Melody is iStage’s longest-standing student. From the very first day iStage opened in 2016 until now, attending weekly classes has become an integral part of her life. We’ve witnessed Melody grow from a little kindergartener into a middle schooler. Unknowingly, this journey of companionship has lasted seven years. We spoke again with Melody’s mother to hear about the wonderful bond between Melody and iStage.
The Power of the Stage: Mysterious and Immense
Both Melody and I love musical theatre. Initially, we signed her up for iStage simply out of that love. To be honest, Melody wasn’t a particularly gifted child. She had a very soft voice and was shy and timid—not the kind of student who naturally shines as a lead. But she absolutely loved the classes at iStage. After systematic training in vocal performance, dance, and acting, I could truly feel her transformation: at home, she would often sing the songs she learned in class—especially during showers, which turned into her own little concerts. The voice coming from the bathroom grew louder and more beautiful over time.
Melody never played a lead role in any of iStage’s productions, but that never stopped her from enjoying every single performance on stage. There was even one time when she had a high fever before going on, but the moment she stepped on stage to sing and dance, you couldn’t tell at all. And magically, her fever disappeared after the performance. The power the stage gives her is both mysterious and immense.
Beyond Musical Theatre: Life Lessons
Outside of musical theatre, there’s the bigger stage of life. At iStage, Melody learned that no matter what role you play, you can still shine. And on her own life stage, I saw her light up too.
When she was in third grade, she took part in an English storytelling competition. She chose to tell the story of her favorite musical *Matilda*, and added a short musical theatre performance at the end. Before the competition, I even arranged for iStage’s teacher Karina to give her extra coaching—polishing her lines, expressions, gestures, pacing, and more. I didn’t expect her to win; I just wanted her to treasure the opportunity to perform and present her best self. In the end, Melody brought the quality of musical theatre to the competition—and won first place nationwide. The seeds planted in musical theatre bloomed in unexpected places, and the surprise was truly wonderful.
Resilience Through Adversity
Melody’s journey at iStage hasn’t been without setbacks or confusion. In a production of *Alice in Wonderland*, she played a flower that had to say mean, mocking lines to Alice. Teacher Karina encouraged her to let go and portray the sneaky, villainous attitude. After the show, some classmates saw a video of the performance and mocked her, calling her “silly.” The comment hurt her deeply—she cried at home several times.
But for any actor, this is a necessary part of the journey. On stage, someone must always play the villain or comic relief. If the audience feels anger or dislike toward your character, that means the actor succeeded. Learning to accept and grow from negative feedback is one of the most valuable lessons the stage can teach—and this experience gave her that.
Healing Teenage Rebellion
Melody started at iStage in kindergarten. Now, she’s a seventh grader. I used to tease her every time it was time to renew classes:
“Do you still want to keep going to iStage? It’s such a long commute every week… maybe we should stop?”
And every time, she would firmly reply, “Of course I want to go!”
But at the end of sixth grade, I asked again whether she wanted to continue musical theatre, and to my surprise, she replied nonchalantly, “Whatever. It’s fine if we stop.” I was shocked—had Melody hit the “seven-year itch” with iStage?
I realized then she had entered that tricky adolescent phase. It wasn’t that she didn’t love musical theatre anymore—she just didn’t want adults making decisions for her. So, I negotiated with her: we would enroll for the next term, but if she found it boring after class started, we’d stop. She didn’t object.
And what happened next? That semester, Melody was back to singing in the shower—and this time, she was singing a male character’s solo. She told me the musical for the semester was *Anastasia*, and she was going to cross-cast as a military officer. We watched the show together, analyzed the character’s emotional state, and I listened to her practice songs that were outside her usual vocal range again and again.
Adolescents may act out as they search for a sense of self and personal value. For Melody, the stage might just be the most healing, empowering place for that discovery.
The founders and staff at iStage have thanked me many times for my recognition and trust in their program. But truly, I’m the one who is thankful—for the company and guidance they’ve given Melody. What she has learned and received here will benefit her for a lifetime. Looking back now, I know for certain:
From the very first moment we stepped through iStage’s doors, the gears of fate had already begun to turn.
