Do you think one should reserve “special interest forms” for a situation in which a child truly has some documented special talent or accomplishments? My DS has a “special interest” in drums, plays in a band in well-known halls and percussion ensemble at school and wants to continue to develop his schools and perform in high school. However-in some respects he is just a beginner. . doesn’t read music, we do not have an orchestra. I don’t want to put him in an uncomfortable situation as they might mean this for students with a more traditional resume. . .
For example:
"This optional form is for applicants with highly developed skills or special interest in the arts. " It goes on to ask
Achievement and/or experience in performance groups:
Awards and/or special recognition for this talent:
Other information you would like us to know about your interests in the arts:
My assumption is that for ordinary kids who play instruments and want to continue to play at high school they can just indicate that in the standard application.
DS plays trumpet, but not at a high level. He just listed it under activities in his applications. He took lessons, but did not play in any ensemble until he got to BS. He now plays in two non-audition bands and takes lessons at school, but it is a very casual extra for him.
There’s not downside to filling them out, and they do vary a bit school to school. And how schools react to them is wildly different–some don’t seem to even pay attention to them until after the student gets in (and then they might get an email from a relevant teacher/coach/instructor) and others are all over them from the beginning, even if your kid isn’t gifted. But most are somewhere in between and they AOs are very good at lining up a coach or teacher for 10 minutes or so after (or before) the interview and tours.
The most important thing is to ensure that when you actually reach out to the school to schedule the interview, if you do have an interest that you want to really explore in school, you make that known to the admissions department and try to schedule something when you are there. You can also reach out directly to a department head or a coach (emails are best, and easy to find).
I would just list it as an activity. It will still be noted. My son plays the trumpet; he likes it well enough and has been in bands since 6th grade, but it’s not immensely important to him, and he doesn’t play at a high level. We thus did not fill out arts forms for him. Nevertheless, the trumpet playing was noted and most likely helped with his admission. My daughter, on the other hand, is very serious about her artistic endeavors and has accumulated a substantial arts resume. We filled out arts forms for her. I don’t know whether they had any effect.
