<p>Which school is better suited/will develop our son better for college admissions: Lawrenceville, Deerfield or Hotchkiss. His talents: singing (currently 13 yo, 4 yrs experience, currently performing with world famous chorus at major venues Carnegie Hall, Lincoln center, etc) and water polo (nationals and regional comps, odp). Thanks.</p>
<p>Both Deerfield and Hotchkiss are in the middle of (basically) nowhere, (Hotchkiss is more nowhere) so it depends on how much he wants to keep participating in regional and national chorus events. A friend of ours son went to Hotchkiss for a year and they spent a lot of money on a private driver to get him to some important competitions, it was logistically too difficult and they left after one year. Lville may have an advantage being closer to NY and having an Amtrak stop?</p>
<p>Not sure about the water polo, you can find that on boarding school review and the school websites.</p>
<p>I live near Hotchkiss and swim in the pool, so I know they HAVE water polo (they switch the lanes around and lower the water temp during the season - brrrr) but couldn’t vouch for the quality. If leaving campus for national competitions is important, then yes, Hotchkiss is a pain - it’s 20 minutes from the train station, and then 2 hours to NYC, a 3 hour drive from Boston. But if you just want him to participate in music on campus, it’s a great place with excellent faculty.</p>
<p>I personally love Hotchkiss! I have been looking up infor for myself, and Deerfield is a good school that is dedicated to a large range of talents. Though every high-end boarding school is. Though neither of these schools may be very music orientated, The Hill school has quite the music program!</p>
<p>NMH has great music facilities too</p>
<p>The David H. Koch Natatorium, with an eight-lane pool and separate diving well. The pool facility is the largest at a New England boarding school.</p>
<p>[Deerfield</a> Athletics](<a href=“http://deerfield.edu/slife/athletic-facilities/]Deerfield”>http://deerfield.edu/slife/athletic-facilities/)</p>
<p>[Water</a> Polo Wins Second Consecutive New England Title](<a href=“http://deerfield.edu/2011/12/water-polo-wins-second-consecutive-new-england-title/]Water”>http://deerfield.edu/2011/12/water-polo-wins-second-consecutive-new-england-title/)</p>
<p>[Performing</a> Arts](<a href=“http://deerfield.edu/academics/academic-departments/the-arts/performing-arts/]Performing”>http://deerfield.edu/academics/academic-departments/the-arts/performing-arts/)</p>
<p>I now hear that it is impossible to do both music and sport at Lawrenceville because of the way their schedule works: both music and sports are allocated the same time window. I also hear it is possible schedule wise to do both at Hotchkiss. Anyone knows about Deerfield?</p>
<p>You can do both sports and music at Deerfield. Deerfield has an amazing Choral instructor and director. From Deerfield website:</p>
<p>Our Chorus class embraces several vocal ensembles including the Academy Chorus, the select Madrigal Choir, and the 60-voice Deerfield Choral Society. These groups allow singers of all levels to perform in a variety of musical styles and settings, while also cultivating a healthy and expressive vocal technique and developing their music literacy and aural skills. </p>
<p>Students will receive instruction in singing technique, musicianship, music literacy, and ear training, while learning a wide variety of repertoire from the Middle Ages to the present . Students enrolled in the Academy Chorus are eligible to audition for the select a cappella groups (the all-male Mellow-Ds and the all-female Rhapso-Ds).</p>
<p>With an adjunct faculty of over twenty applied music teachers, Deerfield offers private instruction on all ensemble instruments as well as piano, organ, guitar, voice, and bagpipes. Our most dedicated student musicians can apply to participate in our Music Service co-curricular program, which allows them solo and ensemble practice time in the afternoons. </p>
<p>[Handels</a> Messiah](<a href=“http://deerfield.edu/2012/12/handels-messiah/]Handels”>http://deerfield.edu/2012/12/handels-messiah/)</p>
<p>[Faure</a> Requiem Concert](<a href=“http://deerfield.edu/2011/04/faure-requiem-concert/]Faure”>http://deerfield.edu/2011/04/faure-requiem-concert/)</p>
<p>Can I go out on a limb here and say that if your son sings for something like American Boy Choir AND plays water polo (in Middle School, no less)…he’s already got a leg up on the average college applicant.</p>
<p>Thanks SevenDad. He has done pretty well so far and we are concerned to have him continue in his development in a boarding school environment so that he can have less time lost to commute.</p>
<p>The first time my son and I visited Hotchkiss, we walked away from there totally amazed by its music programs and its athletic facilities, especially its Olympic-size swimming pool. We thought that if a child loved music and swimming, there could not be a better boarding school in NE to attend than Hotchkiss. (Yes, we visited and he applied to all of the other biggies, inculding L’ville and DA.) Although my son can’t carry a tune and can barely dog paddle, he still decided to atttend THS. He graduated from Hotchkiss last spring and loved it. I can only imagine how much more he would have loved Hotchkiss if he could have sung and swum.</p>