What Do Performance Majors REALLY Need to Take to College?

College Majors Music Major
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<p>Some of it depends on the tradition of the school. Generally, if a singer is performing with orchestra, long gown is de rigueur. Usually for an evening recital or gala event a long gown would be expected. Daytime recitals…if it is a culminating degree recital, maybe, but if it is an appearance on recital hour or divisional recital, a long gown is not expected or necessary, IMHO. A long gown is not appropriate in most audition situations…the exception might be something like regional finals of MET auditions, where an audience has gathered and are part of the occasion. A singer needs a good black dress, one which can be worn on the stage, and it should not be too short. </p>

<p>Addressing the issue of what a performer reveals: nothing should be a distraction from the music, the art. You show the legs, and the audience is noticing the legs; show cleavage, and we wait for the bow. If a dress is not full length and the legs show, the color of them should not distract, best to have a neutral color, or an “almost black” with black dresses. Bare arms are OK if they look like Michele Obama’s, otherwise, not a good idea. Flesh revealed is a distraction whether attractive or not, and then the issue of judgment and taste enters the mind and takes away from the performance. </p>

<p>If a female singer has black pants which fit well, are not skin tight and/or clingy, and the top is complimentary, that is fine for an audition or class presentation (especially mezzos who might want to be considered for pants roles…part of the audition…can you look the part?) </p>

<p>Do ask the choral director what the attire is for the various ensembles and plan for that. Some use robes, some expect everyone to find/use/buy/make a dress from an exact pattern and material, some do different concerts during the year differently. Almost all will call for a black dress at some point, usually a long one (it can be a long skirt and black top). </p>

<p>Shoes: dress shoes should should not be too high, tiny heeled, and/or backless. Hours may be spent on risers in dress rehearsals. Stage shoes such as character shoes are always needed and useful.</p>

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<p>Thank you, Lorelei. That is very similar to what I have pulled together from various sources, but it is great to have it put so succinctly on one place.</p>

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<p>It is wise to check with others at the school about peformance wear and yes, not all schools are alike, so Lorelei’s comment about the “tradition of the school” is right on the mark. The reason that VP majors at CIM seem to have more gowns/dressy dresses with them is that they have many more performance opportunities than students at some other schools; that’s just a simple fact and one that the school is known for.Their custom is long gowns or very dressy attire. They also don’t have any choral requirements so when they do perform, they are not under robes. I’m not going to rush out and raid the stores, but over the past few years, I have picked up dresses here and there and E-Bay is my friend! D has a number of them already and I will fill in as necessary, but I never, ever pay full retail for anything like that! Shoes are also up to the individual- D and her voice teacher, by the way, both wear heels when they perform as they find it more comfortable. Attended a Master Class held by Frederica von Stade last weekend, and all of the female singers wore heels of at last 3 inches; in fact, Flicka herself, wore great stillettos when she performed the night before ( and Dame Kiri and Renee Fleming never wear flats either!)!
Linens, to us are a very individual need. I have a nerve condition which makes me exquisitely sensitive to anything touching my skin-can cause really severe pain- and D got used to Egyptian cotton at an early age! Also, she is very, very fair skinned and is easily irritated by detergents, etc. Sateen doesn’t hold onto irritants, hence, we buy what we need.
All of this is meant, I assume, to be shared in fun, and nothing is graven in stone.</p>

<p>Don9992: have Mrs9992 check out the web site, but QVC’s outlet store also has some terrific finds!
Opera-Mom: glad to know someone else goes on the hunt for “pink”! On her “room mate request form” D actually listed that it would be great if the other girl loved pink! I would imagine that bamboo fabric feels great (I’ve used the yarn)- does it wrinkle and do you know where to find those sheets in Twin XL?</p>

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<p>Mezzo’smom…nope can’t tell you where to get the xl pink bambo sheets…we bought regular twin (which started out pretty large…but shrunk as they were washed…now a VERY tight fit on the xl mattress)…however, they were the exact shade of pink that was in the poster above her bed and that really was all that mattered…We did make her take the charcol colored duevet that DD1 used the previous year…she just couldn’t stand the thought of the LIME green sheets too…so… we did conceed on that point…Normally she’s not that big a PINK fan but like I said she’s artsy and had to tie the picture and her roommate’s things in.</p>

