<p>@megpmom - Terrible news! Will your daughter regain hearing in that ear? I am so sorry for her!!</p>
<p>They (the doctors) say that she should regain hearing when the eardrum heals in a couple months. The ENT will monitor her periodically to make sure everything is OK. Funny thing is, she was deaf in the same ear (due to scar tissue) when she was a toddler and we had it corrected by surgery. So, we’re hoping for the best.</p>
<p>Lesson learned: take decongestants the minute you start to feel pressure.</p>
<p>My daughter had numerous sinus infections last year so over the summer we took her to an ENT who specializes in singers. She put the camera down her throat so we could see her vocal chords; it was fascinating and we now have a DVD of her vocal chords as a baseline. So far this year no colds or sinus infections so maybe she’s beat it.</p>
<p>@megpmom - Glad to hear she should get her hearing back! The good news is that I’ve lost hearing in my left ear and find it amazing how able the brain is to compensate. I can no longer locate the source of bird calls, and if someone is sitting on my left in a loud restaurant I have to turn my head to hear them, but otherwise it’s no problem. Then again, I’m not a singer so I don’t know how that would be. </p>
<p>@amtc - Interesting! D recently mentioned the idea of getting a baseline so maybe I’ll make her an appointment over winter break. Thanks for the tip!</p>
<p>Although I am not adding much, I found it slightly amusing that after I read this thread, I checked my e-mail and had a new message from my private voice instructor. It was a nice enough “Have a good holiday break!” Then he added: “…and be safe.” with the aforementioned Adele article listed below the message. Steering us away from any high-powered beltathons on long roadtrips, I suppose. :)</p>
<p>I love reading this topic, though. This career is a high risk to an extent, and every time something new pops up it makes me want to drink some tea and pay more attention when we get into pedagogy in my voice lessons. Thanks to everyone for posting their own stories, they hit a lot closer to home than even hearing about “superstars” in pop music like Adele.</p>
<p>@AlexaMT - I hope you followed your voice teacher’s advice and practiced Safe Singing over the Thanksgiving break. You joke about high-powered beltathons on road trips, but I do know D has attended some wild late-night belting parties in her day. ;-D</p>
<p>I thought the thread about acid reflux was interesting, as we know many people who suffer from it and I hadn’t considered its impact on vocal chords. It’s always something, no?</p>
<p>I also just remembered the dreaded health elephant-in-the-closet that is weight gain. I heard an interview with the head of CCM in which he quipped “the only person in my department who gets to be fat is me.”</p>
<p>As an engineer, one is allowed to have acid reflux AND be fat and still remain employed.</p>
<p>I did! Most of my friends back home aren’t theatre kids so I was safe and sound. But I did once have an in-car beltathon from Atlanta to Myrtle Beach (a good 5 hours) and boy, did I regret it the next day. </p>
<p>Weight is a touchy issue with performers in general, at any school. At CCU people have been told in portfolio reviews that it is in their best interest to lose weight, but more than likely the faculty will suggest that people “get in shape”. Not everyone is required to be stick thin or extremely muscular (although some types DO call for it). As a musical theatre major, however, you need to be able to dance well and for long periods of time, and you need to be athletic in able to do that. Dance classes help, but a heck of a lot of theatre majors I know grab big salads for dinnner before heading to Zumba in addition. Personally, I am primarily concered with making sure my classmates are healthy, because I know the dangers that can come with being told to lose weight. So we all try to look out for eachother in that regard. </p>
<p>Plus, if you are in a BFA Program, chances are you are not UNattractive, in my opinion. People are quirky, but the idea is that actors are typically good looking and it’s hard to get into a BFA program if you don’t at least fit a certain “look”, more so at some schools than others. Some people just need to be reminded that they are uniquely beautiful, including me, especially when the faculty have to be a little honest on occassion in regards to your career.</p>
<p>Alexa- you are a beauty inside and out!</p>
<p>classicalbk, you are absolutely right! I have told Alexa’s mom that but I don’t think I’ve ever told her. So, Alexa, you are truly a beautiful human being who I hope to one day meet and see perform. You are a gem here on CC and everyone here is so very fortunate to be able to benefit from your wonderful posts. I hope that doesn’t embarrass you too much! :)</p>
<p>Amen to that! And I suspect that the same transparency Alexa brings to these boards is what makes her an amazing actor. I fully expect to see her perform “on the big stage” one day.</p>
<p>Awww, thank you to all three of you. I truly appreciate it. I love posting here on CC and I do because I really do care and want to help people out because so many people were helpful to me during my audition process, but there was still a lot more that I wish I’d known. I have no idea if I’ll ever be “on the big stage” but I hope to perform in as many places and meet as many people as I can, maybe even fellow College Confidential posters and their kids!</p>
<p>PS- Now let’s hope Ken Martin sees this… ;)</p>
<p>Something tells me Ken already knows just how awesome you are, Alexa! No worries on that account!</p>