.
Even as S considered grad school before, he figured it would need to have a different twist, just to keep from repeating the same stuff over and over. He was considering a graduate Arranging major or some such would be better than continuing with the Performance undergrad major. So this summer, instead of going out of town on a summer gig, he will look at establishing himself more in his current location (near Dallas) so that when he graduates in Dec 2020 he will have some things going on.
Good luck to everybody.
Itās been a fun ride. Thank you for sharing your experience. Best of luck to your son, @Goforth.
@GoForth Not to drag you back into the conversation, but you mention something worth thinking about for all those currently starting the journey: Where they go to school is likely where they will develop their strongest connections, and this figures into finding employment. Sounds obvious but it was not something we/she considered when choosing schools as an undergrad. Itās definitely a key factor in her grad school search!
Best of luck to you and your son.
To mark the end of the journal, here is a totally random UNT combo playing āThe Endā by Chad Lefkowitz-Brown
I have enjoyed your journal very much. Thank you for sharing your sonās story!
I will miss your journal updates. I hope you continue to participate for jazz questions and updates as your son enters āthe real worldā.
My D turned 27 this month. I remember telling the many people who questioned her choice of a music performance degree that my hope was she would be able to graduate and perform for a few years (until 27 maybe) and then decide if itās working for her or if she wants to get a more traditional job. I felt that age was enough time to give performance a shot but still young enough to start something new. I have no doubt now that she will continue to perform and do work related to music. She has deep roots in her community now and is continually engaged in performance work and is making a living. Itās taken a few years to get thereā¦but itās completely do-able.
I hope he enjoys the continual challenges and rewards of performance over the crucial next few years of establishing his professional self and then beyond.
That is a good story @bridgenail . I shared it with S. He said with his instrument, bass, he feels like it will work out indeed. I would love to be available for more information sharing on other threads, but you know, as sure as I was asking for and wanting all kinds of info earlier on, it now is a blur. There are so many good ways to move forward. Now, we are more curious about things like - who is Ariana Grandeās bassist, and how do you get there.
Best wishes to your son, @GoForth as he continues his journey. His story, as youāve told it, has been helpful to us in our journey.
With two kids there now, weāve been getting to know the Denton/Dallas area and have really been impressed with the music scene there. I;m guessing your son will find many opportunities.
Thank you, @GoForth , for sharing you and your sonās journey with us. Good luck to him in the future!
So true! Itās momās job to worry 
Best of luck @GoForth and Sā¦itās been a pleasure!