If you don’t have a strong music program at your high school or access to an arts high school in your hometown, should you consider attending a boarding arts high school for music?

We talked with students and staff at three U.S. boarding arts schools and learned that these schools are a good fit especially for students who identify with one or more of the following:

• frustration with the lack of support and opportunities at their traditional high school
• ready to start high school but live in an area where the music program has been cut or downgraded and a non-residential arts high school is unavailable
• homeschooled and ready for more intensive music and academic training in a collaborative setting

High school students can apply and be accepted to start at a boarding arts school at the beginning of any school year. In fact, most of the students we talked with started in their sophomore or junior years.

Benefits of attending a boarding arts high school

Jason Hersom, former Director of Admission and Financial Aid at Walnut Hill School for the Arts just outside of Boston, Massachusetts, says that “Attending school in a place where artists are celebrated, understood, and encouraged is extremely appealing to those students who may not have felt that support at their previous school.”

Every student we talked with was enthusiastic about the caliber of the faculty at their school. They were also impressed by their teachers’ commitment to helping them become proficient musicians as well as well-rounded, confident, and responsible adults.

Many students attend boarding arts high schools to prepare themselves for getting into a stand-alone or university-housed conservatory. But students say their schools provide much more, such as: resources they could not find at traditional high schools; strong academic training; 1:1 mentoring; extraordinary collaborative experiences; daily exposure to other arts; and the opportunity to live and learn in the same environment.

According to Kristy Callaway, former executive director of , other benefits to boarding arts students include “access –– to new faculty, guidance/college admissions experts, and master teachers” and the opportunity to be “challenged by a new dynamic of students at their ability level.”

What kind of student will benefit?

Jack Sherrell is a singer/songwriter and guitarist from Walla Walla, Washington. He started at Interlochen Arts Academy in Michigan as a sophomore, and says students who fare the best at his school are:

• resilient – able to cope with stress and pressure
• persevering with their practicing
• willing to work hard
• able to keep personal life from interfering with school

Other students add that embracing opportunities to learn about and experience not just music but other arts as well is necessary in order to thrive in a boarding arts high school environment.

Students and staff agree that academics are rigorous. Academic preparation is deemed essential whether or not students go on to apply to music schools for college. Students considering boarding arts high schools should therefore be prepared to work hard.

An increasing number of homeschoolers are discovering boarding arts high schools for their junior and/or senior years, says Kristy Callaway. They are finding the preparation a very useful segueway to a conservatory or college.

Valentina Plata majored in voice and piano at Idyllwild Arts Academy in the San Jacinto mountains of Southern California. She hails from Cancun, Mexico, and went to Idyllwild Arts as a sophomore because “I wanted improvement and guidance for what I was passionate about. I needed different cultures and perspective about life…I wanted a traditional boarding school that was liberal but at the same time safe and organized.”

Balancing your time

Learning to juggle academics with the demands of being a music student often doesn’t happen until college. At boarding arts high schools, however, it’s a skill that’s learned early on. “Self-disciplined time management is something that all students learn in the first few weeks,” says Jack Sherrell. “Arts schools keep you very busy throughout your day, and time for homework and practicing has to be rigidly scheduled into your day.” He has found that his school’s structure allows him to get more done than when he had far more unscheduled time at a traditional high school.

Shangwen Liao, who graduated from Walnut Hill School for the Arts and went on to Julliard to continue his cello studies, agrees. “Reasonably scheduling our time,” he says, “is simultaneously the biggest benefit and the biggest challenge (in going to a boarding arts high school).”

Non-boarders

Students who live in the general vicinity of boarding arts high schools may apply as day students. Annika Vlock-Drewitz, who attended Walnut Hill School for the Arts, is from Boston. Her interest was classical voice but her neighborhood school was focused on musical theatre. So she applied and got accepted to Walnut Hill as a day student. She received training in solfège, ear training, music theory, and diction. Piano was also part of her curriculum along with a weekly coaching session, where “you basically get a different perspective on what you have been learning with your teacher, and you focus more on the acting and communicating aspects of singing.”

Sam Zorn was a day student at Idyllwild Arts Academy. He found Idyllwild’s academics and music far more rigorous than any traditional high school in his hometown of Hemet, California, and chose Idyllwild for that reason. He thrived on the lessons, guided rehearsals, and professional gigs he got at his school, as well as exposure to genres of music in addition to jazz. He was also passionate about what he learned in science and math and the cutting edge technologies incorporated into those classes. While enjoying the close relationship he continued to have with his family, as a day student he had to work harder to feel like he was part of the Idyllwild community. His solution was to “maximize my time on campus by becoming as involved as possible.”

