This article is one of the winning submissions from the first annual New York Post Scholars Contest, presented by Command Education.
Art vs Academics? That’s the story of my life. I’m a second-year student at LaGuardia. I’m a vocalist and started training when I was seven. Music is my passion. To get into LaGuardia, however, I had to meet the school’s academic standards. Even though I was a good student, I was worried. Why would a performing arts school look at my school grades? They wouldn’t even let me audition until they had evaluated my report cards to see if I met their academic requirements. After I got there, however, I realized that the admission policy had been a lot stricter only a few years before.
Prior to the COVID-19 outbreak, gaining admission to LaGuardia was extremely difficult. The principal at the time, Ms. Mars, was very strict in terms of academics. In addition to showing talents and demonstrating advanced skills, one’s academic grades were a crucial part of the admission process. This rule was strictly enforced. Her leadership was marked by cuts in arts programming, from shortened rehearsal times for musicals to less investment in trained art staff and proper equipment. Students complained that she steered them toward Advanced Placement classes and electives that many did not want to take. With the grading system placing formative assessments as 70% of one’s grade, teachers were required to give tests and homework often, making it almost impossible for music and art to be a major part of student’s lives. Thus, music electives and courses were no longer placed as a priority and students could not spend much time on their art.
In a 2017 New York Post article, Susan Edelman discusses how the principal “stirred controversy by putting more emphasis on academics at the elite Upper West Side institution.” Teachers complained that there were not enough classrooms to hold classes in the music and art departments since these classrooms were gradually becoming counseling rooms instead. As said by teachers in the article, “piano and guitar classes have been slashed, and courses on jazz, Bach, and orchestration and conducting have been lost. Once boasting five full symphony orchestras and three symphonic bands, LaGuardia is down to two of each. A flute ensemble no longer exists.” As an accumulation of numerous changes that served as a disadvantage for students wishing to pursue music and the arts in the future, petitions were signed by students, adults and parents, trying to bring back the “Old LaGuardia.”
Even though the principal has resigned, signs of her detrimental presence still remain. Just the other day in music class, my voice teacher kept on running into the dangly, black microphones that were hanging from the classroom ceiling while she was attempting to teach an individual lesson to a student. The frustrated student asked, “What are these microphones even used for anyway?” The teacher reluctantly explained to the entire class that Ms. Mars had attached microphones to every music classroom in order to “record the class.” Every day, the principal would listen to the class to ensure everyone was on topic and studying to the best of their ability. The vocal teacher went on to say that as soon as the principal was fired, every single music teacher decided to disconnect the microphone recording system. They knew that using microphones in that way was not beneficial to the improvement of teaching methods, the increase of student participation or the enhancement of countless other factors that contribute to an ideal classroom environment.
My teachers occasionally brought up Ms. Mars discussing how strict and “evil” she had been to both students and teachers. It took multiple student, parent and teacher complaints and more than 14,000 signatures on a petition demanding a new principal for the department of education to finally announce that she would not be returning back to the school.
After almost two years of virtual learning, LaGuardia had a new principal, Ms. Vasconcelos. As my voice teacher said, “As soon as our current principal arrived, everything changed.” New policies, such as setting the minimum academic grade to 75% as opposed to much higher numbers were made to ease stress during the LaGuardia application process. Due to this change, teachers were more likely to accept students who demonstrated artistic excellence based on their audition instead of their school grades. Additionally, and most importantly, the music and art department has drastically improved. Students are given a choice to choose more classes related to their major rather than having to take Advanced Placement classes and other academically challenging electives that they have no interest in.
What does the future look like for LaGuardia High School students? With a new principal, students are looking forward to a less-stressed school day with more time to focus on their major. With school days starting from 8:00 and ending as late as 4:10, we can spend as much as four periods (three hours) on our art. We have the choice to choose the courses we want to take, as long as they meet the New York State Department of Education graduation requirements. Teachers no longer assign too much homework and have respect for the time-consuming practices and rehearsals that we have after school. In addition, Ms. Vasconcelos focuses much more on a student’s extracurricular activities. Participation in programs, such as school clubs and other highly competitive music programs introduced to students is highly encouraged.
As I enter my school almost every day, I am greeted by the beautiful display of drawings and paintings created by students at LaGuardia. I stare at each painting, observing the intricate details that bring these paintings to life. On the other side of the wall, ceramics and pottery are displayed, showing students’ creations of various items, ranging from bowls to human statues. All of the students’ work shows how much LaGuardia values students’ art education and how much LaGuardia has changed since Ms. Vasconcelos arrived.
The answer to the question “Should a performing arts high school value academics over passion?” is that a performing arts high school should not value academics over passion. Academics, while important, should not become more important than the love and talent the schools’ students have for their chosen art. That’s why they are attending an art school in the first place. Luckily, it appears that LaGuardia feels the same way and has developed the right balance of disciplines for its students.
The battle continues, however, because Ms. Vasconcelos whom I spoke about resigned unexpectedly in February. Will her replacement be more pro-academics or more pro-artistic expression? We had one principal, Lisa Mars, who stressed academics too much and then another, Yeou-Jey Vasconcelos, who apparently hasn’t stressed it enough. We all wonder what will happen next.
A 10th-grader at Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts in Manhattan, Wang is a vocalist who hopes to work in musical theater or classical voice.