<p>In the past six months, D has seen a cast mate get kicked in the head (hard) during a dance routine and have her neurologist tell her she should not perform for at least a year, three friends diagnosed with serious vocal issues during their first weeks in school, seen a Tony-winning Broadway performer who can now barely carry a tune apparently due to vocal injury, watched a famous guitarist struggle through a performance due to a degenerative disease, seen one of her high school role models return from her BFA program with a greatly-diminished voice (apparently due to nodes), and D recently struggled through four weeks of auditions with bronchitis and a sinus infection. When I was in college, having studied ballet since I was three, I stepped off a curb wrong between classes and forever ended my dancing days. </p>
<p>All of these things are reminders that our MT kids are, in a very real sense, in the business of selling their bodies. While the immediacy of this is part of what makes live performance so uniquely exciting, and performers such vibrant humans, it’s also a decent case for having a plausible backup plan – much as any other athlete is wise to consider what to do if/when they are no longer able to play their sport.</p>
<p>One of our greatest hopes is that D leaves college with a broad set of skills that will enable her to contribute and enjoy her life even if she’s not one of the performers lucky enough to keep it up for a lifetime. Maybe the past six months have driven the importance of that home to her, as well.</p>
<p>This is a tough business for sure. Re vocal health issues: both of my kids see an ENT who specializes in vocalists every six months just to make sure that everything looks OK. We have also searched for voice teachers who understand vocal health. But, I realize that my kids have to be their own advocates when it comes to vocal health - not singing when sick, not singing in too high or too low a register for too long, resting, keeping hydrated, etc. So far, voices are holding up well. Dance injuries are another story. D has broken her foot 3 times!</p>
<p>@megpmom- So sorry to hear about your D’s dance injuries! Has she broken her foot while dancing, or just in regular life? It’s great that your kids regularly see an ENT! </p>
<p>D’s voice teacher is awesome, but now she’s away to college and doing more singing unsupervised by trained adults (e.g. her A Cappella group), so hopefully she’s learned enough over the years to take good care of herself. There is someone at her school who offers free vocal health screening for the MT kids, but D was ill when that happened so I think she missed it this round. And though she knows it’s better not to sing when you’re sick, her first four weeks of college involved non-postponable (is that a word?) auditions that set the stage for the coming four years, so she sang through illness, as she’s also done for a few performances in her life.</p>
<p>D also had a ballet teacher when she was very young who was hit by a car in the parking lot between classes, so she’s certainly seen that performing careers are fragile.</p>
<p>Kids feel invincible, though, which is awesome and age-appropriate but may limit their thinking when it comes to the long range planning involved with choosing colleges and courses of study. I think D’s recent exposure to body-fragility has reinforced her college choices, but time will tell.</p>
<p>D broke her foot twice dancing - once by doing a fouette too close to an auditorium chair and once coming down wrong on a jete. I think the third time was being stepped on, but I wasn’t there so forget how is happened. And of course, various pulled and strained muscles, etc. Dancers are athletes so injuries are just part of the job. Luckily singers typically have a longer shelf life than dancers and actors are “forever” so being trained as a triple threat has its pay-offs.</p>
<p>This is an intense career, mentally, emotionally and physically. Being in college isn’t healthy either: between the flu spreading around campus, all nighters, the food…and if you dance/play sports like me (muggle quidditch!), there’s constantly the fear of injury as well. I also have to keep up on my medication, to keep hive attacks at bay. There’s even the mental/emotional illness, I have friends who go in for counseling and I know I’m at risk for depression myself. </p>
<p>I’m taking a class on voice and movement right now and my professor is so keen on keeping yourself healthy, safe and moving at it’s best; he promotes both tai chi and acupuncture to us (and then is teaching us tai chi as well)! </p>
<p>At the same time though, as much as we should rest and keep ourselves safe, we have to practice, exercise, push ourselves. Two months ago, I couldn’t have done an intense dance class or tackled a guy during a game and look at me now! Is there still risk? Yes, but it’s a matter of safe, healthy gradual gain.</p>
<p>@megpmom – S is a classical guitarists, so for him the hands are everything. You’re right that at least MT kids trade in more body parts, so their shelf lives may be longer – either that or they have even MORE moving parts that must be maintained in peak operating condition! ;-D</p>
<p>@SongSearcher – I’m glad you brought up the mental health issue as well. I can think of few careers that put so much strain on a person’s ego! Imagine having a job where you have to go through job interviews at least every few months of your entire life, and not only is your basic competence and personality being judged, but also every aspect of your appearance. Add to that the fact that each time you perform you put yourself in front of a room full of people who have often paid a high price to watch you work. </p>
<p>In case you wonder why you seek out strong training. It is for these reasons. While the business is difficult, you can do it for a long time and in good health. A good voice teacher teaches vocal health, and a good dance teacher teaches you to keep injuries in check (as do movement and acting teachers). Accidents happen in any profession. But strong training helps longevity (among other things.) Here’s to good health everyone.</p>
<p>@kjgc - I totally agree that accidents can happen to anyone, but IMHO the stakes are much higher for those who rely on so many aspects of their bodies for their profession. Just imagine if baseball players also had to have gorgeous faces, be able to sing AND look amazing in leotards! ;-D </p>
