The Seidman Principle

Peter Seidman

https://www.linkedin.com/in/peterjayseidman/

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Looking back, Mr. Seidman’s career choices make sense. The child of two educators (father a public school principal, mother a public school teacher) and born into a family of famous and accomplished musicians, it's not a stretch to imagine how "arts and education" would become a major part of his life.

Mr. Seidman has been a teacher, in one form or another, from the time he was in his late teens. His first paid job was teaching piano. At age 19, he taught a music appreciation course at his own former high school. A couple of years later, he developed a musical theater program at a Boston-area youth center for teens who were experiencing problems at home, at school, and often in the courts. Although the program managed to attract state and federal funding for several years, it wasn't until much later that Seidman grasped what was really going on inside those kids. At the time, he knew only that they always seemed angry and emotionally guarded, and expressed surprise that he could somehow still get them to act, sing, and dance.

Shortly afterward, largely based on his work with Boston kids, he was accepted into the Harvard Graduate School of Education, where he focused on adolescent development and counseling. After graduating, he moved back to New York City and used his musical background to work as a piano accompanist and coach for young singers active in Broadway, TV, and films.

For more than ten years, he was the leading vocal coach for young performers in New York, working with nearly every child appearing on Broadway.

During that period, he made a major realization. He noticed that the kids who were most "marketable", using a trade term, weren't necessarily the best-looking or most talented or even the most verbally expressive.

The word he reported hearing most from the agents and casting directors he knew when describing what they were looking for, was "real".

From his graduate studies at Harvard and his experience with Boston kids, he realized it would be almost impossible for a child with poor self-esteem to open up and show who they really were. In his words: “It would be as likely as owning something they hated, holding it up for everyone to see, and expecting approval.”

Likewise, he realized, if they didn't feel good physically, they'd have to fake it, since otherwise their discomfort, lack of energy, and other symptoms of less-than-ideal health would be apparent and unpleasant to those they were trying to please. At the very least, he felt, it would hold them back.

In short, he realized that success was all about who these kids truly were, emotionally and physically.

Today, according to Seidman, we have a generation of kids who are, on the surface, quite "marketable".  He points to an abundance of A students and high achievers, involved in all sorts of extra-curricular activities, surrounded by inspired and gifted educators and devoted parents.

Yet Seidman feels many if not most of these kids are in serious trouble.  He along with numerous psychologists and educators believe many don't like themselves, don't take good care of themselves, and are engaging in a myriad of self-destructive behavior.

He feels this has been exacerbated by the added stress, anxiety, depression, and over-dependency on social media exacerbated by the school shutdowns during the early Covid era.

In Seidman’s view: “Today, there's a huge schism between what's shining brightly on the surface and what's festering inside.”

Many years ago, Seidman asked a very wise man what the point was in acquiring wisdom, since it doesn't take place until very late in life. The man replied without hesitation:

"You pass it on."

In that spirit, we dedicate this site to you. May it prove useful where desired, and life-changing where necessary.

Thank you.

Peter & Staff of the Seidman Academy