Programs for Middle & High School Students in the Arts
As lifelong musicians with musicology backgrounds in higher education, Jenn and Lucie know the skills it takes to sustain a successful career in the arts. We have designed a range of services including one-on-one coaching and group workshops for students, focusing on arts-specific writing and communications skills. We also bring this programming to music studios, arts organizations, and schools.
Portfolios & Auditions
Portfolios and auditions showcase your work and performing arts skills, but they are also opportunities to tell a story about your music and arts practice. We work with students on artist statements, bios, and other written materials to help them convey their artistic decisions and perspectives with clarity and impact.
College Essays
The Personal Statement and supplemental essays are great opportunities to show off your musical practice in your college applications. We will guide you to think critically about music making beyond your technical ability, and you will learn to address why you play, what exactly it has taught you, and how to frame your music-learning experience as a launching point for college.
Arts Resumé
Applying to college soon? Learn how to frame your musical practice and other extracurriculars to write a great Activities List and resume. Students will learn to speak to their skills, goals, and values, and how they plan to carry these forward into college.
NYC Arts High School Applications
Are you a middle schooler preparing for the NYC Arts High School Application? We will teach you how to answer the application question of “Why did you choose this piece, and how does this piece speak to you as a musician?” With our instant feedback, students walk away with material they can use in their auditions and elsewhere!
Arts Advocacy Workshops
This is an opportunity for students in the arts to think about ways of sharing their practice with others and take stock of their impact on various communities. Learn how to engage with different audiences and hone your leadership and communications skills.
Independent Projects
Drawing on our background in music history and theory, we advise students on independent projects designed to strengthen their writing, research, and self-presentation skills. Come to us with an idea or let us guide you through developing a topic. This is an opportunity to deep-dive an area of interest in the arts and impress application committees.
Applying to College?
Whether you’re applying to music school or including your musical practice as an extracurricular, speaking to your musicianship goes a long way on college applications. We will teach you how to frame your musicianship as a launching point for your college learning experience. For students aspiring to careers in music and the arts, we provide overarching support in preparing their portfolios and auditions.
What Our Students Are Saying…
“One thing I got out of this is not just being able to talk to non-musicians but being able to talk to a broad audience, so being able to make things simple enough for non-musicians to understand but also including enough detail so people with more of a musical or technical background can still get something out of it and it's not too "dumbed down" for them. It's really surprisingly hard to strike that balance.”
— John, Communicating Sound student
“I learned how to create a website, and write a bio for myself. I learned that I do not need to have a lot of actual musical knowledge to get ideas across and it is possible to communicate with musicians and non musicians at the same time.”
— Communicating Sound student
“I didn't start with music until I was older and I didn't have the most solid start in music, so I understand how it feels to not understand what a musician is talking about. What I've learned is how to tailor my language to non-musicians, and I also practiced by talking to my family.”
— Christian, Communicating Sound student
“I liked how you touched on how to use and articulate the student’s musical background in a college application and how to pursue music in college at different levels. Also encouraging an awareness of NYC student's unique position of a diverse learning environment and how that can be different across the city.”
— Cello to College student
All the work we did is really paying off. Cello families are finding me and contacting me for lessons so much so that my schedule is now full and recommending other teachers in the area for them to study.
—Dr. Mary Robb, New York-based cello teacher