Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts in New York
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New York, New York County, New York, US
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LAG is a great school and they have some really great teachers, but as for the geometry department that can be GREATLY improved. Geometry itself is already a demanding and difficult subject, but having a teacher with no care or any regards towards her students and their understanding about the subject does not help. I personally had Emily Lawton and it was the WORST year of my life. I am not the stellar math student but i can manage. That class was a whole different level of hard and it WASNT all the material. I was in TEARS going to my tech classes whenever i had a test or just a big assignment in geometry and often would be crying going into the classroom out of stress, i was constantly pushed to my breaking point in that class. I was extremely stressed in that classroom. No one enjoyed being there IN FACT the day she wasnt there everyone cheered. Now this may be mean but you try being a overworked 14 year old juggling 10 periods a day. I had tons of other work and demanding classes but nothing compared to geometry with Emily lawton. I worked hard, had a tutor out of school and did everything imaginable to pass and i only did because COVID happened and i had more time to TEACH MYSELF the work i was assigned in her class. She was rude towards students, and extremely harsh when it came to giving extra credit or even just ONE extra point on ANYTHING. I understand teachers not giving extra credit on homework or project assignments but seriously not offering any way to salvage you grade AT ALL??? that is just cruel. I couldnt even switch out of her class because so many others had done so before me, because TONS of other students and parents complained about her. I know someone who has her this year that is going through a similar experience as i had, lawton unfairly grades assignments, she gives you a 0 and no do overs even if you get ONE question wrong or if ONE part of your answer doesnt satisfy her expectations. How is that teaching? How is that really helping your students learn from their mistakes and growing from them? I believe they only keep her at the school because Timothee chalamet mentioned her in his song for her class. I believe LAG would greatly benefit from some staff changes in the math department
This is a good school depending on how hard working and determined you are. If you dont think youll be able to handle all the hard work and schedule of this school, dont choose it. Trust me, I was a freshman who walked into this school being impressed with everything but the one fact: the seniors looked totally burnt out. Im currently an instrumental majored sophomore, but I have to say that the schedules they give you(if you are unlucky) are totally insane but reasonable. We have the longest high school hours in NYC. So this will be a heads up for all you guys who are planning to go the LaG.Edit: Im now an Alumni for Class of 2021. My words still stand true. For all the 8th graders planning to audition for this school; yes, LaGuardia focuses heavily on BOTH academics and talent. There are quite some crazy and stressful things Ive experienced at this school; but throughout my 4 years in LaGuardia, I have made so many meaningful memories. Prior to becoming a student at LaGuardia, students my year were told that people at LaGuardia are very friendly. And indeed, the majority were! I hope to see future students keep the friendly community at our school!Best of luck! :))
@strawberry uyus comment.Fellow Lag Alum here, went there from 2000-2004, really enjoyed my years there as hard as it is sometimes. Highly recommend on auditioning. Many students I knew got in with Art, because it is the most versatile medium to be accepted, meaning a lot of kids who auditioned were accepted just from auditioning. Youd really have to be not following the instructors instructions to not get in. In your 2nd year as a sophomore, you can have the option to audition in another major. Many went from art to vocal major and got in, or art to instrumental. I had friends from instrumental, dance, and wish I had made more solid connection with the theater majors, they were so multi-talented in so many ways, often mastering vocal, dance, acting, and even art history by senior year. I was able to learn how to play guitar, learn some dance moves from after school clubs that taught hip hop and break dance--in which you mentioned in your interests (singing and dancing). Nicki and Aqwafina both graduated around my year. Nicki did have training in vocal, Aqwafina had her training in instrumental (trumpet). Which goes to show that you can be multi-faceted and earn new skillsets, as long as you make friends in other majors to help you with techniques or just inspire you to be with like-minded people. I hope this helps, feel free to reach out to me with any questions regarding the school. Always awesome seeing people passionate about Lag :)Ps. Definitely reach out to school counselors or the head of the major department to see what you can do to get in if youre not confident to try out as a vocal or dance major in the first year. Dance rarely accepts anyone, only around 40-50 students per year. Vocals, I think slightly more people get in but not by much more. However, most people do get in for Vocal, and 95% get in for Art when they audition. Acting Id say its as hard as getting in as Dance Majors, Instrumental about as hard as Vocal in acceptance rate, and Art being most widely accepted. That would be the order of acceptance rate from Acting/Dance being hardest, Instrumental would be 50/50 and Vocal/Art the easiest.Hope this helps, and good luck!
