Your Last Musical in High School

College Majors Musical Theater Major
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<p>@EmsDad – It all sounds fantastic… at this point especially the idea of your child only being in Middle School! Maybe you (or someone else here) can clue me in about why Texas schools appear to be so well funded for arts training. Is there some special legislation behind this, or maybe oil tax revenues, or…? </p>

<p>In our highly-cultured and relatively affluent city, arts funding in the public schools is terrible. In grade school and middle school, the only reason we had a school music teacher at all was that parent fundraising paid the teacher’s salary, and even in a large public high school the District only pays teacher salary for one choir, band and 1/2 of a drama teacher. They pay for NOTHING aside from teacher salary, so even buying sheet music requires fundraising.</p>

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<p>I’m no expert, but here is what I have observed (I grew up in Maryland): (1) Texas has state-wide competitions for EVERYTHING, not just sports and debate: bands, choirs, one-act plays, individual instruments, voice, even mental math (“number sense”). As a result, school district pride is on the line almost as much for the arts as for sports - especially in the suburban school districts. In some cases, rivals compete as much on their MT as they do in football; (2) School revenue is funded primarily through property taxes that can tap into oil and refinery revenues in many areas (which is still a big deal and a cash cow in the state, even though many people think its only a cliche); (3) the large cities have always had a strong interest in the arts driven primarily by old oil money (i.e., the Houston Grand Opera, Dallas Museum of Art, etc.) and jumped on the Performing Arts High School Magnet band wagon in the 1970’s as a natural progression of being “just as good as the Yankees” (also HSPVA in Houston was started as an integration/desegregation effort and I think perhaps all of the PA’s have some amount of that logic in their support); (4) football is a religion, and the schools know if they cut the arts then they will draw heat if they don’t also cut football, which they aren’t about to do (in fact they really don’t want to open a discussion of how much they spend on football/band/cheer!), so they find a way to fund the arts also; (5) there is a lot of fundraising that goes on - my D’s Middle School holds a huge Gala each year for the arts where all the ensembles perform complete with a big board auction and some pretty significant items up for bid (stays in homes in Aspen, outings with professional athletes, cruise tickets, airline tickets, etc. all donated).</p>

<p>I am also sure that support for fine arts is not uniform throughout the state and I am sure that there are lots of stories to counter my D’s great experiences, but I know that in the major urban areas and surrounding suburbs it is, by and large, very strong compared to some other parts of the country. You should see some of the school theatres and MT productions - Houston holds “Tommy Tune Awards” for high school musicals each year and the production at the Hobby Center looks like a lot like the Tony’s. Also, I think to some extent, general academics may suffer in Texas compared to other states because the schools “spread the wealth” into the arts (I am pretty sure there are more nice high school theatres than Chemistry labs in the state).</p>

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<p>Interesting – thank you! Our area also has a thriving MT scene, but it feels far more privately funded than what you describe. There are a couple of schools on our District with strong MT programs (no performing arts magnate schools), but they have grown their programs around private funding efforts and virtually all of the amazing performers get that way through private instruction. There is a statewide competition through the Thespian Society, but it feels more individual than like a school-to-school competition. We have an amazing statewide MT awards program (I think over 90 schools compete each year), but it’s funded by a local theatre company and its donors. </p>

<p>I asked a department chair at one of D’s early auditions this question, and he said he thought that years ago Ross Perot had pushed some Texas legislation that insisted that the arts be funded at the same level as sports programs, but I’ve never seen anything that confirmed that. Does anyone know if it’s true?</p>

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<p>From getting to know so many people around the country in this field, I also have observed that in some states, including Texas, there are a lot of performing arts magnet schools, as well as state competitions in drama and musical theater and/or MT awards that are like high school Tony awards, and so on. I also have worked with students who go to a regular public school that has an arts academy type program for half day. It has always been eye opening as we have NONE of that here in my state, Vermont. Actually, our high school doesn’t have drama classes. We do have a good music program. I have seen all that other good stuff often in Texas, Florida, CA, in particularly. </p>

<p>For my kid, we had to piece together whatever we could between school and a 50 miles radius from home. I am sure my D would have loved some of those high schools I hear about, but oh well. I sometimes wondered how kids from a rural area like ours would fare in college auditions against kids who had that other type of experience, but truly the kids I know from Vermont have done quite well getting into well regarded college MT programs (or even on Broadway). </p>

<p>Emsdad…your D is really fortunate!! </p>

<p>(also, I am shocked to hear a HS nix Guys and Dolls of all shows!!)</p>

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<p>This reminds me of one of the funniest things D and I have seen in HS theatre. A local school did a production of Guys & Dolls, but the director was uncomfortable with the idea of strippers so the Hot Box girls just did odd cutesy little dances. “Take Back Your Mink” had to have been the most confusing number I’ve ever seen. What the heck were those girls supposed to be doing up there? Even the little kids in the audience were confused. </p>

<p>Strangely, he seemed to have no problem at all with compulsive gambling…</p>

<p>And on this note, did anyone ever see the SNL skit where Christopher Walken played a HS drama teacher directing Grease, working with his boys on “Greased Lightening”? Hysterical!</p>

