Guiding Your Child to a Successful Career in Entertainment

Does your little diva have what it takes to become a successful entertainer? Opinions vary as arguments of talent arise. Talent is objective in children. Though we occasionally find a preschooler with obvious natural talents, most of the kids who will become entertainers are not prodigies. The vocal control and stage presence of an average child is minimal at best and terrible at worst. It will take time and patience before you know if your child has the drive and determination to make it happen.

Training is the key to a successful music or acting career. I would like to make an example from a couple of brothers I know well. Big Brother began singing as a very small child and had unusual vocal control for his age. This boy later mastered every instrument they gave him. Little Brother, encouraged by Big Brother’s success, tried his hand at music. However, Little Brother could not control his voice at all and struggled with learning an instrument. Sure, the elder sibling obviously has natural talent, but fate has not doomed the little guy or his aspirations to perform.

I heard a line on a television drama one night that said, “Doesn’t he know the difference between talent and training?” Let me demonstrate this difference using the brothers. When the boys grew up the tables began to turn. Big Brother’s natural talent began to pale next to Little Brothers growing skills. You see, Little Brother practiced day and night, read every music theory book he could manage to understand, and spent hours observing accomplished musicians every week. Big Brother was not all that interested in practice drills and scales. He had talent. But soon, training began to separate the boys from the men.