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Student #1 has left a new comment on your post "Who Had Richer Parents, Doctors Or Artists?":

So, I'm not going to get into a discussion of work ethic vs. career path, but this makes sense. Typically, art type lessons (dance, painting, music etc.) are expensive and largely unnecessary, though enriching, childhood expenses.

I guess my question is, what do we as a society want to do with this information? As budget cuts are limiting or eliminating arts programs, arts education will become an even bigger determiner of income and social status. If we don't want that (and as artists and frankly, Americans we shouldn't), then what kind of pragmatic solutions can we think of? Crowd-sourced, tax deductible arts funding? Cutting some other element of education? The solution isn't as simple as posting things on Facebook about how arts education helps students' grades and well-being, because things like free-lunch programs and phys. ed do that too... Obviously, it's a complex issue and thousands or millions of people are dedicating their lives to helping solve it, but at what point does pointing out how a system is broken hinder the process of fixing it? 

Student #2 has left a new comment on your post "Drama Matters: The Rise of the Abstract Set":

I liked the thought from Chloe Lamford where she says that she finds the "Golden Idea" of a play and then uses that to create her set. I feel like in other design practices so many people just think that set designers decorate things in order to create the scenery. In contrast, designing a set is just that, DESIGNING! Scenic designers use the characters, settings, time period, and place to create a well pictured and imaginative realization of the play. A lot of work goes into reading a play and then designing a world from that text. I really like this idea of Abstract scenery because it gives more room to explore the big ideas of a play. I definitely think that there is more room to study and incorporate this kind of set design into live theater. I feel that CMU trains us for traditional theater as well as breaking into new and exciting forms of entertainment. 

Student #3 has left a new comment on your post "Most Popular To-Do List Manager: Any.Do":

The app that caught my attention is HabitRPG. I find that my main problem regarding to-do lists isn't really getting organized. I always have one main list that I update every few days with detailed milestones for each project, and all my school assignments are in a calendar that I refer to and update all the time. My main problem isn't knowing what the work is, but actually doing it. I definitely procrastinate much less than I used to, but I sometimes still leave some projects to the last minute. I think that the basic premise behind HabitRPG is a neat idea, because creating a reward for finishing a project beyond that of simply being done is exactly the kind of incentive that could get me to get my work done. I like that rather than simply crossing something off a to-do list, you're giving yourself points for doing it. The positive game aspect of this really appeals to me and I actually just downloaded it onto my phone to see if it really can motivate me to get my work done earlier. 

Student #4 has left a new comment on your post "‘Phantom of the Opera’ Welcomes First Black Lead o...":

Regardless of skin color, I am far more interested in seeing Phantom on Broadway now that Norm Lewis is the lead, as the time I saw it a few months ago, the Phantom of the Opera on Broadway had a stale, touristy sort of feel. I think Norm Lewis is a great way to revitalize such a show, and it is a great moment for the move towards casting equality because the Phantom in particular is such an iconic role in the musical theatre canon, so there is no telling how many theatres worldwide will take Norm Lewis' casting as a cue to start taking more strides to avoid the whitewash of the performance industry. I foresee only positive results from the casting decision, both in the general move away from racial discrimination in casting and simply, I think Norm Lewis will be a very talented, fresh addition to the cast that has been heavily in need of some tune-ups. 

Student #5 has left a new comment on your post "Yet Another Law School Lectures Women on How to No...":

Just today I was working in class when one of my teachers suggested I button up my shirt so the boy i was working with would not have to worry about touching my breasts. First of all, he was not touching my breasts; he was touching my sternum which in close proximity made her uncomfortable. He was fine. He's someone I trust. I was struck my this and her judgmental attitude. I find it usually comes from women. People need to get over it. Stiletto heels, if anything, are just unpractical to run around in, but the cleavage thing gets me. WOMEN HAVE BREASTS. It's not a secret. I don't see how there is a problem. If people find them distracting then they should work on that. I'm not going to compromise my own form of personal expression thinking about what others will think of it. Women should dress for themselves. No one else. Also, I wore pants to my college auditions unlike most girls and I did just fine. If a school cared about something that superficial why would I want to go there?