Leslie:
I was a music ed. major until my school decided to stop giving private
lessons to music ed. majors. I promptly switched to performance, even though
my first love is teaching. I felt that I need to "do" as well as I possibly
could if I was going to teach and that I needed more than one 1 hour group
(8 students) lesson a week to achieve that. Since my parents were unable to
assist with my eductaion, hadn't been to college themselves, I was paying,
or would be for the next 10 years, so there was no one to counsel me or
insist on my choices.
When I finished my masters, my first job was as a teacher/artist in a
state-funded children's theatre. When I left after three years of performing
imposed roles in substandard plays and musicals, I relied on my high school
and college summer administrative and banking work experience to get a great
temp. job that quickly turned to full-time. A friend in the church choir
where I was the soprano soloist liked "my energy" and offered me a job in
the law firm where he was a partner. My self-taught desktop publishing and
DOS skills quickly landed me the position of network supervisor and I ended
up becoming the assistant legal administrator within 2 years. All the while,
I taught and sang as much as I could.
Now that I'm a 38 year old full-time mother of 2 toddlers, I'm singing
better and more than ever (to my children's great annoyance!), continuing to
teach and working on marketing myself locally and regionally. Because now,
(at 38 too late for Met auditions and the like), for the first time, I do
feel the pull to perform in addition to teaching, directing and church gig.
And I second-guess my choices all the time. I believe that I sing as well as
many classical artists I hear today. Where might I be now if I'd had the
money, opportunities, and especially, ambitions they and other singers on
the list seem to have...or...Why didn't I go to law school, get a computer
degree, become a psychologist? But what I always come back to is this: If I
were going to spend $20,000 (it was the 70's after all!) on one thing I
would use my whole life, share with my children, explore with wonderful
young people,continue to be challenged and delighted by 20 years later, etc,
it would still be music. I'd still like to have made some more intelligent
choices along the way, but the ones I did make brought me here to Albany,
gave me the opportunity to teach, gave me my two sweet children and husband
and there's nothing about that I regret.
One more quick story for Leslie: My roommate in college was a beautiful and
gifted Taiwanese-American girl studying Economics. The problem was that she
only came alive when she was dancing - she was fabulous! But as a business
major she was miserable and she actually had a breakdown and had to leave
school for awhile. The reason? She told the counselor who worked with her
that she couldn't stand being confronted daily with the fact that I, as a
music major, had for my homework and my future all the things I loved doing
and was passionate about. And she, who lived to dance, had to squeeze it in
between all-night study sessions and tutoring in subjects she cared nothing
for. She told me that in her culture, parents sacrificed everything for
their children, but the oldest child was expected to support them in return.
So they paid for her education and beautiful clothes and lovely home in a
nice suburb, but she was not allowed to major or even minor in dance - it
had to be business, not even remotely her choice, and that was the way it
was.
I think that those with the talent, passion, and ambition to make it are so
few and far between that they should be treated as precious treasure and
allowed to take the time to pursue singing whole-heartedly. There is always
time for a "more realistic" degree a few years down the road if it becomes
necessary or desired.
Well, that's my $1.50 on the subject!
God bless all making these difficult choices,
Laura
-----Original Message-----
From: leskayc@a... [mailto:]
Sent: Wednesday, May 10, 2000 10:10 AM
To: vocalist-temporary@egroups.com
Subject: [vocalist-temporary] Children's Career-was career+children
Hello list!
This thread coincides with one of the many major topics at my house these
days, and that is: If Kate (my 17 year old soon to be senior ) majors in
voice performance in college, what will she eat after graduation? She
really
loves music and is very talented soprano. She acts, dances, and has the
looks. She would love to have a crack at REEALLY performing-but we all know
you gotta have a day job........................Plus, she definitely wants a
husband and kids in her future.
SO, what is a good road to take? A double major? What would be a good
complementary major for someone whose life revolves around singing? Can
one
minor in voice and still get the good professors? What about a voice major
followed by grad school then teaching at the college level? Her father (the
accountant, musically illiterate) is about to have a nervous breakdown over
this. Music Ed would be one thing, but she wants performance. I understand
his concerns, but she is really talented. My own father kept me from
majoring in voice and I have regretted it. However, when we were young and
poor I had a good job as a nurse, and that education stood me in good stead.
Any thoughts?
Leslie
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