We had initial great experiences during the audition process. Some wonderful people moved mountains to get our child an audition. The physical facility gets an B-, the teaching staff get an A+. Needless to say the school did not accept our child, who now has appeared at various artists conventions, etc, has art appearing on movie posters, album covers, novel covers, and mentors socio-economically challenged young artists, etc. Lesson: No matter what the outcome of an audition, if youre serious, then keep pushing forward with your career.
Decided to give a review for those future parents that will be bringing their kid to LaGuardia High School for auditions. So parking in this area is extremely difficult, therefore come early! If you do you may be lucky enough to get a spot on the street and feed meter every 2 hours, this is convenient for those with only 1 studio (auditioning for just 1) however, for those auditioning for 2 or more of you don’t find street parking you could find a reasonable public parking lot on 60 street between Amsterdam and West End. A bit of a walk but not so bad. My main reason for the review is because while I was waiting for my daughter to finish auditions I realized that maybe I could saved the $15 in Public parking lot and just doubled park until she called me to say she was done and then come in to get her. But if you are like me, that’s needs to see his/her immediate reaction after auditions & want peace of mind not going out every 2 hours to feed the meter .. You may just do the $15 .. LolFYI1 studio could be between 1-3 hours at most 2/3 studios can be about 3-6 hours longGood luck !!
Going to be a senior soon. A lot of weed and dirty bathrooms, and theres only a handful of good science and math teachers, but Ive had a lot of good memories with the music programs here, especially the orchestra conductors (Im an instrumentalist). I dont know if its because my favorite subject is history, but I think the history teachers here are pretty good, also english isnt bad either. Basically, mediocre in the academics areas and better in the arts area, as expected.
I attended this school, and Id it recommend to anyone - who is ready. Be prepared to stay for 3 extra periods of your chosen specialty a day (can be up to 10), while other schools get let out at 7 periods or earlier. This is one of the prices you pay for your craft.Academics, as I can put it, is no joke. Being a specialized school, it is preparing you for college-level academics. Do not slack, or you will fall far behind.The vibe of the school is competitive, yet fun. Be prepared to hear guitars being played in the cafeteria during lunch, dancers walking around to dance classes in their leotards on the upper floors, drama students acting out in the hallways, and moody artists sitting on window sills in their classrooms working on their latest painting. Will everyone break out into song and dance like Fame and Glee? (At least one of the 2 is based on this school). No, but its as close to it as can be.This school taught me A LOT about the arts (as its supposed to). Some are required to attend art exhibits at museums, others performances. We were at times brought across the street to Lincoln Center (graduation actually took place in Avery Fisher Hall), and we can see Juilliard right outside of our window. Some students are accepted there, Cooper Union, NYU, Columbia, etc.Is it all glits and shine, rainbows and ballads? No, its still high school. Some students are caught smoking in bathrooms, some get into a bit more trouble than that. But most of the students are serious about their craft and/or academics. Some of the most professional plays and musicals have been performed by the students at this school, as they should be. Students are honing their craft for 4 years straight, on top of childhood practice and many times have pure, natural talent. Not surprised if many have made it to Broadway right after.With that being said, yes there are many famous alumni. Ive seen personal classmates performing on TV, and then there are those who are celebrities. On the other hand, you have students who have gone on to become lawyers, architects, economists, financiers, public relations specialists, or to earn their masters and PhDs, etc. Some have moved abroad, while others have preferred to remain stateside.Id recommend this high school if, again, you are ready to work. Ace that audition, and have good grades and test scores, and youll have 4 years that many others can say they could only dream of experiencing as a high school student.
