We’re facing a crisis in our industry, and at one point, I realized I was part of the problem. But good news! According to Sydney-based psychotherapist Jodie Gale, “Every crisis contains within it the seeds for transformation and growth.” So I turned inward, seeking solutions. The factors influencing students’ choices and outcomes in the arts largely reflect the zeitgeist of our age. My goal is to guide singers toward a path that fosters success both with and from their art. Achieving that requires understanding the bigger picture—the landscape in which these dreams and decisions take shape.
The college selection and application process is already complex, stressful, and time-consuming. For student performers, the added audition process heightens it all: the waiting, the rejection, and—if things go well—the triumph. Navigating this gauntlet can be heart-wrenching.
I don’t have children, so I won’t claim to fully grasp a parent’s perspective. Still, many of my students have worked with me for years, and a bond develops that can feel like family. A high school math teacher might share in the joy or disappointment of students applying to elite universities, but his salary isn’t tied to those results. In my case, as a private music instructor, part of my income depends on how well my students perform—and how effectively I “sell” a future in music. As difficult as it is to admit, every major student success story brought me not only pride and empathy, but also a sense that it was “good for business.”
In Secrets of Closing the Sale, Zig Ziglar famously wrote, “People don’t buy for logical reasons. They buy for emotional reasons.” Whether the “dream” is a flourishing career, a comfortable bed, a delicious taco, or a luxurious vacation, once we connect that vision to our desires, we want it.
Daniel Pink, in To Sell Is Human: The Surprising Truth About Moving Others, argues that teachers, doctors, and parents are always “selling” in the sense of persuading others. From childhood (“Eat your vegetables!”) onward, subtle and not-so-subtle influences shape our decisions. I remember my first musical theater masterclass, where the clinician proclaimed, “Someone who sat where you are now is performing on Broadway tonight.” A chill ran down my spine. Even though I never had a burning desire to be a Broadway star, that moment sparked the thought.
Brian Tracy underscores the importance of problem-solving in The Psychology of Selling: Increase Your Sales Faster and Easier Than You Ever Thought Possible:
“A successful salesperson is, first and foremost, a problem solver. The customer has a problem, and your job is to show him that your product or service is the best solution, superior to all others...”
Sometimes we don’t even realize we have a problem until a “solution” is presented. Part of the reason so many young people want to pursue theater is that an entire industry is selling them programs to “help” them achieve that goal. This training sector depends on persuading more people that they need specialized instruction to succeed. Think of social media ads that suddenly make you feel you need something you’d never even considered.
Left to their own devices, most people would enjoy the arts recreationally, without worrying about elite credentials or chasing stardom. Instead, students and parents are fed a risky narrative:
I call bullshit on much of this: