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| Author | Topic: Theatre Major |
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futuremamarose87
Registered User
Registered:
5/3/2004 | posted: 7/31/2004 at 11:59:04 AM ET
I am soooo stressed about college applications and stuff and definitely need guidance. I am soooo obsessed with musical theatre and in love with it, that it's my obvious direction. BUT, my parents are not willing to let me do it, and are telling me that I should be a teacher or a music teacher. I don't want to do that cuz I get frustrated teaching something I know well, and am not patient. I am only passionate about singing and theatre, and it's the ONLY thing that makes me happy.
I know most colleges don't need you to declare a major the first year, but I wanna go to NYU, and there you declare first year.
I wanted to know of anyone's opinion about being a theatre major, or if any of you have or are, if maybe you could let me know about how it works for you, and what you would recommend.
I definitely wanna be in NYC, cuz there are a lot of oppurtunities there.
Anyways... sorry... i HAD to vent about my frustration and stress.
I'd appreciate advice
"It was like being high when you reach those high notes."
~Bernadette Peters
|  BwayLover
Registered User
Registered:
8/12/2002 | posted: 7/31/2004 at 1:36:11 PM ET
It appears I'm kind of in the same boat as you; that is, I'm trying to figure out my college plans too, and it's freaking me out (although I don't have plans to be a theatre major). Since it seems we're the same age, I unfortunately can't give you any advice or suggesstions based on my experiences. But I've been dealing with a similar situation in that there's something I want to do in the next few years, and my parents aren't too thrilled, not to mention most of my friends are like, that's such a dumb idea. Anyway, the point I'm trying to make is, if it's something you really want to do, something you love, I say go for it. Don't let other people deter you from your dreams. I'm sure you know that it's not easy to break into the world of theatre, so maybe if it would make your parents feel better, you could have a back up plan (like maybe a double major) in case theatre doesn't work out for you right away.
Anyway, sorry if that wasn't very helpful. Just my two cents. 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"The most interesting phrase in science is not, 'Eureka!' but, 'That's funny...'" -Issac Asimov
| futuremamarose87
Registered User
Registered:
5/3/2004 | posted: 7/31/2004 at 4:22:23 PM ET
thank you. i appreciate the advice. yeah, i'm wondering if i can do a double major.
"It was like being high when you reach those high notes."
~Bernadette Peters
|  BalletPointe5678
Registered User
Registered:
6/16/2004
From:
New Jersey | posted: 7/31/2004 at 4:28:35 PM ET
I am an unofficial double major, communications (journalism) and theatre, because I want to be a theatre critic. I did not declare the theatre major yet, just the minor, so I am fulfilling those requirements first. My advice to you would be to double major. My situation is partly similar in that my mother doesn't like my future career idea--she says it depends too much on the economy, and that when times are bad, I won't have a job. So as a result I am also pursuing a journalism degree, so I don't have to write JUST about theatre. It's sort of like a compromise. Don't settle for less than your dreams--sounds cliche, but it's true. If you don't pursue what you want, you'll regret it. And regret is a terrible thing, especially when the whole point of college is to study something you're interested in. I've always said that I'd rather go to school and get a degree so that I can have a job I love, even if it means I have to learn to budget my money. My mother's a nurse, and she hates it. She hates going to work everyday. But yet she says that jobs will always be available in the healthcare field. Yes, job stability is important, but so is happiness. Wow, I rambled a lot. Sorry about that. Anyway, that's my two cents. Hope this helps!
Katelyn
Curtain up! Light the lights! You got nothin' to hit but the heights!
|  cuteoperaboi
Registered User
Registered:
1/3/2004
From:
Ohio | posted: 7/31/2004 at 4:33:52 PM ET
Ok...I'm a performance major. I came here with the intentions of being a musical theatre major, however ended up going completely with voice peformance. I understand your frustration with you parents. When I was starting out my parents weren't real thrilled to be shelling out thousands of dollars for a degree that "may or may not get me anywhere." They eventually grew to the idea when I just finally said-NO THIS IS WHAT I'M DOING THIS IS WHAT I WANT TO DO...I'M NOT GOING TO WASTE YOUR MONEY DOING SOMETHING ELSE BECAUSE I DON'T WANT TO DO ANYTHING ELSE. So with your parents you'll have to give it some time and just be patient and try your best to understand their perspective(though it can be hard to do that.) Honestly from my experience it doesn't matter what MAJOR you are as long as you get the experience and training YOU feel that YOU need! In the end it doesn't matter what degree you have-when you're up there auditioning they're not looking at that they are looking at YOU and at what YOU can do. I have friends who are theatre majors, musical theatre majors, dance majors, and voice majors like myself. Though you are a bit more focused in one area than the others you still should have opportunity enough to really take electives and take the classes that you want. In essence you're kind of creating your own major. During my undergrad. I was mainly involved with classes in the music dept.(history, theory, etc) but I loved that...because I would then take like a few acting classes here and there, and a couple dance classes, and then I would audition and perform in some of the actual shows at the theatre dept. And let me tell you...I have MANY friends who are here to be music teachers and those that I know still do the acting classes, dance classes, and perform with the rest of us-the only difference being the actual piece of paper. I don't think it's a bad idea now that I'm a little older to have an education degree...if you have the constitution to do that then do it. I never did and still don't. I don't see myself doing anything else. And honestly if you can't see yourself doing anything else-then you probably can't!! It's mainly the training that you want to get. Get some good acting classes, take voice lessons, have some dancing classes and HAVE SOME FUN!!!! Hope this helps. But honestly futuremamarose you need to follow your heart or you will NEVER NEVER NEVER be happy and you'll alway wonder-"WHAT IF-" I say go for it! One of my friends started college and her parents thought she was a music education major and the day after she moved in she went and changed her major to musical theatre without telling them. LOL I'm not saying to this at all...just saying.
