Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music and Art and Performing Arts: a history

Abstract

The Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music and Art and Performing Arts in New York City was formed through a merger of two existing arts high schools in 1961-- the High School of Music and Art and School of Performing Arts. Although the High School of Music and Art's history has been well documented, no studies have documented the histories of the School of Performing Arts and the Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music and Art and Performing Arts. Therefore, this concise history of the development of the Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music and Arts and Performing Arts in New York City fills a gap in current historical literature. Research questions focused on (1) the founding of the two independent performing arts high schools and their amalgamation into the Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music and Art and Performing Arts; (2) key personnel and their role in facilitating the merger; (3) the shaping forces of the philosophies/missions/visions of the two independent high schools on the Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music and Art and the Performing Arts; (4) how the music curriculum of the High School of Music and Art and School of Performing Arts helped shape the music curriculum of the Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music and Art and Performing Arts, and (5) students' musical activities throughout the school's history. Research methodologies included consulting primary and secondary sources and interviewing former and current administrators, students, alumni, friends, and other key personnel from each of the three schools. I discuss music education challenges with implications for music educators and administrators, as well as political leaders and members of communities at large engaged in providing education at similar mis high schools. From the schools' rich independent beginnings to their turbulent transitional years, where the amalgamation and relocation took nearly a quarter century to complete, the school remains a model for subsequent specialized arts high schools in the nation.