Valerie Williams wrote to my comments on a parent list::
> I must respectfully disagree. (unless you are just joking, then maybe I am > taking you too seriously)
I am joking in a serious way.
First, you target parents. That's all of us, isn't it? We are parents, going to be parents or have been parents, now grandparents. Yes, I imagine there are a couple who will never be parents on this list but the majority of us are, have been or could be.
Second, the problems I faced as a professional singer and manager having 19 children are going to be vastly different than those having one or two children. If you think not, try finding a baby-sitter for 19 kids. So the list would have to be broken down for singing parents of one, two, three, four and more children to have any real impact and provide help.
I phrased my comedic remarks in the way I did because of the impossibleness of having a general parent's list that made sense to all; targeting one family of vocalisters as opposed to the group. Sometime ago a suggestion was made to break the group into specific sections to which I replied in a similar fashion.
I believe the vocalist group, as a whole, can handle the occasional 'what do I do with my kids' problems better than a smaller group. More is better, especially here. Besides, a discussion of what to do with kids applies to many other areas, not just to singers.
I realize you want to talk about, 'the VERY REAL pressures of paying for lessons (vs. buying your kids shoes), finding time to practice (when you are exhausted from caring for an infant all day/night)' but I don't understand how any group can help. These are general problems facing all parents regardless of the art form they choose to practice, and these answers usually come from yourself in trying different methods to cope. If a person is totally exasperated and can find no workable solution then it means the person has to either give the kids away or postpone their particular art form until the kids are older. In my case I chose to give up singing professionally until the last of my kids were old enough to fend at home for themselves. I just did a different art form, one that didn't keep me away so much.
I suggest if you are totally exasperated and ready to give up, then do so, at least for awhile. Kids are much more important than music, at least in my book. There are other ways to put butter on the table besides singing, until the kids are older. I have not met a single person in the professional art world who does not have something prepared to fall back on. And if one is not in the professional music world it doesn't matter if music has to go on the back burner for awhile.
Just my five cents-
-- Dean FH Macy, Lit.D./Mus.D. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------\ ---------------
"Specializing in Management of exceptionally talented youth in Music" <http://www.newenglandtalent.org> EPI Records - NetWork Films --------------------------------------------------------------------------------\ ---------------
"Making children do something they don't want to do is the job of the parents. If that doesn't work, there are always juvenile detention centers." - Mike R. -
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