126
problem-solving sessions designed to
provide an atmosphere of trust and sup-
port. Major topics include self-esteem,
values, decision making, effective
communications, stress management,
assertiveness training, sexuality, di-
vorce, alcoholism, and school success
vs. truancy.
At the end of each 12-week session, it
is determined if the students can func-
tion independently or are in need of fur-
ther support. With a strong adult group
leader, these groups can be very suc-
cessful.
Full cooperation from the home is
important for the program’s success in
grades 7-9. This need diminishes as stu-
dents become more mature and finally
recognize that they are accountable for
their own behavior. Of course, con-
tinued family support only strengthens
the approach.
Often the home situation cannot be
resolved, such as in the case of an alco-
holic parent, but we do see improve-
ment as students are taught coping skills
and learn to get help for themselves.
Once students recognize that their
problems are not unique and that others
will help them, they become more self-
confident and can look to school as a
&dquo;safe&dquo; place rather than as another
stressor in their lives.
Once school is &dquo;safe,&dquo; students can
concentrate on their academics and can
achieve some degree of success. As they
experience these successes, they will
begin to attend school on a regular
basis. School then becomes a place
where they can receive positive re-
inforcement rather than a place to vent
their negative feelings or to avoid en-
tirely.
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Performing Arts High
Schools: A
Burgeoning Movement
By THOMAS E. CURTIS
A string quartet plays a classical
number under the direction of a college
music professor visiting from a campus
1,000 miles away.
A 14-year-old dancer pirouettes in a
professional corps de ballet in a large
auditorium.
An adolescent couple practices danc-
ing and singing the lead parts in &dquo;West
Side Story.&dquo;
These and similar experiences high-
lighted a journey throughout the eastern
United States to compare the programs
and purposes of secondary schools spe-
cializing in the performing arts.
The following characteristics of per-
forming arts high schools are based on
visits to 11 such schools.
Characteristics
They are an urban phenomenon, es-
tablished, for the part, in the past
most
10 years. Most include grades 9-12, al-
though a substantial number also in-
clude the middle school grades.
Students are trained in both general
education and performing arts-
primarily music, visual arts, theater,
and dance. The curricula stress perfor-
mance in these disciplines, but also in-
sist on a strong knowledge of the dis-
cipline. Usually, students spend at least
half the day in a systematic study of the
discipline and use time outside the
school day for practicing and per-
THOMAS E. CURTIS is associate professor of
education at the State University of New
York at Albany.

forming. Ordinarily one-half the school
day is consumed in the study of more
traditional subjects.
Most classes are taught in one loca-
tion, but a few schools are open for only
half the day and only for performing arts
instruction. Students are transported to
these schools before or after general ed-
ucation instruction in their &dquo;home&dquo;
schools.
Performing arts high schools focus on
solo or small group performance efforts.
There seems to be a philosophical belief
in many of these schools that large
group needs can be met in other school
or community settings and that the par-
ticular goals of individual students can
best be met in solo and small group
experiences.
Most of the schools, however, do
have at least one major musical produc-
tion each year, and, in most cases, each
semester. Such shows as &dquo;West Side
Story&dquo; &dquo;Joseph’s Amazing Technicolor
Dreamcoat,&dquo; and &dquo;Oliver&dquo; are an ex-
pected part of the school program. Such
shows can meet purposes of music,
dance, drama, and art experience/
instruction at the same time.
While specific courses might vary
from school to school, a strong em-
phasis is placed on the fundamentals of
scholarship in all courses-particularly
in the arts. Courses in conducting and
music theory, art appreciation, and his-
tory of the theater all are a basic part of
the performing arts secondary school
curriculum. Talent without the appro-
priate knowledge is not considered suf-
ficient for achieving the goals of the
school.
Purposes
Administrators cited three major pur-
poses of their schools:
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127
~ They serve as magnet schools, draw-
ing people from all areas of the
school district to a central location
based on personal interests
.
They give professional training to
students interested in the performing
arts
. They offer an alternative approach to
traditional schools.
Advantages
Administrators cited four ad-
major
vantages of high schools for the per-
forming arts:
. The atmosphere created by a com-
pany of talented artists-both adults
and adolescents-is motivating and
challenging. Being surrounded by
people of top-flight caliber and ex-
pectations creates an attitude within
the students that cannot be matched
in a typical high school.
~ Those art areas that are the primary
concern of the young artists can be
emphasized rather than given a co-
curricular focus.
. An increased amount of time and at-
tention can be given to specific
strengths and interests of individual
students. This permits more special-
ization than a traditional setting can
offer.
~ High ability leads to higher expec-
tations and abilities. The most tal-
ented person in a traditional setting is
less challenged and does not advance
as well as one who is among 10 or 15
students, all of whom are struggling
to achieve greatness.
Problems
Those administrators visited were for
the most part artists in their own right.
Most had been appointed to the princi-
palship of a performing arts high school
128
because of their interests and expertise
as artists rather than because of their
experiences and certification as edu-
cational administrators.
However, the problems they noted
were those that are typical of most
schools.
For example, money shortages made
it difficult to enroll as large a student
body as some of the administrators
would have liked. Financial considera-
tions also limited the amount of equip-
ment.
The number of faculty members was
smaller than the administrators
usually
would have liked, and they indicated
that support services were at a min-
imum.
Several administrators said that more
extensive academic requirements that
have arisen in the last few years have
created problems for their schools. Any
expansion of the academic requirements
in the general program seem to lead
either to a reduction in performing arts
time within the academic program or an
extension of the school day. Most
schools had extensive outside activities
already scheduled and administrators
were concerned about possible inter-
ference with important arts activities.
Another area of concern is admis-
sions. Does a 15-year-old have suf-
ficient background to predict future suc-
cess in the arts? What about a 13 or
11-year-old?
In a similar vein, what criteria should
be used to determine admission to these
schools? Most require an audition.
Others, particularly those that accept
younger students, require only intense
interest in the performing arts, accom-
panied by a high academic standard.
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Conclusion
Administrators and/or school boards
interested in developing a performing
arts secondary school should be aware
of three major issues that must be re-
solved before a school can be estab-
lished.
First, the basic purpose (magnet, pro-
fessional training, alternative school)
should be clear to everyone.
Second, a decision must be made
about whether the school for the per-
forming arts should be a separate, part-
time school for the arts only, or whether
it should offer a complete program for
students with special emphasis on the
arts.
Third, the fundamental educational
purpose of the school should be deter-
mined. All the administrators inter-
viewed said that their school was pri-
marily a college-preparatory institution.
Performing arts schools have received
remarkably little attention from the edu-
cation field in general. While such
schools have formed their own network
for communication and have estab-
lished, in most cases, a strong public
relations liaison with the community,
the broader field of secondary school
administration has not as yet noted their
influence on the nation as a whole.
Such attention is probably overdue.
Schools that specialize in the per-
forming arts must be noted both as a
phenomenon and as a harbinger of the
future. Traditional comprehensive high
schools may give way to a series of
secondary schools specializing in differ-
ent educational purposes.