Local high schools with strong music and arts
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Anonymous
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I am looking for a high school -- private or public -- that has a strong music and arts program, but also decent academics and some guidance when it comes to the college application process.
My primary reason for this search is that my kid is at a school with a good music program, but is mostly known for its athletics. Kid does literally no sports. Would love for him to have more peers who share his interests in music (mostly jazz and digital music composition). (School also has broader issues that have led me to start looking elsewhere.) The only one school in this area that I have found using an internet search is Duke Ellington, which I will go look at but I am guessing will seem lacking in the academics/college guidance area. I am guessing there are other schools out there, but are not "performing art" schools that come up in an online search, and the best advice always comes from parents with first hand knowledge. Any suggestions? I would like to stay in the DC metro area -- DC, MC, and northern VA. |
Anonymous
| I would encourage you to look at Walter Johnson. It has a thriving music and theater program. It has at least one course in music production, a jazz band, and very good academics. |
Anonymous
| I don't know if you'd be open to a Catholic school, but DeMatha is well-known for having an excellent music program for boys. Its music ensembles are nationally recognized. Check it out! |
Anonymous
OP here. The only public schools kid can go to are magnet schools with open admissions, like Duke Ellington, or our public school, Whitman... I am happy to hear that about WJ though -- I knew it had stellar academics and good sports, did not know about arts... |
Anonymous
OP here. Ah, I should have thought of that. I HAD heard that their music program is fantastic and very diverse. Will definitely look into it. Excellent advice; thank you!! |
Anonymous
NP, I believe they specifically have a very good jazz ensemble. |
Anonymous
| Damatha, St. Johns, Good Counsel, Bullis |
Anonymous
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I think you are misjudging Ellington.
There are a wide range of students there and opportunities both academically, and obviously artistically. If your child intends (as much as any kid that young knows) to pursue arts in college then Ellington has strong relationships and networks. Colleges at all levels seek out Ellington kids. It is also the most affordable option, even considering that you'd have to pay tuition. |
Anonymous
| Fairfax high school. Their band always wins numerous awards. |
Anonymous
OP here. Thank you, that is good to know. I only started looking today have called to ask for a tour, so I guess I will find out more soon, but a couple of things that I found seem bizarre to me. For example, US News, thttps://www.usnews.com/education/best-high-schools/district-of-columbia/districts/district-of-columbia-public-schools/ellington-school-of-the-arts-4638, which seems to suggest that there are only 5 full time teachers. Which must mean that others are adjunct? And I couldn't find anything on the school website about any specific teachers. Just raises some questions in my head... |
Anonymous
| Potomac in McLean |
Anonymous
Ellington is actually managed by a Foundation, that is chaired by the head of the Kennedy Center, leaders at GWU and others. The foundation runs the school, hires the Head of School (although DCPS signs off) and is in charge of the arts program. The academic program adheres to DCPS rules (x many history, x many math credits to graduate, etc). But all of the arts teachers, and some academic teachers are NOT DCPS employees. What you are likely seeing on US News (and DCPS is not great at keeping their data up to date) are some of the bona fide DCPS teachers there. It's a majority minority school, and many of the students are from economically disadvantaged homes, which shows up in the PARCC scores. The website isn't the greatest but don't let that scare you. They will have open houses/info sessions in the next couple of months that give more details on the program and the application and audition process. I'd also try to attend some of the performances of the students in the discipline your child is interested in. |
Anonymous
| In Northern Virginia, Rock Ridge High School de-emphasizes sport and supports strong arts programs but Loudoun County is too far for some folks. |
Anonymous
| Go to a regular school and do out of school programs like Young Artists of America. |
Anonymous
| Madison HS in Vienna and McLean HS in McLean. |