<p>^^^
Hey, it’s a music (and I use that term loosely) video, not a driver’s ed training film. She already wrote the lyrics and they couldn’t afford to rent a bus!</p>
<p>Actually, the mom’s response to all of this is very well reasoned: [An</a> Internet Star’s Mom Responds - NYTimes.com](<a href=“An Internet Star's Mom Responds - The New York Times”>An Internet Star's Mom Responds - The New York Times)</p>
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Lessons would’ve been a good place to start here too.</p>
<p>The way to become successful as a recording artist may not be to first achieve fame but to first hone one’s talent. 
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<p>Perhaps this young girl can sing (hard to tell with the way it is recorded), but the song is so bad (particularly the lyrics) and the whole video just is not good. Why must someone age 13 have a music video yet? </p>
<p>I dunno. I have a kid in the biz and granted, YouTube videos were not around when she was 13, but I would not have done it anyway. She is in the midst of recording her first EP of original songs, but also has a college degree and has worked up to this point. She would not even allow anything she performed pre-college to be on YouTube.</p>
<p>PS, I do feel sorry for the girl for getting negative reactions and becoming famous for not the best reasons. Some who saw her video thought it was a parody at first.</p>
<p>I was under the impression that Rebecca DIDN’T write the song, so you can really only judge her from her singing and her performance in the video.</p>
<p>I didn’t see this as an attempt by Rebecca to be a legitimate recording artist with this video, maybe I am misunderstanding it. I thought it was just a kid having fun and getting some exposure to a recording studio because it was something she was interested in. I don’t think a 13 year old “must” have a music video, but if her parents could afford it and the family wanted to do this, why not? If they had been prepared for the notoriety it would gain that would have been a consideration I’m sure, but I doubt they expected this. Hell, this company has done dozens of these videos and nobody has heard of them.</p>
<p>CC College Counselor/Musical Theater Counselor, what do you think of this statement?
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<p>Also, would you have advised Justin Bieber not to do a youtube before he graduated college?</p>
<p>Billy, she’s 13 years old. Chances are excellent that by the time she’s ready to apply to college, she will have changed her mind about where she wants to go. In any case, having made a music video that has humiliated you beyond belief is not going to be anyone’s “ticket in” to NYU. She will have to have the academic stats and the excellent audition that every other applicant is required to have for entry into the theatre or music programs at NYU, and based on that video, she’ll need major improvement in her vocals to even have a hope of being admitted.</p>
<p>It’s clear that these parents paying for the making of these videos are hoping for Bieber-esque success for their kids. I don’t really understand why anyone would want that for a 13 year old.</p>
<p>Me neither, but then again, I try not to judge since I disagree with many decisions other parents make (including some on this chat group).</p>
<p>The only thing that makes this video different from a zillion others on YouTube is that through a quirk of fate it’s gone viral. I think if six months ago somebody had shown most of us a link to Ark Music Factory and some of the videos it has made, we’d all be saying, “Well, if people want to throw away their money on a vanity video like that, that’s their business, but I hope they don’t think it’s going to make them famous.”</p>
<p>By the way, the video has more than 60 million views now.</p>
<p>The ironic thing is that the performance is being mocked because the song and the lyrics are sappy and capital offense of them all - it’s uncool. The song probably wouldn’t have been considered great art a generation ago, but it never would have gotten this kind of reaction, either. Meanwhile Rebecca is just 13. I’d rather see a kid her age sing something that is too “saccharin,” cliched or even of questionable quality as opposed to age inappropriate (although not sure how appropriate promoting the typical weekend “party” scene is for a 13 year old, either). As for putting a kid on youtube, I wouldn’t do it, but if a kid put out a very well liked music video, there would be none of the controversy.</p>
<p>With respect to the point that this is not a driver’s ed training piece - I know, and maybe they were taking poetic license, but albums and music videos aimed at teens are frequently criticized for their broader influence when it comes to drugs, smoking, sex and profanity,which never killed anyone. Why should risky driving be any different, especially in a production performed by and aimed at 13 year olds (and even if only a few thousand of them, as they first imagined)?</p>
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<p>OK, Tipper. Should they be banned outright or just have a fast talking legal disclaimer like prescription medication ads?</p>