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<p>@MomCares - H. Ross Perot spearheaded the drive for House Bill 72 in 1984, which resulted in the famous “No Pass, No Play” rule and general educational reform in Texas (HB 72 is credited with inspiring the “No Child Left Behind” policy of G.W. Bush). Perot stated his intent was to end situations like, “…little schools with sixty teachers and twelve coaches. When a principal objected that such a situation was “rare,” Perot retorted, “So is a one-legged tap-dancer, but it happens.”” The bill mandated 1 Fine Arts credit as a graduation requirement which did result in an expansion of fine arts funding in the state.</p>

<p>An interesting article on Perot’s fight for HB 72 can be found here: </p>

<p>[Bill</a> Hobby on the 1984 Education Reform Battle — Texas Legislature | The Texas Tribune](<a href=“http://www.texastribune.org/texas-legislature/texas-legislature/bill-hobby-on-the-1984-education-reform-battle/]Bill”>Bill Hobby on the 1984 Education Reform Battle | The Texas Tribune)</p>

<p>In 2009, Texas House Bill 3 included the following provisions to support fine arts education:</p>

<p>• One-credit high school fine arts graduation requirement retained
• New middle school fine arts requirement created
• High school students get six electives (which results in more fine arts courses)
• Fine arts included in “distinction tier” opportunity (schools get more recognition through fine arts, which can result in teacher and administrator bonus pay)</p>

<p>This helped reinforce programs like the one my daughter participated in during Middle School, where her school offered not only classes in Theatre, Choir and Dance, they leveled the curriculum so that Audition-only Advanced classes were offered in all three. They also added nice touches like putting all the Advanced Theatre kids in the same homeroom (now called “Advocacy”), so they got extra time together and the Theatre teacher could use the exta time to help keep them focused on passing all subjects (I have since discovered through CC that this actually mimics college-level BFA programs). I didn’t fully realize the advantages she was offered until she went through the audition process for MT at the performing arts high school. Reading posts on this site have also made me really appreciate the “leg up” that our school district has provided down to the Middle School level. There are actually some theatre magnet programs at the elementary level in town, but she did not attend one of those schools.</p>

<p>Talent is the ultimate currency in MT, but, as I have found by reading this site, it sure helps if you understand the system and have a solid educational foundation and experience focused on the “next step,” not just on “doing shows.” We wrote as big a check as we could for her school when we figured out the level of benefits that she was being offered. Despite coming from an MT-familiar family (my brother is a professional composer/arranger and my sister is a Speech and Drama teacher) where we all did high school musicals and sang in college choir, I had no idea how intricate and competitive the MT BFA process has become.</p>

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<p>Regarding “Guys and Dolls” at the Middle School level, it was hilarious to watch my wife cringe as my daughter told everyone, at every opportunity, “hey I get to play a STRIPPER.” However, they did cut “Take Back Your Mink” and the girls were fully covered in “Bushel and a Peck.” They left in a funny “out-take” from rehearsal where one of the girls said, “I don’t get it” when Adelaide says, “I am going to like being in the Kitchen when I get married, I’ve been in all the other rooms.”</p>

<p>The school that dropped the show is sponsored by a Southern Baptist Church, although more of a moderate Baptist church than some more fundamentalist ones.</p>

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<p>That really sounds fantastic! You all are very lucky to be a part of such an arts-rich school system. In D’s case, she is a strong MT kid who has gone all the way through HS and has NEVER had an at-school Drama class, Dance class or Voice lesson.</p>

<p>D was a YoungArts finalist in Miami, and she said that virtually every kid there, in every performance discipline, either came from a performing arts school or was home schooled.</p>

<p>I wonder how long it takes kids from “regular” schools to make up for 7 years of lost in-school training?</p>

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<p>And all this from a large, urban school district that has been steadily decimated for 30 years by “white flight” (which is still pervasive and now takes form in an amazing growth of private schools within the city). Luckily, magnet schools have been strongly funded and our performing arts high school is seen as one of the jewels in the crown of fine arts for the city (although it still has to work hard at fundraising).</p>

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<p>MomCares, my kid didn’t really have in-school training either, but we supplemented what school offers with training and extracurricular activities outside of school. </p>

<p>Our HS doesn’t have drama classes. When my kids attended, they had just added dance and hired the dance teachers from our dance studio to teach it. However, this class was for kids who had no dance experience and my kids had been dancing (many classes per year) for years at a dance studio and so the school dance class wasn’t one for them but was nice for kids who had no opportunities to go to a dance studio. </p>

<p>Our school does have offer instrumental or voice lessons but my kids took those privately. The school also has chorus. Our school’s music program is considered excellent and has won many awards. </p>

<p>The high school puts on one play and one musical per year. The middle school also puts on musicals, though when my D was in middle school, she auditioned for the high school musicals and plays and was cast in them, including as leads, and so never did the middle school shows. (the MS and HS are at one facility) Our elementary school has a musical for the upper grades that my kids always did. When my younger D (the one who went to college for MT) was in primary grades, I started offering and directing a musical for the lower grades as a volunteer (I used to teach primary grades at that school before my kids were born), and after my time doing it, they started offering this as part of the school’s offerings with the music teacher. </p>

