Challenges
It's been a very challenging week for me as a teacher for a variety of reasons. The most recent snag is that one of my best students didn't get a role in her school musical.
To give you an idea of how she ranks within her school, last year she sang the role of Maria in The Sound of Music at her school (and did a knock-out job! See March blog) and she was the only student from her whole school to get into All-State Choir. When I heard that her school was doing the musical, Anything Goes, I was thrilled. The role of Reno is perfect for her. In fact, I was convinced that they chose the musical specifically for her - kind of like Doc did when I was in high school by doing Fiddler on the Roof the year Jordan Sher was a senior. So, I was floored when her mom called tonight to tell me that not only did they not give her the role of Reno, they didn't give her any role at all! And that musical has several supporting roles. They put her in the chorus. This, her senior year, and she's planning to major in music! What a terrible disappointment!
I had a student last year who was denied a leading role because her school had a policy against any student having a leading role two years in a row. But they told her this so she understood. This student's teacher didn't pull her aside to explain or do anything to prepare her for what she must have known was going to be a hard blow. I will be interested to hear what she and her mother can get from the choir teacher in the way of an explanation. I mean, they have every right not to cast her, but in an educational situation like that, I think it's important that a student of her caliber understand what factors worked against her.
And sadly, I think I know how my student feels. She's worked very hard, she thought she was sure to get a role and then she was blind-sided. Like when I applied for a master's in voice performance at CU Boulder after doing my undergrad at the #1 music school in the country (Indiana U!). I couldn't believe a state school in my own state would turn me down with the qualifications I had. I was devastated.
Now, on one hand I've been told that there were political issues going on at CU which would make it harder for an in-state student to get in than an out-of-state one. So, there was sort of an explanation later on, though I have no real proof of it. But on the other hand, I was never meant to be in Boulder, and I don't think I was meant to get my master's in performance either. I just hadn't realized it yet. I am not doing my graduate work in Music Education because I couldn't do it in Performance. Not at all - I was accepted to the Performance program at DU, but turned it down. No, it was during that time that I suddenly realized that although I love performing, I didn't want the lifestyle of a performer - the traveling so many months out of the year. I like being at home and I want to raise a family. And at the same time, I was discovering how much I really enjoyed teaching, even though it had originally been a means to an end. And UNC is among the best places in the country to get a music education degree.
So, the point is, I know how crushed I was when I first found out that I wasn't accepted to CU. I knew God had a plan, but I couldn't begin to fathom what it was. And that's where my student is now. And God revealed His plan in His own time and it is better than anything I could have dreamed up on my own. He will do the same for my student.
Like I said, her mom called to tell me what happened. I don't actually see her until Tuesday, so I have that long to figure out the best way to encourage her. I have an idea how I will start, but I would be interested in how y'all would handle it if you were in my position...
To give you an idea of how she ranks within her school, last year she sang the role of Maria in The Sound of Music at her school (and did a knock-out job! See March blog) and she was the only student from her whole school to get into All-State Choir. When I heard that her school was doing the musical, Anything Goes, I was thrilled. The role of Reno is perfect for her. In fact, I was convinced that they chose the musical specifically for her - kind of like Doc did when I was in high school by doing Fiddler on the Roof the year Jordan Sher was a senior. So, I was floored when her mom called tonight to tell me that not only did they not give her the role of Reno, they didn't give her any role at all! And that musical has several supporting roles. They put her in the chorus. This, her senior year, and she's planning to major in music! What a terrible disappointment!
I had a student last year who was denied a leading role because her school had a policy against any student having a leading role two years in a row. But they told her this so she understood. This student's teacher didn't pull her aside to explain or do anything to prepare her for what she must have known was going to be a hard blow. I will be interested to hear what she and her mother can get from the choir teacher in the way of an explanation. I mean, they have every right not to cast her, but in an educational situation like that, I think it's important that a student of her caliber understand what factors worked against her.
