The Wisemen of the society often say that garnering an education is like climbing the steps of a prosperous time, and getting that pious degree is the culmination of success. It may have been correct at some point in time, but not in the present. Today, getting a college degree has become synonymous to loans for students in the UK and probably the rest of the world. So, students tend to opt for such degrees that will ensure that they have a good stream of income every month.
Choosing a major out of passion and love for the subject has become a thing of the past. Students don’t do that anymore; they are too practical for that. That is why subjects like literature and drama do not witness the number of admissions. It once used to. Business, medicine and law have the most aspirants because these are the professions that bring along the highest income.
The worst numbers were seen in the domain of performing arts, a subject that is the liveliest of them all. How sad is that?
THE STUDY OF PERFORMING ARTS
To understand what performing arts means, we need to dissect the phrase and look at the meaning of the individual words.
- Perform means to function, to execute, to carry out, to enact and present something with a sense of accomplishment.
- Arts is the representation of what the human brain can cook up. It personifies our imagination and creative flair through various mediums. These can be novels, paintings, drama or even music.
Now, performing arts together symbolizes an artist performing his art. A painter or an author cannot do that. Their art is of a different kind. However, a singer, a dancer, and an actor can beguile his audience with his mesmerizing creativity and imagination.
A study that teaches every nuance and skill needed to enthral the audience is the study of performing arts. It is an actual degree taken up by many successful actors, which made their performances even more evident than others.
Sadly, this is also a degree that not many learners undertake in the present times.
STUDENTS’ PERCEPTION
At the end of the day, which degree to undertake is decided by the student. He has to be willing and fervent enough to study the same for four years in college.
So, understanding a student’s point of view is more important than anything else.
- LOW SUCCESS RATE
The first reason as to why the study of performing arts is not as popular as it used to be is because the after getting a degree, the chances of actually landing a role somewhere are very slim. The chances of being a successful lawyer or a surgeon after acquiring an education are far higher than that of a performer.
- A LOT OF HARDSHIPS
Theatre and cinema are the most competitive fields in the world. With a high degree of competition, the struggle is long and exhausting. Some people are immensely talented but cannot seem to catch a break from the rejections. Nepotism is another obstacle that the youngsters do not want to be the victim of.
- PARENTS’ NON-APPROVAL
Another factor is hindering a student from taking on theatre as his major is the parents’ contempt. British parents seem to be more liberal than others, but when it comes to their child’s education, they give them limited options, inclusive of medicine, engineering, law and business.
Perhaps that is why Rowan Atkinson, our favourite Mr. Bean has an engineering degree, despite being the finest actors of our time.
THE REALITY
What the student thinks is very different from the actual reality. What an arts degree can teach you is impossible to learn anywhere else.
- THE REAL TALENT IS NURTURED AT SCHOOL
An education can make you learn so many new things. It can help you polish the talent that was intrinsic to you. So, when you take up performing arts as your course, you will get to tap into your abilities and find your real capabilities.
- EXORCISES ALL INHIBITIONS
At a school, every room is devoted to art and its performance. You are going to practice every day in front of your teachers, classmates and seniors. You will feel conscious, and you are bound to make mistakes, but the constant practice will make you remove every inch of hesitation from your body.
So that when you finally graduate, you become as confident as Adele is, when she performs at the jam-packed Wimbley.
- SUCCESS IS NEVER GUARANTEED
Education is equivalent to knowledge and finesse in skills, and not equal to success. You may have graduated at the top of your class, but still, you can fail your residency as a surgeon and never become one. There are no guarantees in life, and asking for one is just being delusional. A degree makes you acquire all the skills that can help you become a success. So, you can never blame education for your failures.
WINDING UP
In the end, all I want to say is that the four years a student spends in college are probably the best of his life. These will never come back. So, why not do something that you love? Why not take on a course that you are passionate about?
And why not apply to a performing arts college to become the great artist you were meant to be?
DESCRIPTION
Education is supposed to be the pathway to success. Every subject should give you the same guidance. Then why do students have preferences over which degree will augment the chances of their success the most?