<p>In any case, we don’t nearly have here what I see in other high schools or performing arts high schools or the various competitions in MT in other states and so on. I am exposed to seeing all that through the theater applicants I work with from all over the country and I know our high school offered far less when it comes to MT!! Still, even kids in rural areas, like ours, are able to piece together training such as voice lessons and dance classes, and outside theater opportunities beyond what the high school itself offers. It does cost money and a LOT of travel!</p>

<p>I will add that my kids went away every summer to programs, and so my D who went to college for MT, was immersed in it all summer every summer.</p>

<p>While we don’t have performing arts high schools here, I do feel that the arts are valued in our community overall.</p>

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<p>It was interesting and very enlightening to watch my D go through the performing arts high school acceptance process: something like 300+ applicants vying for 10 MT, 10 acting and 10 technical theatre slots. Four month process with callbacks and a month-long wait for the acceptance letter from the final callback day. Auditions with numbers and pictures, etc. Demographics strongly skewed to make MT girls a very competitive group (probably 100 girls competing for about 5 slots). Made me understand a little of what is awaiting the D four years from now…</p>

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<p>“@EmsDad – It all sounds fantastic… at this point especially the idea of your child only being in Middle School! Maybe you (or someone else here) can clue me in about why Texas schools appear to be so well funded for arts training. Is there some special legislation behind this, or maybe oil tax revenues, or…?”</p>

<p>I can tell you that this is NOT uniform in all Texas schools. In fact, my town is a border town between another state and Texas and while the Texas schools are better funded and overall better in a lot of ways than the schools on the side of town in the other state (because that state is one of the lowest in the country, not because TX is necessarily so great) they are actually ahead of us in arts opportunities. Pretty pathetic.</p>

<p>Oil funding does not get earmarked for the arts, that I am aware of, nor any other big money maker here. We are fortunate enough to have some very generous and wealthy philanthropists and most of the support I have experienced has been largely due to private donations. In my town, our beautiful restored theater was entirely through a certain famous wealthy benefactor who was born here. No state money for it to speak of.</p>

<p>The big towns in Texas (EmsDad - do I detect the High School for Visual and Performing Arts in a certain large Texas city that is not Dallas or Austin? Because I lived in that town and always thought what a GREAT school that was and my D would have given her eyeteeth to go there) do have great arts funding and opportunities.</p>

<p>The smaller towns - not so much, necessarily. In my town it’s all about FUTBAWL. Stereotypical but true. Alas.</p>

<p>Overall in fact, Texas tends to be pretty stingy compared to other states with as much money when it comes to spending money on the arts. Or so my experience living here the past 30 years has been. I mean, they spend SOME, but there are much poorer states that do more. I think Texas could definitely do better, but it’s kind of the wild west out here in a way, and Texas politics kind of don’t really go in for a lot of freebies for the residents. :wink: Compared to several other states, that is, which, as I said, are a lot poorer.</p>

<p>But yeah, if you live in one of the big metro areas, there’s some sweet stuff to be found.</p>

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<p>Another difference between our high school and yours…we don’t have ANY football!~ :D</p>

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<p>If it weren’t for football programs in Texas High School, there are many administrators who would probably not understand just exactly what would be the <em>point</em> of having a band. What, you mean that they actually have stuff to do when marching season ENDS??? What on <em>earth</em> could there be any reason to even EXIST without a football game half time to march in? You mean there is music that exists outside of the purpose of supporting FUTBAWL??? :smiley: lol. I jest. Sort of. Our band director (who is excellent) mutters to himself about how the administration doesn’t ever seem to understand that the REAL work that the band does starts after all that football stuff is over and they have time to focus on their OWN competitions.</p>

<p>~the college my D picked does not have a football team…which I wonder if that might be one reason they were able to be more generous with her financial aid. hmmm!!! She is not the least bit unhappy about not having a football team. If she feels the need she can go root for the Longhorns. hah.</p>

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<p>Woo hoo just found out this week that my son was nominated for best lead male in the regional high school musical theatre awards program in our area, for his role as Paul in Carnival. He now has a 1 in 6 chance of making it to the National High School Musical Theatre Awards in NYC! It would be such a wonderful opportunity, a week of master classes with broadway professionals at New York University and then a chance to perform on a Broadway stage.</p>

<p>I will be keeping my fingers crossed for the next two weeks!!!</p>

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<p>@mommybug – CONGRATULATIONS… What an exciting finish to a high school musical season!! </p>

<p>It’s especially great to have these accolades to look forward to in case he’s suffering from severe senioritis, like some kids I know (intimately). ;-D</p>

<p>Oh – in addition to the last high school musical, as of this afternoon D now also has the last AP Calculus Exam under her belt. One down, three to go…</p>

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<p>mommybug - CONGRATS to your S!!</p>

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<p>mommybug, sending positive thoughts your son’s way! What a great opportunity.</p>

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<p>Very exciting. Fingers crossed!!</p>

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<p>mommybug…That’s fantastic! Can’t wait to see him onstage at Temple!! :)</p>