Best schools for Arts concentration

Prep School Admissions
41

<p>
[quote]
I wonder how those schools rate against the so called "top tier" schools, of which there is no question a superior education is possible!

[/quote]

My opinion is that they would "rate" quite well on an indivudual basis. Meaning for an individual kid they would, but overall, not so much. They don't offer as MANY choices. But then, no one person can take 6 different languages. If you don't want to take German, does it really matter if it's offered? A school may offer a varied science track, but if you another school offeres what you are interested in, it really doesn't matter does it?<br>
I truly beleive you WILL get a superior education at any of the schools you and your daughter are considering. I also beleive if it is the right fit, it will be a BETTER education than an "ok fit" at a "top" school. And certainly the wrong fit could be a disaster even at a top school.</p>

42

<p>Winterset and Creative - I hope you are right about the good news of your children learning time management at SPS's. My D is great at time management ( sometimes I wonder if we brought home the wrong baby 13 yrs ago!)
I guess the question should be exactly how much homework is doled out? Sounds like SPS is doable if they can still get 9 hours, which I believe is essential for mental health as well as physical! </p>

<p>Linda - you make an excellent point. Unfortunately it is very hard to judge quality without actually visiting classrooms, or being acquainted with recent graduates. The top tier schools are able to attract first rate teachers, and give those teachers a lot of freedom. The less prestigious schools may be just as good ( or even better because of personal fit). I appreciate your comments.</p>

43

<p>Sadie - My child doesn't get 9 hours but she didn't at home either, and she actually functions fine with less sleep. I would have said the same thing about my daughter and her time management skills a year ago, but be forewarned that living in a dorm environment will present distractions she doesn't find at home. A few kids will manage these with aplomb right from the get go. For others, it will be a learning process. For mine, its been somewhere in the middle. As a parent, we always feel they could spend more time studying but at the beginning of the first year, the kids are focused on forging friendships, which is important as well. Plus, unless your child is coming from a very top-notch private school, she may find the workload larger and the grading curve stiffer than what she has previously faced. Talking with a group of my daughter's friends this past weekend, they all said it is impossible to ace all your classes unless you are a total "grind" or one of a few genius type kids. </p>

<p>Another important factor is how many activities does your child want to engage in and are they willing to compromise to do so. This varies by child of course as does the amount of sleep needed. But if your child wants to pursue team sports and be in the orchestra/choir/newspaper/play/whatever, it will be challenging to get to sleep by 10 pm even with stellar time management skills. Personally, I don't think everyone fits the blanket 9 hours of sleep.</p>

44

<p>My son does not get 9 hours. I don't see how that would be possible. He can't get to his homework until study hall (which is from 8-10pm at his school). He has classes, meetings, and a varsity sport every season. He hasn't even signed up for any other EC's yet (he is a freshman), but plans to. (Actually, he is a tour guide, but that does not entail too much). He often has to get up early to finish hw. Lights out is 10:45 for freshman, so he usually gets 7 hours or so. Not too bad.....and he definitely makes up for on w/e's at home.</p>

45

<p>Yup...expect some MAJOR snooze time during visits home. :)</p>

46

<p>Keylyme and creative - my D just turned 13, so maybe the sleep requirement changes. My son, on the other hand, would stay up all night and sleep all day given any choice - but then he was not a candidate for BS.</p>

<p>I hear you about work load and grading curve, I am also considering sending her to a ninth grade private day school( with an excellent reputation) in preparation...</p>

47

<p>I don't think the requirement changes; I'm just saying it really is difficult to get 9 hours of sleep when you combine the rigor of the classes, the work load, and EC's.</p>

48

<p>Part of the boarding school process is to develop the personal responsibility, time management and study skills that they WILL NEED IN COLLEGE. Personally, I found the transition to college easy, while public school friends were somewhat lost. They were used to parents telling them what to do and when to do it. They did not plan ahead. They did not know how to do laundry, buy their supplies, manage their $ or a myriad of basic tasks. They loved the freedom of college, but they lacked the personal responsibility to manage it. That is the advantage of prep school (plus you lean to write, analyze and integrate).</p>