<p>She too has a closet full of short performance dresses she has picked up over the last couple of years(on sale) (white, black, white/black, burnt orange…and a couple of long ones-so don’t anticipate having to come up with many more)…However…a couple of weeks ago she said “I can’t wear any of them for my SENIOR RECITAL-(which is this coming weekend)…I’ve worn them all in masterclasses and performances”…once again…awaking at 0415 and shlupping off to work to pay for yet another indulgence for DD we agreed on a new dress for this very special occasion…setting the price limit…she happily went off to shop…about a week later I asked if she had been able to locate anything and she said …“oh I decided to wear …xx…out of my closet after all…I bought 2 hats”…
Very little control over a kid with your credit card when she’s 1400 miles away UUGGH!</p>

<p>I wonder how long it will take her to pay for those hats working at the local snow cone shop this summer</p>

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<p>on the music stands: collapsible, definitely, and also useful is one of those bags with a handle you can stow the stand in, very helpful if you are also schlepping an instrument, music, and a bag with a tux in it.</p>

<p>good tips, violadad, about thinking out the luthier issues in advance.</p>

<p>we have a hot air popcorn popper at home. it was very cheap ($25 at target) and has a plastic holder for butter that fits in the top and melts butter with the same heat that pops the corn. it is surprisingly popular with son’s friends.</p>

<p>I have to weigh in on the budget lifestyle. My son has made it through high school with exactly two button down shirts, one rugby shirt, two hoodies, three pairs of khaki trousers and one pair of loafers (plus his tux and concert attire). Believe it or not. The shirts are a little threadbare now so we’ll probably replace them before fall.</p>

<p>Bamboo sheets? Seriously? Do they feel like bamboo (like my yoga mat?) or is this some kind of blend that seems like regular cotton type sheet materials?</p>

<p>Here’s a question for everyone: how about that allowance? what is a reasonable amount? i had to make do with $50/month when i was in college and that had to cover meals out (no sunday dinners in the cafeteria), clothes, smokes, and any other purchases. naturally, i got a part time job. what is a typical students’ allowance these days?</p>

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<p>Stringkeymom, every family seems to differ on the “allowance” question, but here are my two cents: our son is on his own for spending money! He taught lessons, gigged and accompanied all through high school, and had saved quite a tidy sum. Because he is in school in a city, we knew that his expenses would be much greater than those of his friend at Oberlin, for example (whose mother and I joke that the most her son spends is an Obiedollar here or there for a smoothie). </p>

<p>My son, OTOH, has spent over $200 a month (some months closer to $300), on concerts, movies, clubs, restaurants, shopping, events. Since it is his money, I have not had much to say about it, besides a gentle reminder that it may be hard for his bank account to sustain his current rate of spending. :wink: Fortunately, he does plan to do accompaniment next fall (we had actually encouraged him NOT to work the first year), which will bring in a nice amount of money, so he can balance out his depleted account. If his dad and I were funding his off campus activities, I might have a lot more to say about how the money was being spent (and would probably be much nosier), which is why it is a good thing I am not the funder.</p>

<p>So, the allowance question really depends on who is doing the funding and where the student is in school. Student life in a city is expensive, much more so than life in a campus-oriented college. A student at a city school would have a lot of trouble getting through the month on $50!</p>

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<p>Allmusic: actually I don’t remember if the bamboo sheets were a blend of something else. I just remember thinking at the time what a strange material to be made out of…Felt like normal sheets to me…so, on the bed they went. We had about 2 hours to get DD dorm room situated before parents were kicked off campus…Grabbed the first ones that looked like they would work.</p>

<p>Really get a kick out of DD and the “hats”…but actually she hasn’t been too abusive with having access to my credit card. She usually gets purchases approved first…and hasn’t required that much…I guess she rationalized that since she had already been “cleared” for a certain amount and had decided to wear something she already had that it would be okay to get those hats…HUMMMM…But I have to hand it to her…when it came time to buy a dress for her senior prom…$50 at a second hand store…So really I can’t complain too loudly. :).</p>