"Take off your jacket!"--Joan Rivers to Bernadette
"TAKE OFF YOUR DRESS!!"--Bernadette's reply.
| cuteoperaboi
Registered User
Registered:
1/3/2004
From:
Ohio | posted: 7/31/2004 at 4:37:07 PM ET
I forgot to say this too. You will find out your first year or two if this is REALLY what you want to do! It's a challenge...and my incoming musical theatre/voice performance class started at being 43 people and by my junior year it was down to only 5 of us that had originally came in together.
"Take off your jacket!"--Joan Rivers to Bernadette
"TAKE OFF YOUR DRESS!!"--Bernadette's reply.
| BalletPointe5678
Registered User
Registered:
6/16/2004
From:
New Jersey | posted: 7/31/2004 at 4:51:22 PM ET
Just curious, operaboi, where do you attend school? I'm thinking about grad school and I'm trying to keep my eyes and ears open.
Curtain up! Light the lights! You got nothin' to hit but the heights!
| futuremamarose87
Registered User
Registered:
5/3/2004 | posted: 7/31/2004 at 9:25:53 PM ET
thanks operaboi and balletpointe. you have definitely enlightened me in thought. i appreciate it greatly!
"It was like being high when you reach those high notes."
~Bernadette Peters
|  Rose
Registered User
Registered:
9/28/2003
From:
NY
Fav. BP Song: No One Is Alone and Some People
Fav. BP Show: Gypsy
Fav. BP Character: Rose/The Witch
Fav. BP CD: Gypsy
| posted: 8/1/2004 at 1:49:22 PM ET
I'm going to be a high school senior next year and am have the same conversation with my parents. I think I'll end up doing a double major. My mom has just accepted the fact that I don't really want to do anything else though.
"Oh no, you won't. No, not a chance. No arguements, shut up and dance."
| futuremamarose87
Registered User
Registered:
5/3/2004 | posted: 8/1/2004 at 2:22:41 PM ET
my problem is that my parents don't accept it. i, too, will be a highschool senior. thank god i'm almost out of highschool... i hate it.
"It was like being high when you reach those high notes."
~Bernadette Peters
|  3va4eva
Registered User
Registered:
7/21/2004
From:
Atlanta | posted: 8/1/2004 at 4:10:15 PM ET
Ahh, college is a daunting idea. For I, like many of you, am a rising senior and am so confused. I want to get a good education, but I want to be a singer. And if I went to a conservatory, I think my parents might disown me. And plus getting a good liberal arts background is important to me too. I tell people, and myself, that I know where I want to go to school, but in reality I have almost no idea. If anyone has any suggestions of a school that can offer a top-notch liberal arts education, and has a good music program (preferably in a city in the northeast), I would be eternally grateful!
Eva
Make the most of the music that is yours...
|  moljul
Registered User
Registered:
4/2/2001
From:
New York
Fav. BP CD: I'll Be Your Baby Tonight
Fav. BP Song: Dublin Lady
| posted: 8/1/2004 at 4:44:44 PM ET
I've been contemplating whether to weigh in here and well, I've decided to go for it. If you don't mind, let me offer a slightly older interpretation of the situation. You are about to embark on your future and it is very exciting as well as frightening. The whole world is literally at your doorstep and you have enormous aspirations. This is all very good, enjoy it, embrace it before some of the harder lessons in life come your way.
I would imagine your parents are just very concerned about your aspirations in the performance arts and financial future it will more than likely hold for you. It is more competitive than you can imagine and the number of extremely talented people that should be able to make living that aren't actually able to is staggering. Almost every talented person I knew in high school (stars of the drama department, graduates of the "fame high school"), have had to give up on making a living as a performer and have had to move into another field of work that will pay the bills and their performance degree gives them no help in securing that job. I'm sure your parents just want you to have some sort of education that would promise you some sort of livelihood. They are concerned about the very real things in life you will face after college - paying rent, buying food, paying the heat bill.
