Brian Lehrer on WNYC. If you've got an artsy middle schooler at home, they're going to

be the focus of our last segment today. They and you as the parents. Maybe your artsy middle

schooler is dreaming of attending a specialized arts high school like LaGuardia or Art of

Design or Frank Sinatra or maybe talented talent unlimited in the near future. Well, for

those parents of eighth graders in New York City, perhaps you are already in the throes

of preparing to fill your kids audition tape or put together a portfolio that captures

their visual art mastery of technique in time for that December 1st application deadline.

Now getting into these schools is an easy talent alone won't suffice. City limits reports

that students need knowledge, expertise and polish as well. Depending on your child's

area of interest, they'll need to showcase their talent in ballet, modern jazz or West African

dance. Perhaps they'll need to prepare to sing 16 bars of memorized music or a monologue

from the so-called canon. Students interested in fine arts need to submit a portfolio quote

of at least five original artworks including a self-portrait, still life and figure drawing,

additional work in any medium and a full page picture capturing your wildest ideas of what

a fantastical sandwich looks like. That's a quote from the application instructions according

to city limits. So it's unlikely that you could is going to get all of that from a regular

New York City public public school art class, right? So listeners, how are you preparing

your children to get into a specialized art high school in New York City? 212433 WNYC?

Have they been taking lessons for years or did you enroll them in a cram school this

fall? Did you just start this process recently in any way or has it been years in the making?

Maybe you knew those instructions that I was quoting from before, those requirements

for auditions and portfolio and have been in the throes of training for a long time. Maybe

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