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<p>This may not be a popular post. When my daughter hits “consumption” as opposed to “need”, she pays for it HERSELF. Ditto DS. DS IS a performance major and, yes, he has had a job the whole time he has been in college, and DD has too. When discretionary spending is in the picture, they earn the money themselves. I have no idea what they spend because THEY earn it.</p>

<p>You know… a nice, simple black long or T length dress can be worn MULTIPLE times. I’ve seen students “change the look” by adding a simple scarf or jacket. I’m sorry, but the notion that these kids NEED multiple “gowns” is not based on need, but based on WANT. My kid would be paying for the gown herself.</p>

<p>As an aside, DD has gotten a couple of wonderful black dresses (long and shorter) at Goodwill for very reasonable costs.</p>

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<p>Three cheers for Thumper’s and Lorelie’s take on the gown and clothing issue. I’m graduating this year, as well. I hope to go from being “Super-Involved-Mom” to Mom who wants to gradually re-focus interests in other areas, such as life-in-general. Sometimes I think I’ve done our daughter a disservice by frequently depriving her of a sensation called “wanting.” I think when she goes to college, it will be time for her to try on clothes for a new role – young lady responsible for identifying her own needs/wants and finding a way of fulfiling them, with or without my help and guidance when requested. </p>

<p>So, now that I’ve sounded very high-minded, let’s see how long that posture lasts --maybe only as long as the next time our daughter needs a new dress?!?</p>

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<p>This is a generic “what-to-bring” list that popped into my email box: [Off-to-College</a> Checklist](<a href=“College Board - SAT, AP, College Search and Admission Tools”>Your Guide to College Planning – BigFuture | College Board)</p>

<p>Re: consumption, be careful! A lot of characters in operas die from that y’know.</p>

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<p>Almost always they are sopranos, don9992! All those gowns must have strained their resistance.</p>

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<p>Allmusic, thx. Yep, $50 per month in Boston. Didn’t go very far.</p>

<p>I appreciate the bp figure of $200 for concerts, events, etc. Although many of Yale’s cultural events will be available on campus and presumably free or discounted, my son is already making plans to meet friends in NYC every week when they come into the city for lessons (these are musicians from his precollege program who, like my son, intend to keep studying with their current teachers). </p>

<p>I’d rather my son not have to work at least in the first semester of his freshman year–it’s a big adjustment–and I’d like him to be able to have fun.</p>

<p>On the subject of music stands, these do disappear frequently, so write the last name on both parts of the stand with a sharpie.</p>

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<p>I wanted to put in my $.02 for anyone still thinking about buying a TV for the dorm room. We did. It seemed like a great idea at the time. In hindsight, it was not. </p>

<p>The typical day for a music performance major is very, very looooooooong. For freshman performance majors at my D’s school, music theory or aural skills starts at 8AM on alternating days. (I guess the sophomores get to sleep in.) </p>

<p>Then there are classes, lessons w/the prof, studio, performance class, scales & etudes w/the TA, orchestra rehearsals, private practice, more classes, office hours, did I mention private practice, etc. throughout the day. In the evening and often late into the evening, there is more practice, ensemble rehearsals, concerts and homework. I’m sure I missed something.</p>

<p>At non-conservatory schools, your S/D may not necessarily have a music major as a roommate. Music majors and students majoring in something else are DEFINATELY not on the same schedule. </p>

<p>My D will tell you that nothing is worse than coming back to the dorm after two hours of evening practice or homework to find a room full of people (even if they’re friends) eating pizza and watching the latest episode of . . . whatever . . . with your roommate! </p>

<p>At the beginning of the year, having one of the few TVs in her wing was a great way to meet people. Once the full weight of a performance major’s schedule hit; however, it wasn’t such a great idea.</p>

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<p>Re: consumption…Ha…as a kid reading books I’d read about people dying of “consumption” and couldn’t figure out what it was and how to keep from contracting it myself…so later in life had to look it up only to discover consumption = Tuberculosis… I assumed it meant consuming too much alcohol…</p>

<p>And agree with you all…I am at that point of thinking definately time to start weaning my two kiddies off the payroll…Having a job during school wasn’t an options for D2 this year as not allowed by school…but next year???</p>