<p>SopranoRose…This is just a thought, but I couldn’t help but feel that maybe your stepmother could be a little jealous over the attention you may be getting from your Dad during this time (or even over your talent). Your stepmom does not have to understand your career choice and if she doesn’t get it, then the least she could is support you and not act like your choice is “beneath” what she feels is acceptable. Her response totally rubbed me the wrong way…as you can tell. Lori</p>
<p>OR jealous that you are pursuing your dream and she never had the chance. I’ve had occasion to see several “musical” adults who are envious of an exciting path opening up to a young student.</p>
<p>I think the thing that got to me the most was when I heard her on the phone, and she was telling the person that I just was going to have a high school education. And that’s when we talked afterwards, and I tried to make her see that it’s still COLLEGE. I mean, if you want to go to college to be a tree surgeon, it’s still a major and it’s still a college, no matter how dumb the major seems.</p>
<p>In the beginning, I always felt like I was a disappointment to my dad, mainly because he’s super smart and has three master degrees and is vice president at a big company, and pretty much all his brothers and sisters and their kids all have the same types of smart jobs, so I think he always just wondered what went wrong with me, if I was missing a gene or something. But now, he thinks it’s the coolest thing. And he is super excited about SUNY Purchase, simply because it’s a state university of New York, and it’s a good school to hear about WITHOUT the music! </p>
<p>Anyway. Thanks for everything that’s been said, it makes me think a lot and I’m trying to look at it from all angles.</p>
<p>Sounds sort of like my DH, who insists on calling Peabody “Johns Hopkins.” He’s a chemist, so that’s the organizational system his mind works in. It’s not that he’s not supportive, it’s just that he honestly didn’t get it until someone explained that the whole going-to-a-school-to-work-with-a-particular-teacher thing was essentially what he did for graduate school. Then the lightbulb came on!</p>
<p>The degree will have the name of the university on it. You will be a graduate of the university unless it is a pure conservatory. You have been accepted at State U New York (Purchase) and U New Hampshire. That is where your undergraduate degree will be from. It won’t say “just music”. Maybe your Mom does not understand that. When you have that degree it will be like having a liberal arts bachelor’s degree. You do with it what you wish from that point.</p>
<p>Well, I will be getting a Bachelor of Music from SUNY Purchase, given by the Purchase Music Conservatory. So because it’s a bachelor of music, my mom thinks that means I’m ONLY taking music classs (which will take up MOST of my schedule, but of course I will have L.A. classes too). It’s the same for someone who gets a degree in accouting… they’re going to take a science class as well as a math class, they’ll just be a little more focused on those math classes.</p>