Growing up as a performing arts student was nothing like what was shown in High School Musicalor the movie Fame. It was double the amount of work than what a regular student at a local High School had and the stress level was to the roof. Not only were we stressing about exams and papers. We were stressing about lines, upcoming shows, in class performances, auditions and collaborations on top of schoolwork and after school activities. Not even to mention, getting in to an actual performing arts school is a hassle. The process starts with researching the best performing arts schools and then preparing for the auditions only to find out that every performing arts school are rivals and therefore no matter which school you get in or decide on you will have to prove yourself as well as represent your school.

During Auditions, there are a lot of kids and parents surrounding you. Some are practicing their lines, dances, cleaning their instruments or warming up their voices. Then there are kids like me who have no background or previous experience and are patiently waiting for their turn with a family member by their side. Once your name gets called you either are mentally prepared or you blank out during your performance. Judges are sitting in front of you along with a couple of their current students judging you and writing things down. After you are done they tell you they will contact you soon and the cliché, “thank you for coming,” statement. Thing is, this is the easiest part before the journey begins because after waiting three months to receive a letter and you get a yes, you really don’t know what you’re in for.

A performing arts students starts their day earliest around 5 am. They wake up to get ready and pack their bags and catch the train or bus around 6am and around 7am they get their breakfast at the local deli or food stand. By 7:30am they arrive to school and wait for classes to begin by 8:10am. The day consist of math, history or english in the morning and by the afternoon it is all arts classes and here is what other people don't know about art schools. During arts classes, depending on your major, a student spends hours learning how to either dance, get loose on stage, do vocal warmups or examine their music sheet and homework is also included for these classes. Some of these homework assignments include doing research on a artist or preparing for an in class performance. In class performances are done individually in front of the whole class and professors, sometimes students are even being recorded. Aside from this every student is involved in at least one show every school year and every arts department has one. Therefore they are also performing after school and even during lunch time. With all of this given said, for a regular student school ends around 3pm and if you're involved in after school activities you end at 5pm the latest. A performing arts student regularly ends at 3ish and if they are in a sports team or play, then do not end till 6pm in the afternoon and when there is a show they don't go home till 11pm.

Performing arts students make sacrifices when it comes to getting their education and doing what they love. There are days when they have melt downs but who wouldn't with all the pressure and load of work. In the end everything gets paid off when agencies or directors show up to a show and notice a star or when colleges offer you full rides and scholarships. Being a performing arts student is not easy, but no one said it would.