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<p>I hadn’t read the whole article but thanks for the quote. As I have a daughter who went to NYU/Tisch for musical theater, I would say something similar to alwaysamom’s post. It is very competitive to get into the BFA program at NYU/Tisch for musical theater and a significant piece of the admissions process is the AUDITION. So, she’ll have to beat out the significant competition in terms of voice, acting, and dance to make it in and about 6% get in for Musical theater of those who apply to NYU. It will require huge talent at the top of the national talent pool, not notoriety, to be admitted. Sure, she will have a good topic for a college essay, a small piece of getting into NYU/Tisch. </p>
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<p>I was never advising someone to not put themselves on YouTube prior to high school graduation. I was saying that YouTube was not around when my musical D was in high school, from what I recall, or maybe it was just starting then (she graduated in 2005). I’m saying that my D, who is well trained with a college degree in the field, would not allow us to post videos of her performances prior to college as she feels she has progressed a lot more since then. However, if YouTube was popular when she was in high school, maybe we would have posted clips from her in shows, but would not have created a music video. My D is on YouTube now, mostly clips from various performances, not music videos per se. She is in one music video that she made AFTER graduating COLLEGE with a cast she performs with regularly in NYC, and she is the featured singer and also wrote the song. It has about 24,000 hits. She is not using YouTube to further her career. Rather, she has trained and is progressing through her career in other ways, and doing well so far. </p>
<p>I’m not against the parents who made this music video for their daughter. I just don’t think it is the way to go at that age so much and prefer furthering her training to the point she can put out something really professional and great. In other words, I don’t think the first priority should be to seek fame at age 13, but rather to train and get experience so that she can eventually put herself out in the world with something worthy of positive attention. I just don’t see the point in the music video so much off the bat at that age. It really lacked professionalism and I don’t know who wrote the song but it is not good, in my opinion. Rather than putting out something embarrassing, I’d wait to put out something in such a public way that is really good. In other words, I would not want the attention to be over any mockery or be featured for the wrong reasons. The music video my D was in (she did not produce this as an individual, but it was for a performing group she is in), was featured on several well known sites for the right reasons. However, she is not seeking fame, but rather a successful career in her field.</p>
<p>Perhaps the takeaway here is that a video on YouTube may bring you fame (or infamy) whether you are seeking it or not.</p>
<p>Are you familiar with the story of Antoine Dodson?</p>
<p>Hunt, so true.</p>
<p>Yeah, I know of Antoine Dodson. My D’s former college a capella group, performs the Bedbug song and got some attention over it themselves, such as being on TV (this was after she graduated).</p>
<p>Antoine got enough money out of it to move his family out of the projects. But I do think “Bed Intruder” is a better song than “Friday,” even if it uses even more AutoTune.</p>
<p>Oops, my bad…geez… I called it the Bedbug song! It is Bed Intruder! Must be a NYC thing that I got them mixed up! :D</p>
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<p>And what % of those 6% will achieve the fame (or infamy, if you will) that Rebecca already has? (not counting children of the already accomplished like Bryce Howard)</p>
<p>And, how do you guys feel about what Will and Jada Smith are doing for their kids?</p>
<p>I just assumed Antoine must have a new song about bedbugs. It would be a natural.</p>
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<p>Well, you see, it depends what your goals are. I don’t know Rebecca Black’s goals and if it was to achieve fame, she achieved that. </p>
<p>For my D, who did go to NYU/Tisch for musical theater, her goal is not fame. Her goal is to have a successful career in the fields of theater and music (she is involved in several facets of the field actually). If she can have a career doing what she loves and be successful at it and support herself, she will have achieved her goals. Fame is not the goal. If fame comes along with any of the rest, so be it. So far, my D is doing well with her goals and has achieved several things at a young age (she is older than Rebecca Black…she’s 22). My D is a complete unknown and just starting out, but a few days ago, she was selected for something and the others who were selected for it have either Tony Awards, Tony nominations or are Pullitzer finalists. She achieved it on her own merits, and not by anything on YouTube or attempts to achieve fame.</p>
<p>By the way, while Bryce Howard has famous parents, I believe she has achieved in her own right. She is an alum of my D’s theater camp and my D’s college program (for drama) and has talent and training. Perhaps she is well connected and that helps, but she would not have achieved all that she has without talent. I believe her talent has much to do with her fame.</p>
<p>Congratulations to your D on the role, soozie! She must be extremely talented and accomplished.</p>