<p>I'm just a mom and this is just a spark of an idea, but I've been around CC for some time and I feel like I'm on to something. Thankfully, through some dumb luck and muddling through, my boys haven't needed to take loans for their BFA programs, but I see the devastating effects of student loan debt on their friends and it weighs heavily on my soul. Some of the most talented and passionate kids they know are barely making it financially at school -- and the threat of dropping out looms. This is REAL LIFE. </p>
<p>Read the quotes in Mary Anna Dennard's article from Huffington Post entitled "I got in and then I dropped out" </p>
<p>I've also shared the recent story in American Theatre Magazine about the DEBT SENTENCE facing performers </p>
<p>I've been thinking about all of this for weeks and I've decided to begin formalizing an idea that's been swirling in my head for a while. I would like to see a national movement to create a program akin to Teach for America, but for young performers. I propose creating PERFORM FOR AMERICA, wherein, for a grant or some form of student loan forgiveness, students could work for two years post-graduation, perhaps performing on military bases or teaching dance/acting/music at underserved schools or community centers; or helping to revitalize abandoned theatre spaces. The possibilities are limitless. </p>
<p>Now is not the time to figure out the framework, rules or guidelines for such a program -- if we gain enough support, that will come. I just want to prove that there is a need for this. </p>
<p>MODERATOR’S NOTE: I deleted the website links, because they were filtered by CC. Spelling around the filter is not allowed (see the Terms of Service, found at the bottom of each page).</p>
<p>I wish The D (and mom) could get by with no loans. Single mom with one child means little to no financial aid. So I know the struggle firsthand!!</p>
<p>SO many of my boys friends are facing this – deciding whether or not they can make it through school, take more loans, work and forego the school productions, etc. Please know I am NOT asking for donations. I just need people to sign this petition. </p>
<p>Sorry… I think this is just looking for a way for taxpayers to cover the cost of an education that requires a lot of loans and does not pay off in wages in the long run. I don’t see it as comparable to TFA.</p>
<p>@intparent - with the rising costs of education, BFA students are NOT the only people who may end up with large loans, or who may struggle to pay them off. And how does being a English/History majors really “pay off” in the long run? (I know several liberal arts/humanities majors who have used TFA to offset the cost of their education)IMHO - Teach for America was originated as a way of getting high quality, top educated mentors into underserved areas. For me, the seed of this idea has a similar notion. It seems to me a way to keep arts alive and subsidized in schools. Let’s face it, IF this idea goes somewhere and is implemented, it will take time. The odds that the people discussing it here would benefit are slim. There are numerous studies that show the arts benefit young kids, but schools are cutting arts right left and center- b/c they aren’t on the standardized tests driving public education in many states. This seems a win-win, helping deserving college kids (who would need to put their careers on hold to fulfill obligations, in a field where you is key) and getting arts to underserved areas.</p>
<p>I guess my question is where does the money to pay off the loans come from? I mean if underserved schools cant afford one teacher to teach music or drama, or even share one, how are they going to pay off a bunch of these student loans? And can’t these graduates, if they want to teach, teach through TFA?</p>
<p>@intparent - I think if you do some research and see how many children no longer get any sort of arts as part of their education because arts budgets have been cut or eliminated from their schools, you will see how a program like this would benefit both the college students who participate and the communities in which they are placed upon graduation. Especially when you consider that research continually shows that students who do have arts as part of their curriculum K-12 have better grades, better test scores, better behavior and are less likely to participate in risky behaviors.
Yes, parents are trying to find ways to help with the high cost of going to college. But this is not just about for our child’s college. We also must realize there is a need and a value in bringing the arts to areas who lack access. Not just for our own good but for the betterment of society. A program such as this could be a way to insure accessibility to the arts for all school aged children. How to fund it is a good question, but I do believe the idea for the program itself is a good one and one that needs our support so options can be explored.</p>