High School Hustle: The big tryout at LaGuardia
My 13-year-old son turned to me on Sunday morning with the first expression of genuine interest – and fear – since the search for a New York City public high school began this fall. He made this solemn declaration: “What happens today,” he said, as we raced out the door for his audition at the Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music, Art & the Performing Arts, “will determine the rest of my life.”
For a moment, my stomach seized with butterflies. I envisioned thousands of hopeful eighth-grade actresses, musicians, dancers and artists from all over the city waiting for their own Big Chance. The collective anxiety and excitement overwhelmed me.
Would I remember my lines?
Wait, I had to remind myself. I was not a character in “A Chorus Line,” but simply a harried mom, like so many others in New York City, wanting the best education and opportunity for my child in the highly competitive world of public high school admissions. For many of us, that has already meant preparing our children to sit through the specialized high school exams, dragging them on tours and overseeing efforts to secure letters of recommendation, prepare portfolios and write essays.
There is only so much a parent can do, though, and yesterday’s tryout reminded me of that once again.
Since early November, the arbiters of talent at LaGuardia have spent weekends listening, taking notes and evaluating every applicant – some twice, with callbacks already underway. If the stakes feel extraordinarily high, it is because they are. Last year, according to the school’s website, some 9,000 applicants vied for 664 spots in art, dance, drama, instrumental music, technical theatre and/or vocal music. Founded in 1936 by then Mayor Fiorello H. LaGuardia, the school began its life as the High School of Music & Art, a place where the city’s most gifted and talented musicians and artists could get free, top-notch instruction while also pursuing a full academic program. A 1961 merger with the School of Performing Arts followed by a 1984 move to a Lincoln Center facility with a concert hall and theater paved the way for what is now LaGuardia Arts. The astonishing list of famous alumni includes conductors, producers, composers and actors like Al Pacino and Jennifer Aniston.
A strong academic program with a full menu of honors and advanced placement courses ensures that graduates routinely attend some of the finest and most competitive colleges and universities in the U.S. They also get extensive training from top experts in their specialty area, and unsurpassed opportunities to produce and perform.
As my son and I walked into LaGuardia, I mumbled something about how one audition could not possibly determine a lifetime, about the many other excellent high schools where he’d also be happy. He didn’t hear a word. I once again offered food. He once again refused.
We immediately ran into plenty of nervous but cool-on-the-outside parents. My son saw many of his equally anxious classmates. Parents were politely told to get lost; kids were ushered toward their specialty area and asked to answer an essay question about why they wanted to go to LaGuardia. Eventually, they got their chance to play, perform, draw or show their portfolio. About two and a half hours after I left the building, my cell phone rang. The tryout was over. I remained calm.
“How did it go?” I asked casually.
“It was AWFUL,” he said.
My heart sank. I’d heard him play the same two songs on the piano so often for so many months that I’d find myself shouting, “STOP PRACTICING!” He knew them cold. What went wrong?
“Awful?” I gulped, my heart sinking.
“No, not awful. AWESOME!” he replied. “It’s over! I did my best. Can we go home now?”
I took a deep breath, which I’ll be holding until sometime in February.
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The process has been painstaking. I will be holding my breath with you!!!!!
Comment by tess — November 25, 2008 @ 10:20 am
good luck champ! we’ll be rootin’ for ya!
Comment by Adam — November 25, 2008 @ 12:34 pm
Was in your shoes last year! Now my son’s in 9th grade at LaGuardia and SO happy. Fingers crossed for your son!
Comment by Pivia — November 25, 2008 @ 5:45 pm
As a junior at LaGuardia who takes the musical aspect of the curriculum very seriously, it warms my heart to hear that equally committed students will get to enjoy the benefits of the school in the future. I will always remember the stressful day of my audition, and I can understand how relieved you must be that the experience is behind you. I am sure your son’s passion was evident to the teachers who listened to him play. I wish you the best of luck!
Comment by Saranna — November 27, 2008 @ 10:45 am
Good Luck!!!! I’ll make sure to give you both big hugs when i get to NYC!!!!
Comment by Madeline — November 27, 2008 @ 4:21 pm
I think the process is awful for the children and sometimes unfair because it’s not always based on their talent, but other things, like who you know and who had the highest grades. My son, went through the same process and was not accepted. He is very talented, has played on stage in bands, for weddings, has had solos in school concerts, he played in the Manahattan Borough-Wide Band, the City-Wide Band and with the NYC Pops. He has been playing the saxophone since he was 5 years old. There is no question about his talent, and he had a great audition - yet he was not chosen for a spot at LaGuardia - How is that fair and how does that make a child feel about his talent? Right now he feels like a failure. I am trying to comfort and console him, but right now he is mess and never wants to play the saxophone again - and he is a 13 year old child! I think the school should be a little more interested in a child’s talent and not so concerned with other things - I also think this whole process is a terrible thing for a 13 year old to have to go through.
A Wagner parent.
Comment by Sherri Hawkins — February 12, 2009 @ 10:41 am
this sucks
Comment by Your mother — April 1, 2009 @ 8:27 am
two of my kids were accepted to La!, and they knew nobody and had mediocre grades. perhaps your son was competing against a remarkably talented group when he auditioned. and even if someone with less talent got in, isn’t that the nature of the beast? performers will be rejected far more often than they will get the parts/gigs, etc. i was lucky with my children — this was one rejection they did not have to deal with. but how many came before then? how many parts in plays were they not given? this is the reality of the performer. i hope your son will continue to play and not put away his sax. it’s a tough lesson, but if he is truly driven, he will overcome it…
Comment by gara — September 12, 2009 @ 5:45 pm
umm gara…. he only had the audition. he didn’t get rejected.
Comment by correctttioonn — November 8, 2009 @ 3:10 pm
correctttioonn, gara was speaking to Sherri Hawkins in a previous comment, not the blogger.
Comment by Jackson — November 10, 2009 @ 8:56 am