Hello. I am new to this forum and although I’ve been reading threads for the past two days and not seen this question asked specifically, I apologize if I missed something. My son is a seventh grade student and will be applying next year for admission for the 2017/18 school year. We are touring several schools this summer including Walnut Hill, Andover, Choate, Deerfield, St. Paul’s and possibly Suffield. He will also be interviewing at Mercersburg. We are looking for schools with very strong arts (theatre and music) programs and significant financial support for middle income families. As a result, I focused our search predominantly on the schools with the highest endowments. Although I know my son could handle the academic rigor of Andover and Deerfield, I want to be sure he is at a school with balance where he can be completely immersed in the arts. He loves Mercersburg. I’m an alum so he’s been coming to campus since he was little and he has participated in the theatre summer program for the past three years. I want him to stay on the east coast, which means Walnut Hill is the only one of the three pre-professional arts schools we can consider. I really like the look of Walnut Hill, I just worry about the financial aspect. I also just read about Northfield Mount Herman on another thread (I wish I found this forum 6 months ago!) and requested some information from the school.
Does anyone have any recommendations for Mid-Atlantic or New England schools with excellent arts programs and strong financial support for middle income families? I would like the school to be academically competitive but, more importantly, want my son to have a well rounded BS experience and the opportunity to integrate the arts into his academic curriculum. Unfortunately, he’s had to sacrifice some of EC’s and sports this past year or two as he began to perform more and and rehearsals became more intensive. I know with boarding school he’ll have a better chance to fit it all in.
I don’t know about the financial aid aspects, but some of the school we looked at had strong theater and music programs and encourage well-rounded students. In particular St. Mark’s School, Concord Academy, Governor’s Academy, and Tabor Academy (we only looked close to Boston, so this is not a comprehensive list). What kind of music? Instrumental or voice?
I would worry about Walnut Hill academics in comparison to the other schools on your list–it has a different emphasis.
Thank you! I’ll check out those schools. He plays piano and percussion and would probably say his preference is piano but I think he is more acommplished vocally. He really shines in musical theatre.
I know Walnut Hill puts more emphasis on the arts than academics. I’ll have to do some research and see what would appeal more to arts conservatories since most likely that is where he will be looking for college - a pre-professional arts program or stronger academics + arts.
George School has very good arts (performing and visual) and a great philosophy about their educational value. Supportive vibe like Mercersburg. About half the kids get FA. Worth a look.
Middlesex is nearing the finish line of its comprehensive capital campaign that includes a major overhaul of its arts facilities… everything from visual arts, theater, and music. The arts have traditionally been strong and now they will continue to thrive with these expanded spaces. A music/theater kid would be in heaven!
One element to consider is the difference between a school with a strong arts program because it’s a point of primary emphasis (as it sounds like Walnut Hill might be from your description), and school with the scale to support tremendous arts offerings in which you kid could excel. Choate, for example, has an outstanding arts and performance opportunities, but it’s not known as an “arts school” per se. But given size, it can offer myriad arts opportunities, both inside and outside the classroom. I would also look at Milton Academy.
OP, your son is potentially interested in a Music Conservatory for college to study Piano Performance or Vocal Performance? Schools such as Peabody, Eastman, Juilliard, Oberlin, Cleveland Institute of Music, etc?
I would look at the college matriculation results for each boarding school on your list to see how many they placed for each conservatory annually.
From there you need to connect with the Instructor for piano and vocal at the best boarding schools for music.
And finally to prepare your son for admission - what summer programs has he done and is he doing?
St. Andrew’s, Delaware, has been great for my two kids, who between them, have been involved in theatre and music. The music man is Fred Geiersbach, leading both the orchestral and jazz programs. The theatre leader is Ann Taylor, who directs three shows a year, while a history teacher adds another less-involved winter production. Other adults help in big ways, but the two named, and in charge, are truly wonderful people. My musician was also a three-season athlete, while the other does theatre and dance (and rowed crew for two years). Their scheduling can be demanding, especially as both put a lot into studies, but they have said there is enough “balance”. Great financial aid. I’d say the top 80% and more of graduates go to good colleges and better, indicative that, holistically, the school serves the bottom half of the population just as well as the top. A quarter smaller than M’burg, so kids get lots of exposure on stage usually beginning freshman or sophomore year. Has proven leadership in Tad Roach, who is one of the most respected heads around.
Choate’s music program has long been impressive and they have an arts concentration track for those who want an intensive course of study. Hotchkiss is particularly strong in piano and they integrate the arts into the required freshman and sophomore humanities curriculum so if you are a musician two lessons per week are a part of your regular course of study.
No doubt, apples to apples, the SAS programs are less celebrated and accomplished than Choate’s, etc., and apparently the matriculation lists too (I’m not checking, but it’s a good idea to do so). Nevertheless, in the last four years, I’ve seen extremely talented seniors graduate with the intention to continue their arts ambitions, even if at schools other than those listed by Clarinet Dad. One, who had conducted an original orchestral piece at SAS, passed up Julliard to go to Princeton instead. A second is making original compositions at NYU Tisch and is on YouTube getting praise from Pharrell Williams. A third decided her best bet for musical theater, though she also had operatic training, is Montclair State, across the rive from NYC. And one of this year’s graduates is attending Berklee, with another opting for a traditional liberal arts career with the hope of doing graduate work there later on.
Sure, the school and these examples won’t meet expectations for lots of specialists, but I’d bet that, for some, the whole experience at SAS might work best among their options, and still get them where they want to go. Everybody’s particulars are different, and kids change unexpectedly over time.
