Getting a chance to attend some of the most competitive performing arts high schools in New York City requires an audition. And to nail an audition, you need skills, a little extra polish and — perhaps most of all — confidence.
A two-week program at Lincoln Center aims to give students the finishing touches they need to win a spot in a performing arts program, with tips on everything from technique to handshakes to posture.
Welcome to "audition boot camp," a program run jointly by Lincoln Center Education and the city's Department of Education. It's primarily for students in Title I schools, where at least 60 percent students come from low-income families.
"They’re teaching us to read the beats and the notes off a page," said Sukanya Scott, a vocal student in the camp from M.S. 180 Dr. Daniel Hale Williams in the Bronx. "Definitely projection and confidence, too."
"I’m getting more tips that can help me later in life," said Kayla Amisial, a dance student from I.S. 228 David A. Boody. "Like, to show emotion, and to make your moves bigger. And to use a whole lot of space."
Since the two-week camp is so focused, students must audition to be in it. This year, 542 students auditioned; 240 got in for workshops in dance, theater, singing, instrumental music or visual arts.
The camp launched in 2014 with 98 eighth-graders over concerns that the top audition schools did not reflect the diversity of the student population, said Carmen Fariña, the city schools chancellor.
"We really want to see the diversity in the schools increase by number of kids who have free lunch," said Fariña, acknowledging that the trend is moving in the opposite direction at several popular schools.
For example, at Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music and Art and the Performing Arts, the city's most competitive audition school, just over 28 percent of students are poor, down from just over 32 percent five years ago.
Likewise, the proportion of poor students has declined slightly over five years at Art and Design High School in Manhattan. Talent Unlimited High School in Manhattan saw a significant drop over five years: from 60 percent of poor students in the 2012-2013 school year to 48.5 percent last year.
In contrast, the Frank Sinatra School of the Arts in Queens, the city's second-most sought-after arts school after LaGuardia, saw its numbers of low-income students increase slightly.
But students at the camp, and the teaching artists guiding them, were not concerned with numbers or the city's diversity issues. They were focused on how an instrument sounds, on whether toes are pointed, and on how students connect to their art.
“I have to admit, I’ve danced with my cello before in the living room," said Gilby Mitchell, a student at I.S. 61 William A. Morris on Staten Island. She said she fell in love with playing the cello back in elementary school, when she heard its sound rise above the violins.
“The cello, I think, is the most beautiful instrument because of the deep sound," said Gilby. "It’s easier to relate to as a person, I think.”
The lone boy in the dance program, KyMoy Phillip, said he saw dance as an opportunity to express himself.
“It just makes me feel free — like I can do anything I want," said KyMoy. "Nobody can stop me from dancing. It was just in me since I was born.”
The camp culminated with a mock audition, made as realistic as possible with students called by number and judges from arts institutions in the city. Students will have the opportunity to take another class at Lincoln Center just before high school auditions later this fall.