<p>I was kind of surprised that Eastman’s Student Life department is recommending that students, especially voice students, bring a humidifier. </p>
<p>That, along with a television, is something I believe I’m gonna let the D negotiate with her new roommate when assignments are made. I’m pretty sure the room won’t need two of them.</p>
<p>Also, their dorms have beds that are longer than standard (something my 5’ 11" D was thrilled to see) and they sell linen packages that include mattress pads and sheets through their bookstore. We’ll probably take them up on that offer.</p>
<p>don9992, you don’t need to get the linens through the bookstore. You can get much nicer ones at Target, Bed Bath and Beyond, etc. the XL Twin size will be all over the place soon, best selection is early in the summer. </p>
<p>For voice students, almost forgot the personal steamer (without the menthol inserts) and netti pot. DD has managed the congestion on her own much better this year with both. .</p>
<p>I would suggest that you go somewhere and by your own linens. BB and B sells extra long twin sheets, mattress pads, and such. YOU can pick the quality and the colors. Ditto the towels. AND you will probably save money doing so. If your kid is the kind who likes jersey knit sheets, you can get REGULAR twin jersey sheets and they stretch over the xlong twin just fine.</p>
<p>we bought a mattress pad for 1st dd and got to school and found out we didn’t even need it as bed had one already…what we did invest in was a pillow topper for the bed as they are notoriously hard…2nd D took it with her to BS this year and loved having it. (see I’m recyclying already!)</p>
<p>As far as the humidifiers…HMMM… have to think on that one a little…sure dry air would be very uncomfortable…but…those portable humidifiers might be great reservoir for little mold spores that would then be thrown into the air…Not sure how I feel about them.</p>
<p>The rub on humidifiers is that cold air ones are better for inhalation issues, but they breed mold; the hot/moist air ones self-sterilize, but not best for inhalation. My solution is to use a drying rack for clothes or have hanger with lots of clips which can be hung from doorway, so that things can be room dried. They will not be all that soft but it is very efficient air moisture. In cold climates the heaters go pretty strong in the rooms. One could keep a wet towel on the rack or hanging in the room all the time while the heat is turned on. Low tech solution which solves all the problems…except of course ambiance!</p>
<p>I’ve not heard good things about the bedding packages the schools sell. I used coupons at BB&B but found the best deals when the local Linens & Things closed - we did some mixing and matching in order to get high thread count. We found a great bedspread at Marshalls as well as spare pillow cases. D changes her pillow cases really often. We bought the mattress topper at BB&B. D didn’t take a humidifier but used the steamer and sinus rince regularly. They did have clothes of some sort drying in the room almost all the time so that probably helped with humidity. She took and used her keyboard a lot.</p>
<p>Edited to add - we did not get any linens from BB&B - we got sheet and towel sets from Penney’s and spare items from Linens and Things.</p>
<p>Several new things I have learned over the weekend:
re. performance clothes needed- it’s a bit easier to figure this one out for the instrumentalists (or so the kids told me!), but for the vocalists, make sure your D/S links up to the school groups on Facebook or contacts the RA, if the situation permits (obviously that won’t work for Opera-Moms D, but the Facebook idea would) to find out what other students take. We were at CIM this past weekend and had the chance yesterday to chat with a sophomore VP major; I elbowed my D until she brought up the subject of performance garb! Several of the girls gathered and the general opinion was that they all took 6-9 short, dressy dresses, 4 long gowns and then ended up having to buy 2-4 more!!! Luckily, the closets there are huge!
Re. linens- also, check out QVC.com. They carry Northern Nights bedding and I discovered that they have quite a bit available in XL Twin size, in high-thread count (the only thing my D will sleep on now that I have spoiled her on those 500+ sheets!), and also in jersey knit. The jersey ones are priced great and even if the sateen ones are pricy, it is well worth it because they are the best quality and will last throughout college.
Some schools have light cooking facilities on each floor, which CIM does, and thus, microwave ovens are not permitted nor needed in the rooms. Do find out what size of 'fridge will fit though, since it often depends upon how the room is arranged. D is also lucky because the school installed a lovely,new, and large, kitchen on the main floor with locked storage for each student, a big fridge/freezer and cooking facilities- but that also means that we will have to send along a few cooking utensils.
