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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Thats funny most parents complain about how hard it is to make the team, get a spot in the play, or any leadership role.[/quote]

+1. I’d hate a mega high school. Make it even harder for kids to be involved. [/quote]

Kids are involved everywhere.

But if your kid cannot sing, they probably won't get cast in the musical and might need to pick a different activity, join the non audition choir class to improve their skills, or pivot to helping with the costume crew.

The bigger schools give amazing performances, as good as many regional theater groups.  They are so good because they have a hundred plus kids auditioning, so they can pick the truly talented students and the best trained kids.  Most of the ensemble are talented enough to perform leads or smaller rolls.  When the ensemble is that strong, the shows are amazing.

The big schools also offer many smaller performance opportunities throughout the year for less experienced kids or kids that want to get their feet wet with performing, so everyone has a chance to be onstage. But many people are "lead or bust" types, so they or their kids are unwilling to take advantage of these smaller, less prestigious opportunities.

There are so many opportunities to get involved for every kid at the largest high schools.  You might not be the lead in the musical, but you can join the improv club or take a choir class.

We love how the competitiveness of the bigger schools produces a superior product, even if it means not every kid gets to be on the team or in the musical.

My kid was one of the kids cut, from both the play and the musical freshman year, and from their team sport.  But then, they tried running, which takes any kid that can make time and sticks them on the B meets.  And they helped with props... not on stage like in middle school.  They saw how insanely talented the kids were who got cast in leads, but also ensemble, and realized how hard they worked.  They asked for voice lessons and took a basic dance class.  The next year they made ensemble, and earned a small solo singing supporting part junior year.  They learned so much about dealing with rejection, being flexible, setting a goal and game plan, contributing in the ways you are needed vs the way you want, and how to actually work hard to be as good as those who are better/more talented/faster.  My kid [b]never[/b] would have learned those lessons if they were at a less competitive high school where everyone makes the team or musical.

Having that competitive, large school culture transformed my laid back kid into a go getter.  Getting cut due to a hundred plus kids trying out, most of whom were much better and more prepared than my kid, was far more beneficial in the long run, if only to learn how to productively deal with rejection and disappointment.

I would much rather have a giant 2500-3000 student school where there is opportunity everywhere even in places you didn't have on your list to begin with, groups of kids who are stronger, faster, smarter or more talented to drive excellence and set standards, and a bit of rejection to learn from along the way, than a school where everyone makes the musical or baseball team.

You learn far more from rejection than you ever do from always getting what you want.[/quote]

TLDR but this smacks of an insecure adult living through their kids accomplishments, hate to break it to you but the HS breakout superstar school musical has the same chance as the other kids coming out of smaller schools. Both have an almost zero percent chance making a living at it. Same for sports. It’s silly and arguments that suggest mega schools are better runs counter to any studies done which suggest about 1,500 students to be produce optimal outcomes. [/quote]

If appreciating that my kids learned valuable lessons from the disappointment of being cut from teams and musicals, and the truth that I enjoy watching [i]other people's [/i]more talented children score goals or bring down the house in a musical is what you define as an "insecure adult living through their kid's accomplishments" then sign me up.

I stand by my statement that kids (including mine) learn more from overcoming disappointments like getting cut from a team or not making the musical, and by having other more skilled or driven kids to push them, than they do by getting everything they want so no one gets their feelings hurt.

And it is definitely much more entertaining watching a high school musical where nearly every kid in the ensemble is talented enough to be a lead at other schools.  The ensembles make the show.

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