Deleted
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Post by Deleted on May 12, 2020 15:19:58 GMT -5
A former colleague's daughter (we can call her "Anna") was accepted as a graduate student to a prestigious music school, majoring in voice. This music school is one of the highly selective ones where admission alone is quite the accomplishment. Her goal is to become an opera singer, and she does have the talent and dedication. Anna's mother is a teacher who probably earns $55k a year. Her father has suffered a series of strokes and is on disability. He had a massive one a few weeks ago and will likely need to live in a nursing home for the rest of his life. Anna's mother is very upfront about how they never saved for a rainy day, etc. because they felt the father could always just earn more money until he couldn't. Anna's younger brother, also in college, has decided to drop out after this term and join the military. He will get his education that way. Anna's mother was complaining about how they would lose their home and Anna her dream because of this latest stroke. Everyone advised her to talk to a Medicaid lawyer. She won't lose her home unless she means she can't pay for it on a teacher's salary. Everyone told her that Anna should talk to the music school about need-based financial aid, and someone suggested she start a GoFundMe to help Anna make her dream come true. Sorry for so much backstory! Anyway, the GoFundMe campaign started today. They need $35,000 for Anna's first year. They didn't have $35,000 before the stroke, but I guess, like Anna, the mother believes in dreaming big! So I did the math. If 700 of her friends gave $50 each, they could reach their goal. However, the average donor is giving $38.92. so they need 900 friends. Fourteen people have donated so far. I did give $25. I figured the money would end up going to help the family in another way. Do you have 900 generous friends?
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swamp
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Post by swamp on May 12, 2020 15:35:29 GMT -5
yes probably, but i won't ask them.
She won't lose the house unless they need his income to pay for it. she should probably look at refinancing.
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Post by Deleted on May 12, 2020 15:39:54 GMT -5
Do you have 900 generous friends? Probably not, but I would never ask them for something like this anyhow.
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Anne_in_VA
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Post by Anne_in_VA on May 12, 2020 17:02:06 GMT -5
I don’t have that many friends and I would never think of asking for money for something.
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giramomma
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Post by giramomma on May 12, 2020 17:22:42 GMT -5
Grad school-Are we talking PhD or masters? I did not go to a prestigious music school; my professor was prestigious however. There was always money (grants, scholarships, work study, ta-ing) for those that were truly talented....at the very top level. Always. At the PhD level, there was also funding sources. In fact, even in these strange times, the school of education at my alma mater (ranked in the top 15 nationally in some areas) is now providing funding for all full time PhD students.
Also, vocalists don't practice singing 8 hours a day in the same way that instrumentalists do. There's time for a job. There's also working with folks to see if Anna can defer for a year and then start grad school. If she works a full time job for a year and then goes to grad school, she'd be able to pay for tuition for her first year. Sorry. No money from this music major
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hoops902
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Post by hoops902 on May 12, 2020 17:30:17 GMT -5
I don't have 900 generous "friends", but I could almost definitely raise $35,000 via GoFundMe. Part of living in a small town is that even people who are not my friends, meaning I may not have even ever met them...would donate because they know me, or know who I am, or whatever. There's always that "well they're cousins with so-and-so" or "they live next door to these people you know" or "his dad is the science teacher, his mom works at the post office, etc, etc".
Heck, if they just put a sign up at the bank (assuming our bank lobby was open), we could probably raise $35k in a week or two just from people seeing it and spreading it via word of mouth.
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Post by Deleted on May 12, 2020 17:33:42 GMT -5
I have many caring and compassionate friends but I would never ask for this and they would never give it because they use what spare funds they have to help those truly in need. First thought that comes to my mind: FAILURE TO PLAN AHEAD ON YOUR PART DOES NOT CONSTITUTE AN EMERGENCY ON MY PART. Many folks are having to rethink their dreams and past choices right now in more urgent ways than this young woman or her mom. During our working years we always paid for disability income coverage because life has a way of sneaking up and *^&%!'ing on you.
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Post by Deleted on May 12, 2020 17:43:18 GMT -5
Grad school-Are we talking PhD or masters? I did not go to a prestigious music school; my professor was prestigious however. There was always money (grants, scholarships, work study, ta-ing) for those that were truly talented....at the very top level. Always. At the PhD level, there was also funding sources. In fact, even in these strange times, the school of education at my alma mater (ranked in the top 15 nationally in some areas) is now providing funding for all full time PhD students.
Also, vocalists don't practice singing 8 hours a day in the same way that instrumentalists do. There's time for a job. There's also working with folks to see if Anna can defer for a year and then start grad school. If she works a full time job for a year and then goes to grad school, she'd be able to pay for tuition for her first year. Sorry. No money from this music major She can only defer admission until second semester. I checked to see if the school really cost this much, and it actually costs more. If I read it correctly, it is about $48K for tuition and 18K for room and board. That actually sounds like she IS deferring admission until second semester. Or else she just wants to enroll and will worry about the second semester "tomorrow." I did notice that Anna's mother is tagging celebrities and local reporters. I guess she is hoping one of the celebrities (Oprah, Ellen, etc.) will play Fairy Godmother. Or that the local reporters will take the cause on as a human interest story. And the local reporters just might. She really IS talented. Gira, I'll message you the name of the school.
