Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I'd much rather see dedicated State arts money spent to improve an arts curriculum in all schools, not a specialized school. Arts education can do great things for all students, and open lots of eyes to a world outside their own, but the business of training artists can be done elsewhere.
Specialized schools for the gifted students are fine and necessary, but this should be something funded by parents, foundations and/or the schools themselves. There are scholarships available for low income students at many privately run arts schools. I"m all for a talent being nurtured and encouraged, I just don't think already underfunded public schools should lose even more funding to do so. New Mexico has more important basic educational tasks (like teaching kids to read and getting them to graduate) than training artists with the meager funding available. It's all about priorities.
This school is a perfect example of an arts High School. Interlochen Center for the Arts - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Arts Academy High School | Interlochen Center for the Arts
I've had friends who sent their kids there, have friends who are graduates of this school, and have supported it myself. Kids of every color, nationality and social class attend, and the school awarded approx 7 million dollars in financial aid to deserving students in 2009 (so I don't really want to hear exclusivity arguments) though a parent paying for the full ride themselves had better have some deep pockets.
Many, many graduate have gone on to successful careers in arts fields (think: Felicity Huffman, Norah Jones, Jessye Norman, Josh Groban, Peter Yarrow..on and on), and there are numerous high schools across the USA with similar programs. Places like Interlochen are where artists should be trained, not a New Mexico public school in a system that considers 60% graduation to be acceptable.
I'd much rather see dedicated State arts money spent to improve an arts curriculum in all schools, not a specialized school. Arts education can do great things for all students, and open lots of eyes to a world outside their own, but the business of training artists can be done elsewhere.
Specialized schools for the gifted students are fine and necessary, but this should be something funded by parents, foundations and/or the schools themselves. There are scholarships available for low income students at many privately run arts schools. I"m all for a talent being nurtured and encouraged, I just don't think already underfunded public schools should lose even more funding to do so. New Mexico has more important basic educational tasks (like teaching kids to read and getting them to graduate) than training artists with the meager funding available. It's all about priorities.
This school is a perfect example of an arts High School. Interlochen Center for the Arts - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Arts Academy High School | Interlochen Center for the Arts
I've had friends who sent their kids there, have friends who are graduates of this school, and have supported it myself. Kids of every color, nationality and social class attend, and the school awarded approx 7 million dollars in financial aid to deserving students in 2009 (so I don't really want to hear exclusivity arguments) though a parent paying for the full ride themselves had better have some deep pockets.
Many, many graduate have gone on to successful careers in arts fields (think: Felicity Huffman, Norah Jones, Jessye Norman, Josh Groban, Peter Yarrow..on and on), and there are numerous high schools across the USA with similar programs. Places like Interlochen are where artists should be trained, not a New Mexico public school in a system that considers 60% graduation to be acceptable.
A perfectly good school I agree and I also agree that more time and money should be applied towards arts education across the board. I do, however, take exception to the 'fee for service' model and would offer a counter example - one that is completely free of charge, and one I have personal experience with:
You'll note that this particular high school was chartered in 1936 and has always been part of the public (meaning NO CHARGE) school system in NYC. You'll also notice an equally, if not exceedingly, impressive list of alumni. As I said in an earlier post, the idea of a high school for the arts in New Mexico is way late in coming. Why should people have to send their children (far) away from home at great expense to get the same educational benefits that parents in other states have taken for granted for almost 100 years?
And, with the influx of people to Santa Fe who are most likely well-aware of the other options, I expect that many are asking these very same questions. And, I would also imagine that if the state wants to keep attracting these sorts of folks to Santa Fe, and to the state in general, they will find a way to provide similar educational opportunities as are available in other states.
The LaGuardia school is certainly an example of what can be accomplished in an arts-focused high school setting, but how would New Mexico ever do anything even remotely similar?
New York City has 8.3 million residents, over 4 times the population of the entire state of New Mexico. If NYC were populated at the same density of NM there would be less than 5,000 residents in total, and both the per capita and household income of NM are far lower than NYC.
NYC, and this school in particular, also benefits from having one of the largest populations of people working professionally in the arts of anyplace in the world.
I think it would be a wonderful thing if NM had a similar school somewhere, but it gets down to what I referenced in my post: "priorities". Until NM can pull it's education system out of the cellar (one of the worst in the nation) I can't see how it can afford the bells and whistles of an arts school of a school similar to Interlochen or LaGuardia.
That being said, an arts-based charter school has recently opened in Las Cruces, founded by some very hard-working and dedicated people, and I support it enthusiastically (as well as financially in a small way). One of the main reasons I do so, beyond my general support of the arts and artists, is that the students are held to high academic standards. This ain't fingerpainting instead of math. Less than 50 freshmen can be admitted each year, and many, many challeges lie ahead for this program. I hope it's successful, in it's modest way, and that it can survive, grow and prosper. Alma d'arte - Charter School
Thank you for calling attention to that school and its program. I was totally unaware of it and I shouldn't have been!
Quote:
Alma d' Arte was chartered by the Las Cruces Public Schools Board of Education in December 2002.
One thing I know from my own personal experiences in art education is that young people who are accepted into programs that require pre-qualification are usually motivated and goal oriented vs the average high school freshman who hasn't a clue and could care less about being in school - any kind of school.
The LaGuardia school is certainly an example of what can be accomplished in an arts-focused high school setting, but how would New Mexico ever do anything even remotely similar?
New York City has 8.3 million residents, over 4 times the population of the entire state of New Mexico. If NYC were populated at the same density of NM there would be less than 5,000 residents in total, and both the per capita and household income of NM are far lower than NYC.
NYC, and this school in particular, also benefits from having one of the largest populations of people working professionally in the arts of anyplace in the world.
I think it would be a wonderful thing if NM had a similar school somewhere, but it gets down to what I referenced in my post: "priorities". Until NM can pull it's education system out of the cellar (one of the worst in the nation) I can't see how it can afford the bells and whistles of an arts school of a school similar to Interlochen or LaGuardia.
That being said, an arts-based charter school has recently opened in Las Cruces, founded by some very hard-working and dedicated people, and I support it enthusiastically (as well as financially in a small way). One of the main reasons I do so, beyond my general support of the arts and artists, is that the students are held to high academic standards. This ain't fingerpainting instead of math. Less than 50 freshmen can be admitted each year, and many, many challeges lie ahead for this program. I hope it's successful, in it's modest way, and that it can survive, grow and prosper. Alma d'arte - Charter School
Little steps are better than no steps
And, thank you for mentioning Alma, it is a wonderful model, and right here in town. I know several of the kids attending there and, as you note, it is a rigorous curriculum and proof that there is hope for the educational system in New Mexico. Most of all it proves that there are also parents here who do care about the education of their children and are willing to support this sort of program.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