Costs

The sticker price for attending an arts boarding school is akin to attending a private conservatory or university. That said, all of the arts boarding high schools offer need-based assistance to support students without the means to attend. This also ensures an economically diverse student body. Of the three schools included in this article, only Idyllwild Arts Academy offers merit scholarships.

There are other costs, too. Some students mentioned being homesick, an experience that students attending their neighborhood high schools don’t encounter until they reach college. Others talked about missing out on holidays and regular visits with their families because of the time and expense involved, as well as missing their hometown friends, former classmates, and the the familiarity of their local schools.

Transitioning to residential life is another experience most teens don’t go through until they get to college. For the majority of students who go to boarding schools, it works. For some, it doesn’t.

 What if you’re not sure you want to pursue music in college?

“Never assume you HAVE to pursue music just because you went to a pre-professional arts boarding high school,” says Kurt Clare, who attended Interlochen Arts Academy for his junior and senior years. “Many of my peers started academic degrees at some of the leading universities in the country!” Clare, who was admitted to four schools, chose University of Michigan for Vocal Performance.

How to decide

Students who are drawn to going to a boarding arts high school are encouraged to attend a summer program there, if possible. Parents and students are also encouraged to visit the schools’ participating pages on �ƹ�app to learn more about them; contact the schools to talk with administrators; and visit the schools to talk with teachers and students. Prospective students should ask to sit in on classes, take a lesson with a teacher, and audition to see if their current level of proficiency is acceptable.

How can you tell whether attending an arts high school is a good fit for you, your child, or your student? What can be gained from attending an arts school that would otherwise not be available? And how does it impact your acceptance to college?

Arts high school administrators and college music school admission directors offer insights and wisdom to assist you in thinking about what makes sense.

Benefits of attending an arts high school for music

Arts-focused high schools inspire an environment of creativity. According to Jamie Knight, Music, Media & Entertainment Technology department chair at Huntington Beach High School’s Academy for the Performing Arts, creativity is the #1 skill required in the 21st century. Donn Harris, executive and artistic director of Oakland School for the Arts, agrees. “Regardless of whether you go on in music, creativity is important in whatever you do, even in areas like medicine and politics,” he says.

“Attending a performing arts high school is a great way to discover what it’s like to study music in college, and/or professionally. It is helpful to think of the experience as job training, learning the ways of the performing arts culture and history in a safe environment,” offers Paris Brown, former director of  admissions. She sees a number of Lawrence applicants come through arts high schools.

Nadine Abigaña, associate director of college counseling at Walnut Hill School for the Arts, says that at her school, students “benefit from being surrounded by peers who value process, strive for excellence, engage deeply in their own learning, and ultimately enjoy a range of options for college, conservatory, and career. The community is especially powerful and compelling because its members — students, faculty and staff alike — share a deep passion for making and celebrating art.”

As a freshman, Bryan Dunnewald attended a conventional high school in his hometown in Colorado. After spending the summer at Interlochen Summer Arts Camp, he transferred to Interlochen Arts Academy High School to continue to pursue his passion for studying organ, and never looked back.

“Studying at an arts school gave me the opportunity to study and live amongst other talented students. While great teachers exist all around the world, studying at Interlochen allowed me to learn from the teacher and students. This sharing of artistic ideas and knowledge — the environment in which I lived —  is what makes studying at an arts school unique.

“This served me in a number of ways. I was able to learn about other instruments and fields from those who know them best, and apply that to my own musicianship. I was able to have close contact with brilliant teachers who helped me grow faster. I could take part in a larger creative process. And I collaborated with writers, composers, ensembles, and dancers, to name a few. We created new works and shared them with others to inspire them. They, in turn, worked together to inspire us.” Brian went on to Curtis Institute of Music for his Bachelor of Music degree in Organ Performance, and continues to compose, perform, and teach.

Does attending an arts high school give you a leg up when it comes to getting into college for music?

Most arts high schools incorporate a strong music theory and music history component into the curriculum. Donn Harris at Oakland School for the Arts says this training can be difficult to come by in conventional high schools. His school is prepared to take students all the way to the college level in music theory.

Why is this helpful? It allows students to approach college music theory with confidence instead of dread. Many test out of introductory-level college music theory classes. This makes room for more electives, and lessens the burden on students who want to be dual majors or add in a minor.