And sadly, I think I know how my student feels. She's worked very hard, she thought she was sure to get a role and then she was blind-sided. Like when I applied for a master's in voice performance at CU Boulder after doing my undergrad at the #1 music school in the country (Indiana U!). I couldn't believe a state school in my own state would turn me down with the qualifications I had. I was devastated.
Now, on one hand I've been told that there were political issues going on at CU which would make it harder for an in-state student to get in than an out-of-state one. So, there was sort of an explanation later on, though I have no real proof of it. But on the other hand, I was never meant to be in Boulder, and I don't think I was meant to get my master's in performance either. I just hadn't realized it yet. I am not doing my graduate work in Music Education because I couldn't do it in Performance. Not at all - I was accepted to the Performance program at DU, but turned it down. No, it was during that time that I suddenly realized that although I love performing, I didn't want the lifestyle of a performer - the traveling so many months out of the year. I like being at home and I want to raise a family. And at the same time, I was discovering how much I really enjoyed teaching, even though it had originally been a means to an end. And UNC is among the best places in the country to get a music education degree.
So, the point is, I know how crushed I was when I first found out that I wasn't accepted to CU. I knew God had a plan, but I couldn't begin to fathom what it was. And that's where my student is now. And God revealed His plan in His own time and it is better than anything I could have dreamed up on my own. He will do the same for my student.
Like I said, her mom called to tell me what happened. I don't actually see her until Tuesday, so I have that long to figure out the best way to encourage her. I have an idea how I will start, but I would be interested in how y'all would handle it if you were in my position...
posted by DenverSop @ 7:11 PM
7 Comments:
At 9/02/2006 9:13 PM,
Mellifluous said…
Is your student a believer?
At 9/02/2006 9:37 PM,
DenverSop said…
Yes. She's very active in her church and has been on multiple short term mission trips.
At 9/03/2006 4:42 PM,
Christianne said…
Do you know the music director at her school? Perhaps you can talk to the director-- not to accuse, just to understand the decision.
I always wonder what is actually going on in the teachers' heads. My choral director in high school all but told me that I was the best musician in Chamber Singers. I may even be the only one who is still in music. But he never gave me a solo. He gave the solo I wanted soooo badly senior year to my best friend, who really wasn't great. She being the incredibly generous soul that she is convinced the director to let us share it.
I guess it's an unfortunate introduction to the world where other people's agendas get in the way of logic, fairness and kindness.
Gosh, I can suddenly remember so many similar situations. It's heart breaking and humiliating, but encourage her to persever. There will be people who respect her talent and reward her for it.
At 9/03/2006 9:28 PM,
Anonymous said…
Hmmm. I wonder if maybe you can help most by not taking her side too much. That probably sounds a little silly, but... I know when similar things have happened to me, having my advisor take my side and tell me how robbed I was makes me feel better in the moment, but it really takes its toll on my attitude in the long run. When everyone around you tells you how unfair something was, it's easy to be bitter and feel justified in it, but the bitterness keeps you from learning from the experience and makes you not much fun to be around in the meantime. In all honesty... the music world as not as merit-based as we would like it to be and something like this would have eventually happened to her anyway. To be a performer, you have to be able to evaluate yourself honestly and independently from whether you are "successful" (of course, it was some time after I quit before I figured this out... ). Hopefully she can get a head start on that (but yes, it's still rotten!!).
At 9/04/2006 10:09 PM,
DenverSop said…
I have smart friends. This are all very very useful perspectives! Putting them all together, I feel ready to assess the situation with her tomorrow and have many ways to approach it.
JPL emailed me that she will need to sing the chorus role, whether or not she wants to, in order to get a favorable recommendation from her choir teacher when she applies to music school. I hadn't even thought of that! Her mother had said she would NOT sing the chorus role because last year she was not able to keep her grades up due to a very demanding rehearsal schedule, and it was not worth letting her grades slip again over a mere chorus part. Hmmmm.... She did end up having to retake her math class in summer school as a result, and I am only just now wondering if her academic performance last year played a role in her not getting a part this time. (pun not intended.)
Anyhow, I heard from her mother on Friday, which means that she hasn't been to school since then and has not seen her choir teacher. Perhaps she will get some more information tomorrow at school.