<p>Does my son at St. Paul's always get 9 hours sleep? NO! But he has learned to plan for it and understands the consequences. He has a roommate who is bright and likes to sleep also. Yes he has a full course load, plus theater, chorus, varsity crew and more….. That takes juggling and in some cases he has to decide what he cannot be prepared for the way he wants. This spring he decided that crew is his priority, so food snd sleep have become more important.</p>

<p>I would much rather have them learn that kind of self discipline in 9th or 10th grade than in college, where I have seen kids flunk out because they did not know how to juggle demands. BUT above all, pick a prep school (and college) where they can handle the load and succeed. Do not claw and scrape your way into the toughest program and then struggle at the bottom of the class. Match the school to the person.</p>

49

<p>Winterset, you make excellent points. What I am concerned about is the possibility of a consistent lack of sleep with no apparent remedy. From what you and others are saying, this is not the case at St. Pauls, and I am very happy to hear it. </p>

<p>My daughter, who is presently in 7th grade, has always managed her time well, and without any interference from me. And although I prefer her to get more sleep, she probably gets about 8 on average. She also has no problem waking up even if she was up unusually late the previous evening, but I know ( she has an older sibling ) that this can change in the teenage years.</p>

<p>This past school year she spends about 1 -1/2 hours a day on homework, has EC activities ( music and sports ) four days a week that end around 4 pm, and spends most of her weekends at the barn riding and caring for her horse. She has always made homework her first priority....during the winter she will walk in the door and start her homework before taking her coat off. She also manages to have a social life, practice her instrument almost daily, bike, play tennis, read, etc. I don't know if I mentioned it earlier, but she is on the high honor roll at a competitive public jr. high school.</p>

<p>From what I have learned about St. Pauls, I believe she will be an excellent candidate for admission. We plan on visiting in a few weeks. Right now the list we are looking at has been revised since my OP, it includes St. Pauls, Groton , NMH ( my alma mater), Choate (possibly ), Concord Academy, Deerfield, St. Andrews ( Delaware ), Milton (possibly ), St. Marks, Foxcroft, Chatham Hall, Miss Porters, and Stoneleigh Burnham. These ( different as they are ) may all be big reaches, as she will also be needing FA. Exeter may also get back on the list, especially if she puts off BS until 10th grade, but right now it just looks frightening ( to me, not her! ), as does Andover.</p>

50

<p>I am not saying that everyone gets lots of sleep at SPS. Just as you said it is not without any "apparent remedy". My son tends to squeeze homework in in every available moment (between classes as an example). Lately he has taken to having a nap after class and before sports. He also spends lots of time with friends. But clearly he juggles, sleep, homework and down tiime.</p>

51

<p>The instrumental and vocal programs at St. Marks School are amazing! Make sure you listen on line.</p>

52

<p>Thanks Bonnie!</p>

53

<p>im a current student at choate, and part of the arts concentration..so i guess whatever I say is pretty valid, haha..</p>

<p>the arts concentration breaks up into visual, performance, and music..
im in the visual arts concentration.. 1 of 4 students. its a pretty small group, extremely focused and because it's such a small group, our resources are endless and we each get a lot of attention from the faculty</p>

<p>the performance arts concentration is one of the stronger of the three
it's pretty big too.. around 15-20 students. </p>

<p>Our arts concentration is great for those of us who would rather be painting/singing/acting rather than playing sports..etc the arts concentration excuses you from the sports requirement, unless you do enjoy sports and is on a competitive team</p>

<p>if this is the case, then rather than doing an all year round concentration, you can pick specific terms. The only problem is, that you may need to sacrifice certain things to be part of the concentration. i guess thats why we have an application process for it.</p>

<p>for visual artists, we need a portfolio and a short essay as to why you think AC is right for you.
actors, its the same except you are expected to give a monologue..
and musicians, a solo piece</p>

<p>the thing about choate is that we make lots of exceptions. If you want to specialize in a specific form of art, say Opera singing, we can find a tutor for you (thats what a classmate i know does..)
and in my case, I wanted to experiment with various medias in art..so i was introduced to many things including sculpturing, working with oils, acrylics.. also mixed media pieces..</p>

<p>any other questions, dont hesitate to ask!
:)</p>