If the American dream worked the way it was supposed to you should be able to get a good education, work hard, develop your talent and be able to be successful. But the reality of the performance field is extremely grim. It is a very small percentage of actors who actually get to act, an even smaller percent who work regularly and an even tinier percentage (maybe .0001 percent who achieve true success. People like Bernadette fall into that last category. Every field is competitive and has its burdens but performing has it times about 100000. You have to keep in mind that your chances of finding any success is almost nill.
That extremely depressing point being made, I hope that all those people out there who were truly meant to be on stage, don't give up on their dreams as it would be an ugly world without you. So go for your dreams but do it in a rational manner. You say you want to go to NYU and I'm assuming your parents are supportive of you moving to New York at least. So strike a deal with them. Declare your major to be music education but tell them you are going to actively pursue performing outside of the classroom. You can audition and take acting classes and whatever while you are in school studying for another field. People do it all the time. Prove to them that you have what it takes to make it or at least give it a really good shot. Maybe if you find some minor success, they might then agree to let you take a semester off or go part time so you can pursue your dream even more without locking yourself out of college and a more stable career.
Or consider putting NYU off for a year and choose to go to CUNY or SUNY at one of their campuses in New York and go on auditions at the same time. Your parents wouldn't be spending the big bucks yet and you could still be taking some of your core classes that would later transfer to NYU with ease. Put yourself on a path to getting a degree that they approve of while giving yourself the flexibility to pursue your dreams and see if you really have what it takes. In the end maybe you will be a performer who is a music teacher during the day. Most performers have their day jobs or what they call the survival jobs, why can't yours be a teacher. The teaching job is more stable and I would imagine more fullfilling than waiting tables.
And maybe, just maybe during the time that you are pursuing performing on the side, you will find enough success and your parents will see that you really have the potential to make it and would probably be more accepting of you changing your major to performing and really going for it.
Bottom Line: You are now asking yourself what you want to do with your life but here is the big secret that very few adults will tell you: You really don't have to decide now, at your age you really aren't properly equipped to do it, just start yourself down a path. Your aspirations at 17 will be very different than those later in life. Keep your options wide open while keeping a realistic eye.
Well I hope this helps.
| Anonymous
Anonymous Poster
From Internet Network:
64.12.116.x | posted: 8/1/2004 at 4:46:47 PM ET
Hi All,
I was in this situation years back myself, so I feel obligated to share. =)
I wanted to be a musician and go to college for music.
(EVA, have you checked out The New England Conservatory, it's where I wanted to go)
Anyhoo, my father was completely against my going to school for music, he said there was no stability and no future as a musician. And I, always trying to live up to my father's unrealistic expectations, and never wanting to let him down, sacrificed my own dreams and happiness to do what he wanted me to do. I am here to tell you ladies that it was the worst mistake of my life. If you don't do what makes you happy, you'll be miserable and regret it forever. Always follow your heart and be true to yourself and don't let anyone stand in your way. If you believe in something and it makes you happy and you can't see yourself doing anything else, then DO IT. Don't sell yourselves short. Don't be afraid to dream and try things. You're parents will have to understand and they'll still love you in whatever you chose. You just have to stand up and tell them this is what you want and it will make you happy.
Sorry to go on so long here, but it's a bit of a soft spot with me.
As for applications, etc, it's a hard, stressful time for everyone. I remember doing it and I was pulling my hair out. Just take it one task at a time, allow yourself plenty of time to complete essays, etc before deadlines, and pace yourself. You'll see that it's not as bad as it seems. Hope this helps and feel free to ask me any questions cuz I've been there and I know how you guys feel.
Good Luck!
Allie =)
|  SunnyK
Registered User
Registered:
2/11/2004
From:
Bethel Township, PA | posted: 8/1/2004 at 6:06:38 PM ET
Moljul, I was also trying to decide whether or nor I should shed some light on this topic. You said exactly what I was thinking. It is incredibly important to be true to yourself and follow your dreams, however, you need to do it realistically and make sure you can support yourself. Life in the "real world" is great, but, if you like to eat, make sure you can afford to do so. Eating ramen noodles is only appetizing for so long! As hard is is may be to do, listen to your parents, they really have your future in mind and compromising maybe with a double major ot performing on the side sounds like a good plan. Good luck!
| futuremamarose87
Registered User
Registered:
5/3/2004 | posted: 8/1/2004 at 6:16:37 PM ET
what are your opinions on whether it's a good idea for me, if i do choose so, to go to NYU and study theatre where there's a ton of people in the drama department, unlike a smaller school, like maybe CUNY/SUNY with less people. would it be better for me to be a big fish in a little pool or a fish in a big pool?
would it be still a good idea to do NYU if i got in just cuz it probably has teachers who could help me out more in that field, or do you think that a CUNY school would do just find with teachers like that?
"It was like being high when you reach those high notes."
~Bernadette Peters
| jmslsu01
Registered User
Registered:
6/9/2003
From:
northern VA | posted: 8/1/2004 at 7:49:56 PM ET
Have you considered other schools not in NYC? Do a search on BroadwayWorld-there have been quite a few discussions on universities and conservatories offering musical theatre degrees.
Jenn
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