There are other advantages to attending an arts high school. Paris Brown at Lawrence sees students gaining “the time to dedicate to daily music study” and that it’s this daily practice that can “help students to better prepare for pre-screening recordings and auditions.” In her work with applicants, she sees the arts high schools as “allowing for a balance of music and academic pursuits which is ideal for students attending liberal arts schools or who plan to pursue a double major.”

Kara Golden, associate director of admissions, Mason Gross School of the Arts at Rutgers University, points out that “Although going to a particular high school may prepare an applicant well for an audition, the high school name by no means makes a difference in admissions.” Gaye Matravers, senior associate director of Admissions & Financial Aid at , agrees. She says that students need a strong, robust program to participate in at their high schools, recognizing that they can find this at a conventional high school. What’s even more essential are lessons from a highly proficient private teacher.

Who is a good fit?

Arts high schools are demanding. They require more practicing than students are used to. They also require students to successfully navigate a rigorous college preparatory curriculum. They are a good fit for “serious music students” who are “hard and dedicated workers,” says oboist Ryan Zwahlen, chamber musician and former chair of the Music Department at Idyllwild Arts Academy.

Rick Shaw, assistant principal of Denver School of the Arts, says that students who can multi-task and communicate with confidence will fit in well at an arts school like his. In addition, they must be passionate and committed to their art form and willing to be risk-takers.

Andy Bauer, director of Instrumental Music at Lehigh Valley Charter High School for the Arts, adds that “students with prior training in their previous school bands, orchestras, and choirs make the best candidates for acceptance.”

Who’s not?

Not all high school students are ready for the intensity at an arts high school. There’s a level of maturity required for being able to learn the crucial skills of time management and for juggling the demands of music along with academics. “Unmotivated and low energy students don’t fit well,” says David Hamilton, chair of the Music Department at South Carolina Governor’s School of the Arts. “Students who do not want a focused path of artistic study don’t do well.”

For students not ready to tackle the demands of an arts school, a conventional high school with a strong performing arts component is an option.

Private boarding schools are another option for students not quite ready to commit to the demands of an arts school directly after middle school. These schools will all work with older students who are interested and ready to consider transferring.

Those who do enter boarding schools as freshmen benefit from the additional time working with the academic and arts faculties, and performing and learning from like-minded and talented peers. Christopher Hintz, former marketing and communications manager at Interlochen, says students who start as freshmen “build a foundation that will help them in each of their subsequent years of study.”

What if you change your mind about pursuing music?

Arts school administrators recognize that not all of their students will go on to major in music or any of the arts. Still, they believe and can document why attending an arts school is invaluable.

According to Chris Hintz, “Students also regularly enroll in highly selective academic programs that value artists as creative thinkers and unique problem-solvers. From medicine to business, and astrophysics to law, an Interlochen education often leads students to success in fields outside the arts.”

Bryan Dunnewald says that several of his friends have gone on to college in law, psychology, and economics, and “wouldn’t give up their (arts) education for anything…Plus, colleges are looking for more than just 4.0’s and perfect SAT scores…Studying music (or other art) shows dedication and commitment, which they (colleges) also like to see. So if you’re hesitant because you don’t know about going on in the arts, it’s a non-issue.”

Jamie Knight at Huntington Beach Academy for the Performing Arts adds that regardless of whether a student goes on to study and have a career in the arts, they will always be an arts consumer and possibly an arts “hobbyist” as a result of immersing themselves in a creative arts environment in high school.

Academics

Arts high schools include a strong academic component in conjunction with intensive arts study. However, some college-level music schools find that not all arts high school graduates are as academically prepared as they need to be. Gaye Matravers at Indiana University urges high school students to make sure they don’t let the academic aspect slide. She encourages them to start thinking early on about where they may want to apply to college and about what they may want to study. This should help them with college acceptances and with meeting the academic demands of college.

Cost

Arts schools vary greatly in cost. Many are public charter schools connected to a school district; some are independent public charters. While there are no up-front costs at such schools, families are likely to be asked to donate some amount of money to help offset the myriad costs of running the school. They are also likely to be asked for donations of time. In fact, most arts schools depend on a strong parent volunteer base for support.

Private arts schools, especially boarding schools, are expensive. Some families may feel like they have to make a financial choice between sending their children to an arts boarding school or to college. The three private arts boarding schools interviewed for this article all stated that they offer millions of dollars in financial aid to help students who would otherwise not be able to afford to attend. According to Nadine Abigaña at Walnut Hill, this also allows for “a student body reflecting diverse social and economic backgrounds.”

It’s important to note that arts schools typically have dedicated college counselors available to help students figure out where to apply and how to get scholarships to offset the cost of college.