I like this school and I did get in with all of my hard work i have done. ❤️I had done addition for art! 🎨It is kind of hard to get in... Challenge other students, try to get in, doing the best, and put great effort in to writing trying to convince you guys that I did my best. I have heard that this is a very good school. 👍But I think that the Direction they give us was not that clear when I addition. They give me lots of paper that my mom and I have to fill it out. They should give us another piece of paper 📝 that tell us about each one of the paper and when it’s due, 😔where do I do it, where do I leave it blank and wht was the envelope ✉️ for... and they should send use mails not email or something, cause some of us don’t have that or we don’t online that offend we don’t like to go online to find more information about when do we the freshman have to go to school to get more information or wht.😞 They should send us mail in an envelope. That is wht I have to say... but I love this school I’m just saying 😚😘
I LOVE the school! Im an incoming sophomore here- instrumental major. (: the students are so friendly, creative and of course talented! The school is also amazing, and challenging. It really gets us to work hard in our academics while excelling in our majors as well. (The Fame school)👌😊
Is not like highschool musical, very disappointing. Kids do not sing and dance. Was told there was pool on 8th floor, neither a pool nor an 8th floor. Very very disappointing. When I graduate I will buy nthe school and build an 8th floor with a pool so kids can have swimming time during the school day. It will not be very very very disappointing.
I just got a notification telling me I havent been accepted to LaGuardia again. My average was a 92, my audition was good in my opinion... (I attempted to get into LaGuardia for the 9th grade and most recently for the tenth. I prepared to perfection for visual arts this year). At this point many agree with me that this school must be looking for something that isnt skill, but good test takers. I have to admit, my test scores were in the 2 zone, so was the rest of the 69 percent of kids in NYC. But this is the school of arts, not Brooklyn Tech.This school is GOOD (Like 5 star good). Dont get me wrong, but theyre accepting too many people with high scores on their tests and not kids with artistic skill. I am currently fighting my way for justice for all talented kids being deprived from this opportunity. (And I heard things used to be better before 2013, unfortunately I had to audition after that golden age.
I am a teacher within the NYC Department of Education and some of my students have finished middle school and set forth at LaGuardia. Not only are they expanding their own minds academically but they are performing at a level that gives me such joy as an educator. I thoroughly enjoy going to concerts every year.
I left a Popsicle in a school locker, and came back to find only the Popsicle stick sitting there. I was absolutely devastated. I brought this up to the headmaster who just said atta boy while patting my head. Disgusting. This is NO way to treat a PARENT who is paying premium for their children to attend an acting school. They should have ACTED immediately. 5/100 Would not recommend!!!
Im still in middle school and I love gymnastics and dance although I needed to stop because of all the money for school and when I heard about this place I was like wow what if this is the school? My teachers are telling the class that this school is extremely hard to get into and only the best of the best get in I have no idea how many students I will be going against with dance and drama is my passion where I (or my parents) come from big dreams are impossible to achieve and I want to prove them wrong and hopefully not right I was put into sports like soccer volleyball basket ball but my main focus and passion is dance, drama, etc.i really dont want to stop what I love to do completely even though if it takes hours out of my day Ive been practicing everything I learned through my years to keep up and not fall back.(Update )Ok so I’m graduating tmmrw and like who let me write this??? I didn’t audition knowing I wouldn’t get in and now I’m going to...well I don’t even know I’m still waiting... not like I’m dumb I got into all catholic schools with scholarships and awards but the public school system sucks sooo...yeah
I wish to audition here but I’m afraid my 7th Grade grades are low for a big school (if that makes sense)My artistic skills are pretty goodI get 90s on my projects and can improve over that summerBut can I get accepted into the school with an 80-ish average like a B and C?
