I decided from a very early age that I wanted to study performing arts and my parents were on board with that from day 1. Unfortunately however I had many friends who also wanted to study performing arts, but their parents were not supportive and instead preferred them to go and get a ‘real career’. This is of course something which annoyed me at the time, and even more so since. I studied at the impeccable AMDA College and Conservatory of the Performing Arts and the experience was everything that I had hoped it would be, what many fail to understand are the life lessons which this kind of course can give you, and if your child wishes to study performing arts then these are the skills which you can expect them to gain.
Confidence
Having the confidence to stand on a stage and sing or dance is one thing but it doesn’t necessarily mean that you are going to be someone who has confidence when you are in a social situation. In fact most of my friends who enjoy the performing arts are not confident people. When you study alongside like minded people and you learn to understand how you have confidence to perform but not to be social, it helps you immeasurably to become a more confident person. This was one of the first things which my parents noticed when I went home after my first year.
Work Ethic
To be completely honest I was a very lazy person before I went to AMDA and the amount of work which was required of my when I got there was a real shock to the system. The fact of the matter is that I had no choice but to put in work and this has really helped to instill a work ethic in me which I never knew that I had. I have friends who studied far more taxing subjects than me, law for example, and even they would remark on how hard I was working in comparison to them. I feel very grateful for what I learned at the AMDA College and Conservatory of the Performing Arts and without their tutelage and guidance I would never have been the hard working person that I am today.
Competition
The world of performing arts is very cutthroat and disappointment lurks behind every corner. Nonetheless we have to continue to put ourselves out there, keep auditioning and keep trying. AMDA know this and it is why they have created a tough and often brutal environment in the college when it comes to competition. I hated this to be completely honest but understood that it was necessary, the results on me however, have been that I am far more resilient and far thicker skinned than I have ever been, which in my view is a really important characteristic to have.