Another favorite approach of mine that I had forgotten about until yesterday was the Lucille Ball story. Lucille Ball was kicked out of acting school because she "had no talent" and was told to go home and make babies. Talent is a very subjective attribute, and people "who know" are sometimes very mistaken.
At 9/05/2006 4:42 PM,
Ward said…
For the student that works hard, and is talented, there's usually something better that comes along. Like a community theatre part or a local opera company part (lyric training), sr. recital or something. I have found this to be true for me on several occasions. I was turned down for what I thought was my ideal job in Minneapolis, only to get a better one in Glasgow. I got 2nd for a professor job at UConn only to get a MUCH better job at UW. It will open up time for her to do more productive things and perhaps advance her talent more than she would have in the school musical.
At 9/05/2006 11:01 PM,
DenverSop said…
I do agree with you, Ward.
I didn't have a chance to deliver JPL's warning about the upcoming letter of recommendation because she did finally get to talk to the choir director before I saw her today. She was told her "there just wasn't a role" for her in the show. Lys, we didn't get bitter, but neither one of us believes a word of it. For one thing, I thought they chose the show FOR her because she is that "right" for the role. It's not that smart people haven't disagreed with me to some extent, but to swing all the way to the other end of the spectrum? They also said she wasn't the "sexy" type. To which she said, "I'm not the Maria type either - I'm an actress." It sounds like the director perceives the character as more lurid than other versions I've seen, which is kind of surprising at the high school level. I mean, the musical came out in the 1930's - how risque can it be by today's standards and still be true to the story? Perhaps there's a prejudice against good Christian girls playing "sexy" characters. Type-casting.
Why else don't we believe it? She was also told that the lead role requires belting and "I didn't want you to hurt your voice."
And after all the students I've had that try to damage their voices by belting incorrectly, THIS student is one who generally errs on the side of caution. I've never in 2+ years heard her do anything dangerous with her voice. She has a strong, steady jazz & musical theatre voice. She knows how to "belt" correctly - and she may well be the only student of mine I can say that about. So, it would seem that they have a reason they don't want to share with her because the reasons they've given are baloney, in my opinion.
So, by the time I spoke with her, she had already told her choir teacher she would not sing in the chorus. The way she repeated the conversation to me, it sounds like she was very mature about the situation. She told the director that she respected her decision, although she disagreed with it. After all, the gal that got the leading role was several bars ahead of the pianist throughout her audition, forgot her entire monologue and couldn't dance her way out of a paper bag. K has had years of dance lessons and delivered a solid audition.
So, she told her director that there were numerous other vocal activities she could engage in that would do more for her resume. She tried to be very adult about the whole thing - she had had the whole long weekend to come to terms with it, pray about it, and "get over it" - but her choir teacher told her she thought she was behaving like a prima donna. Exactly JPL's fear. It's sad though, because K was like, "I've accepted the situation like an adult, I'm not throwing a fit, I'm just choosing to do something else. That doesn't make me a prima donna." There's basically no way she could bow out of the show and save face. But "face" is not terribly important to her. The people who know her know how she feels, and the people who don't know her will think what they're going to think regardless. It's sad that her choir teacher can't support her decision to find a greater challenge outside the school. And Ward, I think you're dead-on. K and I looked through the audition section of Friday's newspaper, and quite frankly, I've never seen so many good options for a 17 year old girl listed there. If she doesn't land a role somewhere, she will at least gain a lot of excellent auditioning experience. So, during her lesson we started creating her resume' and talked about getting some affordable headshots, as she'll need them for most of these auditions. It would have been great for her to get another big role on her resume', but the course of events is giving her some "real world" experience a little early while she has her teacher to guide her.
So, in short, she's not bitter, I'm not bitter. We're disappointed, but we're big girls and we know that it's a big world out there and we trust that God is always in control. I'm disappointed in the way her director handled the situation, and I'm proud of K and the way she learned from it and rose above it. This defining experience showed that she loves and trusts the Lord in all circumstances.
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