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giramomma
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Post by giramomma on May 12, 2020 19:09:05 GMT -5
It IS awesome indeed that she got accepted at a very prestigious place, and even once in a lifetime. But, she still has some options ahead of her. If this young lady was talented and working three jobs to save every penny, I wouldn't donate, but I'd be more understanding about doing a go fund me account.
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busymom
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Post by busymom on May 12, 2020 19:47:09 GMT -5
The very first thing I would do, if that were my daughter, is contact the school & explain the change in personal circumstances. The school could very well come up with a better financial aid package.
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justme
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Post by justme on May 12, 2020 23:41:10 GMT -5
I don't mean to entirely knock it just because I don't like it, but do opera singers a) really make that much as a whole and b) need a graduate degree to do so?
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alabamagal
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Post by alabamagal on May 13, 2020 4:22:21 GMT -5
I don't mean to entirely knock it just because I don't like it, but do opera singers a) really make that much as a whole and b) need a graduate degree to do so? I feel like they do need that training, but There are many graduating with that degree from top schools and very little job growth for opera singers.
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gs11rmb
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Post by gs11rmb on May 13, 2020 9:56:56 GMT -5
Why can't she take out student loans?
I very much doubt I would contribute to this gofundme. I'm not entirely heartless, I did donate a few weeks ago to a campaign that I heard about via Facebook. The wife of the technology teacher at my daughters' elementary school is battling stage 4 breast cancer. They are both teachers and have two young daughters. I don't know this woman at all and only know her husband to say hello to but I can't begin to imagine the stress and bills they are facing right now.
I have no problem supporting people in dire circumstances beyond their control. Graduate school does not fall into that category.
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Post by The Walk of the Penguin Mich on May 13, 2020 13:05:38 GMT -5
In another time, I was at a restaurant in Chicago where all the waiters were opera students. It was one of the nicest meals I have had, and most interesting because they really did have tremendous voices. Definitely helped to ramp up the tips, as they were awesome. They did take requests.
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Post by Deleted on May 13, 2020 14:14:40 GMT -5
Why can't she take out student loans? Because they'd be hard to pay back with a job at Starbucks? Seriously- competition for opera jobs is already pretty tough and I can't imagine what it will be like over the next few years with social distancing. According to one source they make $60-$70K/year but if that's in NYC, Chicago or Seattle and you have to buy your own health insurance it won't go far.
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Tiny
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Post by Tiny on May 13, 2020 14:33:48 GMT -5
I'm curious as to why the daughter doesn't have a "patron" in the opera/classical music business? Aren't there local 'people/companies/fans of all things classical/musical" who can help with a scholarship or grant or something? Maybe it's cause I live in a Big City... the Big City Opera company raises money specifically for use for "future talent" - and I wouldn't be surprised if some of it goes to pay for some students college/beyond training. I imagine it's like how the owners of sportsball teams - look for and nurtures talent at the HS, College level... I would think that if the daughter has promise and is at the Graduate level - she's been working with someone beyond the "community college theater" crowd. If she doesn't have much in the way of connects and is hoping to "break into the business" cold... she may be in for a big surprise. But, back to the question and I do feel her calling/dream is worthwhile, She'll just need to do it the traditional way and borrow money (and hope she has the talent or the charisma to get a job that uses the contacts and what she learned in school. She may not be an opera singer... there are jobs associated with it that might work for her. (I don't have alot of "friends" - I'm an introvert. I don't like people. on the flip side, I like to dream that when I die - some of my leftover money will go to the "arts" - probably opera and I'd like my money to help young artists achieve their dreams/continue to keep the art(s) alive. So, someday I will be one of those "hundreds" or "thousands" of people who will help someone like Anna achieve a dream. )
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Post by The Walk of the Penguin Mich on May 13, 2020 14:58:15 GMT -5
Why can't she take out student loans? Because they'd be hard to pay back with a job at Starbucks? Seriously- competition for opera jobs is already pretty tough and I can't imagine what it will be like over the next few years with social distancing. According to one source they make $60-$70K/year but if that's in NYC, Chicago or Seattle and you have to buy your own health insurance it won't go far. From what I understand, I think many opera singers contract themselves out and work for whomever will hire them for a role. Looking at the program from Seattle Opera, they have singers from all over the place, and in the program's biography synopsis they list the opera companies and the roles that they've sung. I think that this is different from ballet, where they have a group of artists that they use for different roles.
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Post by Deleted on May 13, 2020 18:47:03 GMT -5
Anna just graduated from a Mississippi university, which makes her acceptance even more remarkable. i am not sure that at the university level that you have "patrons," but I am not an opera singer. Everyone I have ever known who was a voice major ended up teaching choir or directing a church choir or something like that. My cousin was a music and math major. She was extremely good, but teaching math was how she earned a living. Oh, wait, Rebecca Luker was from Alabama from a small college even and sang on Broadway. That's not opera, though, and I don't know her career path. But I am not sure anyone can borrow $35k (much less the 70k that a year costs or the 140k that the full degree program costs). There must be institutional financial aid involved . . . patrons at that level. And that may be why she is only asking for about half of what one year costs. But obviously it isn't enough. It is sad to think that something like this is primarily the province of wealthy people. But I'm sure much poorer people look at people going to a place like the University of Alabama (lol) and think, "It is sad to think that something like this is primarily the province of wealthy people." She did try out for American Idol, but opera singers aren't really their genre.
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