From what i hear and research on this school it is very hard to get into La guardia, im currently searching for art and visual art high schools. It has been my and my moms dream to get into la Guardia since i was small.unfortunately my grades were not astonishing as i wanted them to be, especially math i always had difficulty in math. I thought that in my future i would find no use for it when i could be focused on singing and dancing, but i was wrong today i wish i put more effort for it. Not even my struggles in math is my problem now its the thought that im not good enough to even audition for it i havent had many years of practice because of financial and school issues. I never learned to be confident and that feeling of being on a stage watched by many people gives me a panicky feeling. I wish to go to la guardia to have someone behind me pushing me to go fowards, someone that tells me with no hesitation that im doing poorly. I want to learn but it seems that la guardia takes talented people already while im starting from below. Hopefully i have a chance at it.
The school is very interesting. it combines the elements of the arts with academics to give all children a fun and descriptive education. all students are hardworkers and they have extreme talents in their crafts. their academics are exceptional and the children never get bored.
I wish I got to attend a performing high school, but they do not have any in New London, CT ! I was not given any good advice to go to the right high school. I dont know why ??!! I wish I could go back to high school and relive life events differently , I miss my teen age years1997-2002, I dont care what nobody thinks! Some one please INVENT a TIME MACHINE so I could have that Preforming Arts high school experiences thank you, and go back in time and fix the economy!!!
This school is disappointing. Its in the heart of a prominent music venue and the facility looks like a war torn building. There are holes in the structure and a infestation of roaches. They require two auditions for their so called speciality school but its run by slumlords. Who would want to perform in a unkepted building. Definitely nothing to write home about
Laguardia High School of Music and Performing Arts is the best Accademic and Music school in USA.My son is 16 years old and is a Piano master, advanced winds Bassoon and drama. As a single mother being a Dr.in Music and Foreign Languages, I believe his choice was just right taking Laguardia and not Kaufmann Music School or Brooklyn school of Music where he auditioned and came through..Basically my son saw that Laguardia is one of the most challenging schools even in accademics.We are very happy to have Dr.Lisa Mars as a Principal in Laguardia.She is very young but very smart and accomplished.She knows what to do if in Laguardia have to be fixed some problems. The Faculty Staff is very strong and there rating is 5 stars.We would reccomand this school to everyone, from Laguardia of course if students are serious and are studying, lots of them can go to enter easy Universities and Colleges like: Juilliard, Curtis, Yale, Cornell, Campbellsville, Morehead state University, Lexington UK, Boston and Oberlin OH.Also Royal Accademy in London.From Fiorello Laguardia has been graduate:Nicki Minaj, Lady Gaga, daughter of Madonna Maria Lurdes and lots of actors, artists and musicians recognized in the entire World. For me and my son Music is the Melody of the Heart and the Voice of the Spirit.God bless America!!Dr.Carina Tiotuico
Im a freshman going to LaGuardia Highschool. I was reading previous reviews out of my own curiosity, only to find a surprising amount of overtly low ratings. In reading these ratings generally the reason for such reviews consisted of judgmental and generalized complaints. One review spoke of poor parking in the area during auditions to apply to LaGuardia Highschool. This is a rating of the parking in the area, not the school. Another review mentioned roaches and holes everywhere. This is slightly more valid than the previous review I mentioned, although this is hardly the schools fault. Funding is limited and sometimes academics have a priority over anything else. As a New Yorker, I can say that Ive seen more roaches in my apartment than in LaGuardia. My point in writing this review was not to defend LaGuardia but to instead keep these reviews just, and valid. If youre going to put something on the internet the least you can do is be reasonable.
Snotty teachers. I took the admission test here for art, where they also gave an orientation. The examiner explained to draw an apple, but to think outside of the box (so you could for example draw an apple with a worm in it). My dad was with me, & drew an apple computer. In response to my fathers drawing the examiner heckled him, making fun of him in front of the whole auditorium. Since then I have heard they use this example during their apple orientation. Still, no excuse to treat a guest, or a person for that matter. These are the kind of people that will be teaching your children, close minded & heart-less. By the way, my father attended Juilliard so its not like he is not talented.
