<p>My Precious Baby King, age almost 13, will be applying to high schools this fall!!?? Heaven help me. He is as serious about his music as I’ve known a kid his age to be who isn’t a prodigy. Which means we are going to be prioritizing his high school application list based on that. (We are in NYC and he gets to make a list of 12 choices and must attend the highest school on his list which “matches” him.) There are two music programs in our community and I’m at a drooling, babbling loss as to how one would prioritize them, so I’m here to ask for advice. The first program is the “hot” program in our community, it’s based on an audition and they only take about 40 kids across all instruments and voice. This program has every kind of ensemble one would want, but does not offer theory classes or IB/AP music. The other program isn’t as hot (partly because - in my opinion - it’s in a more diverse school). Admission to that program is theoretically random, but it has excellent partnerships with cultural groups in NYC, and offers both IB and AP music for students inclined to take them. I’m not sure (I have no musical ability, training, experience or aptitude) how important something like those IB/AP classes would be, or if being in the small group of auditioned-in kids would be better, or what. My understanding is that anyone can be in the program at the second school, but that the students choose their level and path as they go through, so the theory and top-level performing students tend to be pretty motivated. Thoughts, anyone?</p>
<p>I wouldn’t base my decision on whether AP/IB music class is available. </p>
<p>If he’s serious about his music, I’d choose the first school. My kids went to the second type of school. But if and when they were chosen to perform in honor ensembles, they just loved it. It was so fun to play with others who are serious about their music (and by serious, I just mean kids who will actually play their instruments at home!).</p>
<p>A couple of thoughts. I am guessing that your son has a private music teacher. What does he/she think? If he attends school one, does he intend to continue to study with his private teacher, because the demands of multiple ensembles may preclude that. Is he interested in performance as a career, because if not, he will want a more academic high school environment in order to attend the college of his dreams. My D’s piano teacher, a respected musician and university scholar, felt that his young students needed all the experiences and liberal education and sports, because he said that they would bring all of that with them to the keyboard when they performed. (The sports was for the stamina needed to play!) Good luck in your decision.</p>
<p>zoos - you might want to also post this in the music major forum.</p>
<p>[Music</a> Major - College Confidential](<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/music-major/]Music”>Music Major - College Confidential Forums)</p>
<p>Just asking, the first school does not offer ANY theory classes? Or any AP theory classes? Where do they expect the kids to get their music theory education from?</p>
<p>^I don’t think that’s so unusual. Our school offers AP Music Theory, but not that many people take it especially since the teacher is not well liked. (Or at least not well liked by the orchestra kids - he’s a band guy and they say he favors them.) At any rate we have two orchestra classes both a regular one and sort of an extra honors one (which you have to audition for though most people get in). The honors class has some theory, (every other day in Year 1), but I don’t think they do much in the regular class besides play music.</p>
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<p>But this is what zoosermom says:</p>
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<p>Sounds like this a very select music program. Students that really want to excel need a good foundation in music theory.</p>
<p>It does sound more select than ours. They may do theory integrated into the performance classes - which is basically what our school does. I don’t think having an AP or IB class is critical.</p>
<p>Zoosermom, it’s very possible that theory is integrated into the performance classes at school 1. The arts high school that my Ds attended was also by audition and my feeling is that if your son is a serious music student who loves to perform, school 1 is probably the spot for him. I feel this way regardless of his plans for the future and his college years or later in life. Although only one of my Ds who attended this school ended up pursuing the arts in college and as a profession, the experience of the others for their high school years could not have been better. I’m assuming here that school 1 is of the same calibre as the school my Ds attended, because without knowing the school, I can only assume. Theirs was also a public school, by the way. Have you had the opportunity to visit the school, talk to current students, staff and parents? If that’s a possibility, I’d highly recommend it. </p>
<p>Do you have a list of course offerings for each school so you can compare? For interest’s sake, here’s a link to the school that my Ds attended and some limited info on their music program:</p>
<p>[Music</a> at ESA](<a href=“http://schools.tdsb.on.ca/esa/music.html]Music”>http://schools.tdsb.on.ca/esa/music.html)</p>
<p>As a professional musician, I would encourage you to have your student attend the very best high school that he can attend to get the best well-rounded education. Kids are notoriously fickle about “what they want to be” when they grow up, and I would suggest that the more diverse school might let him take advantage of his youth and allow him to dabble in all sorts of areas which he might not be exposed to in a more select school. </p>
<p>It sounds to me like the 2nd school on your list might be the best bet, especially since they offer cultural partnerships and the student can determine the depth of study they want to pursue. Thirteen is mighty young to be setting one’s life course.</p>
<p>Go with the best school he can get into, the best school to get him into college (not necessarily conservatory) and have him take advantage of all the opportunities in NYC that he feels inclined to get into. I firmly believe that just about anyone can learn to play the notes on an instrument, but it’s what you do outside of a practice room that gives you something to SAY through your music.</p>
<p>Good luck!</p>
<p>Wow, you’ve all given me so much to think about. Thank you!</p>
<p>Both schools are NYC public schools, one has an IB program and the other doesn’t. I think they are both fine schools at which my son could have pretty much any experience. They’re both very large schools with lots of options. School 2 is the school my daughter attended and loved. She did the IB program there. It is also a very diverse school (which is what my D loved) in a not great area – which is why they have the IB as a magnet. The other school is the trendy school to attend now and is in a much better area but is less diverse. Which is sort of important to us because my son is, frankly, a flake and tends to do better when there are all lots of different people. But since the less diverse school is less diverse and more trendy, all the music kids from his music magnet middle school are auditioning there and those who are admitted will probably attend. Please don’t take this as braggy, but the director of the middle school program is incredibly well respected and my son is his best student in this age group (his determination, not mine), so we have reason to be optimistic about his chances at the audition. The thing is that the hot program skews heavily toward musical theater (which my son can take or leave) and has absolutely no theory classes (alwaysamom, thanks for the tip about integrating theory into performance classes – I didn’t know that), but the other program skews heavily to jazz (which my son loves) and has the option of either IB or AP music. The little darling’s private teacher is heavily connected with both schools AND is paving the way for an audition at a private school outside of the community. He will continue with his private teacher because the man is a God-send to us. We have been having some difficulties with this child because I think he’s a typical 12-year-old boy, but it seems that in some of his classes that’s not quite good enough, so I want to find a place where he will be happy. Both schools are excellent academically and I think he would take advantage of the opportunities presented. I just want him to be challenged musically because he loves, loves, loves his instrument. I posted elsewhere about the fact that he often walks around with his clarinet (he plays clarinet, sax and guitar) to create a soundtrack of his life as he is living it. We can always tell his mood by the notes coming out of his instrument. He’s not a big talker, he just communicates with the music. He’s currently studying Benny Goodman on his own and working on some jazz standards on the sax.</p>