<p>I second your toast; Here’s to good health and long careers, everyone!!</p>
<p>My daughter is just a senior in high school and has already been to an ENT three times (once diagnosed with vocal fatigue, another time with swollen vocal chords due to the common cold virus, and the final time just because she hadn’t been in a while and mother just wanted to make sure everything was ok before she took on another big show) - in both cases where her chords were swollen she had to somehow power through because of commitments to semi-professional shows that did not provide her with an understudy (or in one case did - but was not willing to use her). One of the times she took steroids to reduce the swelling - yikes wasn’t thrilled about that. She takes proper voice lessons; I’m hoping is learning to sing properly - but it’s hard to know - I’m not a singer and not in the business or well connected. I’m really hoping that all the schools she’s applying to are experts at teaching these young adults how to keep their voices and bodies (and minds!!) healthy. If anybody has advice as to what schools are better at this than others, would love your advice.</p>
<p>So far D has been fortunate in avoiding any injuries or serious illness (I’m knocking on wood even as I type), but I am ever the advocate of the rational backup plan. </p>
<p>In D’s case, she’s pursuing academic interests along with MT training. I know they say “go big or go home”, but we’ve seen enough amazing performers benched very young that keeping options open seems wise.</p>
<p>Even plain acting is dangerous. I’ve kicked someone before, been slapped, and I’ve heard stories of a guy at my school couple years back who jumped out of a 15 foot high window as part of an improv exercise.</p>
<p>Although it’s true that injuries can affect actors and their ability to pursue their careers, and getting good continuing training is important, I think the larger issue is that very few actors are able to earn a good, sustained living simply by performing. The percentage who are able to do that over the course of their careers is miniscule. So, kids who are thinking about pursuing theatre, or who are currently studying theatre, should definitely be giving thought as to how they are going to support themselves when they’re not onstage. So, in that sense, a ‘sensible back-up plan’ is essential in this business.</p>
<p>@alwaysamom – You make an excellent point that in the big picture more actors are without work at any given time because there is no paying work to be had than are unemployed due to injury or illness. That’s almost certainly true. </p>
<p>I guess we’ve been thinking about health and injury lately because of the surprising number of highly trained and talented kids D has encountered recently who are having health issues at an earlier age than we’d anticipated. I just remembered yet another girl who was among the most talented performers in our city a few graduating classes ahead of D who was forced to drop out of a professional contract this summer due to knee problems. It’s an injury epidemic! ;-D</p>
<p>Something that I really value about the Ball State BFA program is that we have a physical conditioning class called Performers Instrument Practicum that ties into every aspect of performance and teaches you how to use your body without injuring it.</p>
<p>Now when I go to the gym (which is required at least 3 times a week in addition to the class) I cringe as I watch people exercise using bad form. Its just asking for injury. I’d say the focus on having complete control over your body and operating in a way that is not injuring me, but more like an exercise.</p>
<p>As far as vocal exhaustion, since getting here my technique has improved and become so much more relaxed. To the point that when I’m actually singing correctly, it puts less strain on my voice than when I talk. </p>
<p>I guess it depends on the program, but I havent yet seen anyone injure themselves while working at BSU.</p>
<p>S-1 graduated 6 years ago and has been performing in NYC. It’s going well in terms of injury except for this mention: </p>
<ul>
<li>a misplaced prop in the dark backstage, in this case a pair of boots put in a slightly different/wrong place on the floor by the props-person. The actor, required to do a costume change in complete darkness backstage, tripped and fell on the boots. He fell into some lumber standing against a backstage wall, including one 2x4 piece of wood that nearly hit the actor. </li>
</ul>
<p>From the audience, they could hear a “thump” sound backstage of boards falling. Being well-trained, the cast improvised a couple of lines of dialogue about all that noise. Audience believed the “thump” was part of the script, thankfully a newly written play. </p>
<p>Nobody was hurt. It just brings out the precision required between cast and crew to keep everyone safe. Also the importance of improvisation training!</p>
<p>@paying3tuitions – Classic story, and a good reminder of how dangerous it can be backstage in total darkness! It also reminded me of two recent events that I’d forgotten. </p>
<p>First, D was in a show last year and someone exited the stage in the wrong place and ran straight into a huge bank of lights that was on a rolling stand offstage. The entire stand came crashing down, and I honestly think it could have killed someone if it had hit them, as it was extremely large and heavy. The show went on and thankfully no one was injured, but it was scary!</p>
<p>Second, in her final HS show last year, several kids in the cast ran across the street for a quick burger between performances. Two of them became violently ill with food poisoning during the show (one had to be taken to the hospital) and the cast had to improvise the remainder of the show – almost the full second act – without two main characters, so I totally agree with the importance of having a good understanding of your character, the overall plot, and the ability to improvise under pressure! It also show the health risks associated with eating nasty (yet cheap) fast food! :-D</p>
<p>When my son was a senior in HS he was in a community theater production in a very old building. He had to exit stage left then run around for a quick entrance on stage right. He slammed his head into a low door way and was knocked out cold!. Ended up with a concussion and 15 stitches in his forehead. He has quite a scare. He was playing the role of “Pippin”. That role is now forever remembered on his forehead! Builds character I guess!!</p>