<p>I had a Saturday audition to Penn State’s music education program on saxophone (which was my top choice), which was about a year and a half ago now. The Wednesday before that, we were playing volleyball in gym class. I jumped to set the ball and it was a bit higher than I judged it. It hit my left pointer finger and yanked it backwards. It was huge and swollen for the rest of the week, to the point where we were considering rescheduling my audition. But at less than 5 days before auditions, I wasn’t sure if this was possible. Finger beginning to heal, I went ahead. If anyone here has ever played saxophone, you use that finger a lot. I got through it, even though it was a tad painful, and was accepted! </p>
<p>Except now I’m in the journalism program and looking to pick up a second bachelor’s degree in MT, possibly at a different college, after finishing this one.</p>
<p>I have a similar disaster to the Peter Pan story. Just this past March, D was cast as Marian in The Music Man - started showing early signs of illness during tech week, dosed her up with Umka, and Ginger Tea, and Singer’s Saving Grace. The morning of the first performance, she walked into our kitchen, said, “Mom, I feel funny” and passed out cold. Long story short - she had no understudy - first performance was cancelled, turned into an emergency dress, where an understudy was rehearsed. Like tracyvp’s daughter - she did recover enough to attend and assist at some performances, but did not recover enough to perform the role she had rehearsed! We refer to it as the “Musical that Wasn’t”. </p>
<p>Again, my kiddo was completely impressive in her support to the understudy and the rest of the cast - and the cast was wonderful in turn. It was very difficult for her to go the first time after the cancelled performance. She felt she had let everyone down, and was afraid that they would hold it against her… quite the contrary - she was swarmed by the cast upon her arrival, who all expressed concern for her well being and told her how much they had missed her, and how sorry they were that she wasn’t able to perform!</p>
<p>Most touching was one mom who approached her. Backstory on this mom - her youngest son was in the production. Her oldest son had done productions with this same Youth Theater in the past, until his MT dreams were cut short by a devastating car accident that left him paralyzed and brain injured. This mom came up to D in tears about what an inspiration SHE was to all these other kids. It completely floored my D, she was so incredibly humbled.</p>
<p>So, all in all, despite the missed performance opportunity, it was still an experience that I’m sure has shaped her.</p>
<p>Welcome, Kate! Look forward to hearing more from you here on CC!</p>
<p>Yes, it is so great to see the kids support and encourage each other, isn’t it? Despite some of the backstage sniping, I’ve got to say, theatre kids are just the best! Same with the parents. Even though they often b***h about casting, when push comes to shove, they are all parents and they DO seem to really love the kids. I still have parents comment to me on D’s maturity and grace under difficult circumstances.</p>
<p>As they say, what doesn’t kill us makes us stronger, and these experiences surely prove that!</p>
<p>Just found these boards this weekend. Just at the very beginning of our college search/audition/etc. process. D is a HS Sophomore right now, with a great PA studio and Voice Teacher, who has done this before - his own 2 kids in MT programs, as well as other students. His S is done with school at Otterbein and is currently in his 2nd year of a National Tour. His D is a Senior at Oakland. I’m a little daunted by the amount of prep and travel etc. that we are going to have to invest in this process, but grateful that we recognized early that it would be a lot of prep, and started the research process early. Planning to schedule our first visits over her April break. So different from her older sister, who is studying Athletic Training - applied and was accepted to her top choice, got a decent scholarship, and never applied anywhere else - and is happily ensconced in her freshman year at college.</p>
<p>@kategrizz - Hoorah for your D’s kind spirit during her performing crisis AND for your good planning in starting to figure all of this out in advance! </p>
<p>It’s true that studying MT seems utterly unlike other degrees, not only in the application process, but I’m also seeing that as D has started school with 2 weeks of rather intensive and seemingly unending auditions. We did nothing like this in engineering school! </p>
<p>Ah well, since it doesn’t end once they finish school, I guess it’s only fitting that lots of auditions (both sick and healthy) line the path to an MT career.</p>