Parents and mentors of child actors and singers who want to make it big on the local performing scene should carefully and savvily plan their moves, rather than just crossing their fingers—and hoping and praying for the best.
The first rule of thumb that boosts a child talent’s chances for making it is to start his or her performing career really young—as early as the age of 3 or 4.
But, before the child performer’s parents get him to line up for auditions, they have to make doubly sure that their kid has the innate desire to perform, known in local show biz as hilig.
The desire or passion to perform has to be really strong, because there will be many disappointments and rejections along the way, so only the feistily determined kids won’t give up.
How do you know if your child has the required hilig? If you don’t need to force or even encourage him to perform. And if he insists on going to rehearsals or auditions, even if he isn’t feeling well.
The important thing is that the impulse, motivation or need comes from him, not you. Far too many kids end up in show biz because their parents have unfulfilled dreams of
becoming show biz stars.
Kids who perform just to please their parents won’t go very far in show biz. Worse, some of them will end up resenting their parents for making them do something they don’t really enjoy.
Worst of all is the fate of performing kids who end up as the breadwinners of their indolent families—their consequent psychological problems are too terrible to contemplate.
Only after you see for sure that your kid has the passion and need to perform can you go on to the next step—an objective evaluation of his performing plus points, which will determine if his bid for stardom will succeed or not.
On the local scene, one of the first preferences or even requirements for success is good looks.
If your child looks innately pretty or handsome, that’s an initial plus, because local viewers’ first reactions are based on looks.
Aside from good looks, your child needs to be “appealing,” a trait that goes beyond physical looks and involves a lot of factors related to liking, loving and empathizing.
It also helps a lot if your kid isn’t shy about sharing his talent, because viewers here have demonstrated a preference for lively child talents who enjoy performing.
Now comes the all-important question of talent: Which performing skill or ability is your kid especially good at—singing, acting, dancing, impersonation, comedy, hosting, etc.?
Note the emphasis on the word especially. If your kid “can sing,” that isn’t a big plus, since 95 percent of Filipinos can do that.
The point is, can your child sing solo—really well? So that, after he sings, listeners applaud him with great interest and approval?
If the answer is “no” or “not yet,” frequent voice lessons can help—but, you shouldn’t expect results in weeks, or even months. Over a year would be more like it.
The same goes for any other performing deficiencies that your kid has. Lessons in acting, dancing and other skills will help, but only after a long while—so, avoid “crash” workshops or courses!
Which is why your child needs to start his or her performing bid really early, so that he or she is good and ready when the breaks do start coming. Lots of luck—and pluck!