I am a 7th grader looking for a good high school with STRONG writing standards. I can dance well, but I can write even better. I was wondering if LaGuardia has a good writing standard. If not, what good, popular high schools do (staten tech, brooklyn tech, goldstein, bronx high, etc...)?
Do not support this schol!!What a slap in the face of the VonTrapp family. This is history and what they had to endure. Are you kidding me? This stuff really happened and you can’t just erase history. What is wrong with people? And the fact that the school went along with this is disgusting.The staff doesn’t believe in teaching the correct history!
I think is a good school because everyone say it . And I need to include on this school. Because they said is a good school . I dont know how I can go in this school. Because I dont have H.S yet .can somebody help me . I need to have a good school ,a school work hard , and every students respect and everything.......
Hi, Im moving to NYC this year, Im just waiting to finish the 11th grade. I wanted to know If LaGuardia High School accept students in 12th grade? Im really want to finish high school there, looks amazing and Im really exited. Ill really appreciate If someone answer me, It will be very helpful, Thanks.
Im in seventh grade right now i go to dolores hurta elementry and i really want to go here when i get to high school but im not sure i can because its in new york and im in stockton and my dad is not really big on traveling far but this does seem like a very high curriculum school and i hope i can attend this school real soon
Total reviews rating 4.3
118 Reviews for Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts 2023:
Review №1
2022-07-18My piano teacher went to this school for grades 9-12. I am going to this school soon as a freshman in the instrumental music group. I have heard lots of good things about this school, like the opportunities to perform and work with experts in the field. I will be excited to follow in my teacher’s footsteps and continue my piano education.
Review №2
2022-03-08I graduated in 1974 as a music student. I loved my time there but knew that I wanted an engineering profession. BME and MSME from Georgia Institute of Technology, MBA from San Diego State and a 40 year career in aerospace. I’m now learning piano. PA prepared me well for life.
Review №3
2022-06-02I am in 6th grade and IM GOING TO THIS SCHOOL I want to be a tv actor and a theater actor (theater more) i want to be Hamilton on broadway, but anyway I live on Long Island but my mom works near here but will they still except me???????
Review №4
2022-06-22I’m only going to the 8th grade but I know that this is a very great school because I dance with one of the boys who just graduated from here and every Saturday when we meet for rehearsal he’s always talking about it. I remember four years ago when I was 9 and he was 13 and we were learning a duet when his mom called and told him that he got accepted not only was he excited but so was I and as the years went on not only did he get better at dancing he got scouted which made me smile and cry at the same time because now he’s gone. But I can’t wait to audition this year but not even for dance but also for drama, vocals, and the violin. Quick tip for anyone who wants to audition make sure you audition for more than one talent if you can because what if you audition for art and vocals but they don’t like your art but they might like your singing so I hope that was useful. Good luck to everyone who’s auditioning this year.☺️Update!!!I just got into LaGuardia for vocals, I’m so excited to start next school year. Just wanted to say congrats to everyone who auditioned and got in, even if you didn’t get in you still had the guts to audition so great job.
Review №5
2022-07-11I am about to head to 7th grade and I WILL be going to this school for the fine arts program :))) I’ll check back in when I get accepted 🫡🫡
Review №6
2022-03-25I did not attend Laguardia high School but I did have an interesting audition while I was singing my song One of the faculty members stopped me in the middle of my song to ask me how long I’ve been in this country for that was not very professional
Review №7
2022-01-15A great volleyball league functions out of here- that’s the only reason I come here 😂. I graduated high school a Long time ago. The gym and school are clean. Definitely recommend.
Review №8
2020-02-06I stopped by my alma mater class of 1996 and showed my children my high school. Great establishment. The absolute best educational experience EVER! So proud to be an alum. Truly blessed to have been in their Art program.
Review №9
2022-06-18Great theater and amazing performance by the senior orchestra and chorus.
Review №10
2021-10-28It’s a great school me and my friend love it but it’s not just an hs grades actually matter u have be smart lol for me I had to study a lot like I couldn’t even sleep but if u rlly want to go it’s a nice school over all