On the silly side- D is allergic to the ubiquitous microwave popcorn. Of course, that’s a staple around the big-screen TV for the Netflix nights and Great Peformances evenings. What shall I do? Send along an air-popper of just a steady supply of Jiffy-Pop (do they still make that?)?</p>
<p>That’s a lot of dresses. I wouldn’t assume that many - especially long ones - are needed at every school - just so parents of vocalists aren’t panicking as they read this.</p>
<p>This is ridiculous. College students do not need this kind of wardrobe to function as voice major. Those girls were saying what they would have wanted their parents to hear so they have an excuse to shop. Inevitably there are some students from very wealthy families (full pay) who have a lifestyle to maintain. If the other singers are sucked into this silliness, they are foolish. Any extra $$ should be spent on music scores, recording equipment, concert tickets, summer studies. All else is lifestyle. A long dress, a short dress, a black dress…done. </p>
<p>My family sleeps on sheets I buy because they cost a reasonable amount and fit the beds. I pay attention to who sleeps cold and who sleeps hot (jersey does not work for cold sleepers, too clingy). No complaints, except if the corners will not stay in place.</p>
<p>Image is illusory…quickly peers and teachers figure out who has what to offer professionally, their talent and work ethnic…appropriate attire for the stage which can be repeated many times and a sense of personal style with appreciation for what works best are all that is needed. </p>
<p>Performers I know use the same clothing again and again, they borrow, and they make things over to update them. This is creativity, the rest is consumption.</p>
<p>They still make JiffyPop, it’s available locally here and there’s a store locator at the site here [ConAgra</a> Foods: Jiffy Pop](<a href=“http://www.conagrafoods.com/consumer/brands/getBrand.do?page=jiffy_pop]ConAgra”>http://www.conagrafoods.com/consumer/brands/getBrand.do?page=jiffy_pop) It takes a bit of practice to do JiffyPop without overcooking (It’s burnt!) or undercooking, leaving alot of unpopped kernels. Tends to work best on a gas range, where you can accurately regulate the amount of heat. I’ve yet to see a gas range in a dorm kitchen situation, and from the clunker electrics I’ve encountered, she may or may not get the fine tuning from the infinite switches or heating element coils. I know my mother never could, but her culinary skills were such that if a procedure required precise and accurate timing, or a close eye on the process, the results were typically inedible, and often disastrous. My father finally bought a Toastmaster hot oil popper which was idiot proof, and mom proved that true. I just recently threw it away after 40 plus years of faithful service, and it was still going strong. </p>
<p>Jiffypop is really one of those fun foods, and while I’m technically and mechanically very savvy, I are not an engineer. Whoever was responsible for that little engineering marvel should have been given a Nobel prize for entertainment value. Most kid’s eyes will bug out wide when they see the process for the first time, as they hear the machine gun popping and the foil dome begins to rise. In full glory, the steam spews out of the release vent like a volcano about to blow. And you get to eat the results. What more could one want?</p>
<p>And you can cook it anywhere. I’ve used the hot manifold engine on the boat as a kid, the block on the Suburban after a long hot run at a rest area, the lid of the gas grill when the cooking surface is occupied. Hand held propane torch will work as well. </p>
<p>However, I have read many professional singers post of how they have a favorite dress and then work with it to create different looks…shawls, scarfs…etc.</p>
<p>My daughter is sleeping on Bamboo sheets this year…wonder how she liked sleeping on a pile of sticks (they were the only ones I could find in the exact shade of pink that she requested…) she’s artistic what can I say…</p>
<p>My D is allergic to a lot of foods. The trick is not to assume she has to have the same food as everyone else. Sometimes she will eat worse than others, sometimes better. The solution to the popcorn situation (which may or may not come up on a regular basis): crackers.</p>
<p>Oh yeah…QVC. I’m sitting about 20 miles from their headquarters and studios as I type this and one of their outlets is a few miles away. I’ll add that to the list of where Mrs. 9992 could look for sheets (the girls don’t trust me to buy stuff like that and I try to make sure it stays that way).</p>
<p>Lorelei - Thank you for the voice from the other side. Our high school is in an affluent area, so while there is quite a range of income brackets, we’re constantly coming up against the kids with nearly unlimited budgets.<br>
D1 will be heading back to her senior year with the same sheets we purchased for her as a freshman - Target, low thread count, back to school quality. Same towels. Once you’ve seen the average college dorm room on a REAL day, you stop worrying about “nice” and realize that Basic is good enough. And yes, I’m talking about girls rooms!</p>
<p>My D didn’t need a long dress her freshman year.</p>
<p>Lorelei - I’m interested in your take on appropriate performance wear - for both occasion and time of day. I know some feel that singing anytime anywhere anything justifies a gown.</p>
(they were the only ones I could find in the exact shade of pink that she requested…) she’s artistic what can I say…</p>