Wow, thank you all for this information. We’ve been touring schools for the past few days so I haven’t had much time to get online. @ClarinetDad16 - my son would be interested in a performing arts conservatory as opposed to music. He has participated in Mercersburg Summer Theater Intensive for the past few years (this year he is doing both dance and theater) and performs in community and regional theater during the school year, as well as the our local school theater programs. With that said, he also wants to continue to study voice, piano, and percussion, so I don’t want to pigeon hole him into one discipline or with one instrument. Finding a school that will prepare him for a PA conservatory, allow him to pursue his instrument(s) of choice, and excite him intellectually has been the goal. It’s been really fun to watch him on the tours as he learns about the classes he can take in high school. I mean, I expected him to get excited over the theater and music departments but marine biology? Who knew? My husband and I were laughing at him on the St. Paul’s tour because there were so many hypothetical classes he liked - he had himself taking 8 classes a term. I’m willing to sacrifice some academic intensity if there is a school that will also let him study acting, take marine biology or astronomy, play in the band/percussion ensemble, study piano, sing in choral/a cappella group, participate in theater performances, but also have the opportunity to do at least one season of a sport. I want him to continue to gain experience and education in performing arts, but I also want him to be well rounded. If that makes any sense at all. Right now, his life is pretty much all school and theater because we travel to different local theaters 3-5 nights a week (or 6 days during tech/shows) for him to rehearse and perform.
We already have a tour and interview booked at Choate next month but some of these schools weren’t on my radar at all, so I really appreciate the feedback. I’ll definitely check them out. St. Andrew’s is in my backyard (about 40 minutes away) so I don’t know why I haven’t thought about it before now.
I would highly consider you look at Walnut Hill if your son is as interested in the arts as you make him sound. My daughter attends Walnut Hill, and we couldn’t be more thrilled with the school.
Arts does not equal poor academics. Students are essentially carrying two courseloads- academic and artistic. It isn’t the school for everyone, but the students who attend are incredibly motivated, talented and ready to tackle anything. My daughter is highly challenged in all of her classes. (And she was offered admission to a number of schools that you are considering.) Their college matriculation list rivals some of the most competitive boarding schools out there. It’s not “just an arts school.”
Mrsjules - thank you so much for the feedback! Although we didn’t have time for a full tour of Walnut Hill, we did stop by, speak with an Admissions Officer and take a mini tour. He loved it. I’m not worried about academics - I saw the college matriculation list. However, it does seem super focused and I know he would have to pick a track. With him having interest in both theatre and (instrumental) music, I’m not sure how ready he would be to give up music to focus predominantly on theatre. I think we need to go back again in the fall and visit when all the students are there.
Someone above recommended Hotchkiss as being particularly strong in piano, and I just wanted to chime in to echo that, and also talk about the arts/drama programs more generally. It is very much the norm at Hotchkiss for kids to take music lessons, participate in instrumental and/or vocal groups, act in school plays and musicals, and play on competitive sports – often all at the same time! Rehearsals for any of those things do not conflict with athletics. Last year’s fall musical starred two boys who were both on the varsity football team. In fact, I would say if anything, it’s the norm for varsity athletes to also participate heavily in the music and/or drama programs.
As the poster above noted, one reason that it’s relatively easy to incorporate the arts into the schedule is that for 9th and 10th grade years, it’s actually a required component of the integrated humanities curriculum. Every student chooses between studio art, photography, dance, drama, or music, and then has class in that choice twice a week (and if you pick music, I think there’s a private instrumental lesson on top of that). To the extent possible, the curriculum of the arts course is also integrated with the subject matter of the humanities courses (which are history, literature, and religion/philosophy). So for instance, when the 9th grade literature class is reading Merchant of Venice, the 9th graders in drama are working on soliloquys from Merchant of Venice or other Shakespearean works. For 10th grade, they can stick with the same arts choice, or select a different one. And even if a 9th/10th grader doesn’t choose music as his art, he can still take private music lessons or try out for musical groups. After 10th grade, there are of course lots of electives available.
There are many additional options for kids particularly interested in music, such as a study abroad program in Italy focusing on performing arts. And the music auditorium – Elfers Hall (which is probably one of the most gorgeous auditoriums you’ll ever see) – hosts concerts by musicians of some note, and often times the more advanced music students will then get to meet them, or even rehearse with them.
@monicamarie613 I would definitely add St. Andrews DE (SAS) to your list. Our son was a new sophomore last year and had a wonderful experience. He is athlete/arts kid who truly appreciates all that SAS has to offer. @Charger78 is spot on with his posts about the arts at SAS and where talented SAS graduates go to college. Given that the school is only 40 minutes from your home it would be an easy commute to see your son perform. We live in NC and can’t make it to Middleton very often. I am quite jealous of the parents that live with 1-2 hours of campus : )!
The problem with the actual arts schools is that you have to choose a track. So if you have a kid whose focus could be theater or music or visual arts or creative writing (as I do), instead of being the perfect solution as I at first assumed, they are the worst possible choice.
On another note, although I am usually a Mercersburg cheerleader, I don’t like the way the music program is structured. Kids have to take band or chorale as a class in order to participate in extracurricular music groups. Both my kids will have to drop their music classes next year because their schedules are too full with academics, and thus they can’t continue with organized music at all.
choosing a track and having dedicated faculty to help you refine your skills is essential for a kid who lives to perform.
There are many boarding schools who have one teacher on staff for music which means kids can’t get individual instruction on their instrument and they can’t field an orchestra. And their “band” is partially filled with teachers who cover several of the instruments.
For a kid serious about music that is truly a worst case scenario.