Is a Performing Arts Boarding School Right for You? A Parent & Student Perspective
If you’re chasing big dreams and want to balance your artistic pursuits with academics, a boarding school may be a great fit for you. Explore the reasons why you should consider this unique path.
Hanna Andreassen performs in Interlochen Arts Academy's production of Into the Woods. Picture credit Logan Turk.
Choosing where to go to high school is a big deal—especially if you’re someone who dreams of being on stage, delivering passionate monologues, or dancing under the lights. Traditional high schools offer close-to-home convenience, but a performing arts boarding school may give you the chance to pursue your art form to the fullest. How do you know if a performing arts boarding school is the right path for you? Hanna Andreassen, a two-year musical theatre major at Interlochen Arts Academy, and her dad Ole Andreassen share their experience to help you figure it out.
You should go to a performing arts boarding school if you’ve had a longtime passion for the arts.
We don’t mean just a passing hobby—we’re talking about real passion. Hanna knew she was all in after performing in her first operetta, Iolanthe, in sixth grade.
“I loved it so much,” she says. “I immediately started immersing myself in theatre and musical theatre—taking classes, doing productions back home in Oklahoma, applying for summer camps—just throwing myself in and pursuing it as much as I could.”
If that sounds like you, a place like Interlochen might be the perfect next step. Here, you’re surrounded by other students who are just as serious about the arts as you are—and faculty who take you seriously too.
You should go if you want to balance serious arts training with academics.
If you’re passionate about your creativity, trying to do it all at a regular high school can be exhausting.
“Pursuing an art form seriously and going to a regular high school is very difficult because both are full-time jobs,” says Hanna’s dad, Ole. “There are few places you can do both well.”
Hanna agrees. “It was a lot of work trying to balance a full academic schedule with all my theatre, acting, dancing, and singing outside of school.”
Hanna heard about the professional arts training and college-prep academic programs at Interlochen and decided to submit her application. Once she arrived on campus, she discovered that she didn’t have to give up her performing arts dreams during high school. She could excel in both at once.
“The counselors are good at helping you achieve what you want to achieve. They help you get the classes you want to balance academics and the arts, so you have the support you need right off the bat,” says Ole.
Hanna performs at Interlochen's MUSE workshop.
You should go if you want to explore other art forms, too.
At schools like Interlochen, you don’t have to stay in one lane. Hanna, who is also a songwriter, was able to write original music for school productions, including an original show, MUSE, that went all the way to Lincoln Center in New York.
“I've been able to experience a beautiful synthesis of being a musical theatre performer, a composer, and a songwriter at Interlochen,” says Hanna. “The faculty at Interlochen look at all your interests and strengths and allow you to pursue every part of yourself as an artist.”
You should go if you want to be surrounded by creativity.
Imagine doing your homework and hearing someone playing guitar under your window or walking to the cafeteria while jazz students jam outside in the midday sun. For Hanna, this is just a typical day at her performing arts boarding school.
“The whole school is full of art,” Hanna says. “And it’s beautiful that we get to interact with it all day, every day.”
It’s not just what happens in the classroom or on stage. It’s in the atmosphere.
You should go if you're ready for more independence.
Boarding school is a valuable opportunity to try living on your own (with lots of support). From mastering the fine art of doing laundry to getting along well with peers, there’s so much to learn from rooming on campus.
Hanna has loved dorm life so far. “Both of my roommates have been wonderful, and the staff are so caring and ready to help us with whatever we need.”
Ole adds, “It’s obvious Interlochen knows how to bring kids into grown-up life. By the time they go to college, they’ve already learned how to live independently. They don’t have to figure out the basics of how to live life, so they can focus on becoming great artists.”
You should go if you have big dreams.
This fall, Hanna is headed to Princeton University. After that, she has dreams of living and working in New York. “It’s such an amazing cultural center. It has all the art forms I’m currently involved in and interested in,” she says.
Big dreams deserve big support—and places like Interlochen help launch those dreams. If you envision yourself pursuing a life in the performing arts, a boarding school may be a good fit for you.
An Amazing Opportunity
When Hanna thinks back on her time at boarding school, she’s amazed by the work she’s put in and the opportunities she’s enjoyed.
“It's been so wonderful, but also intense,” Hanna reflects. “I’ve learned so incredibly much while I’ve been here, worked so hard, and had so many amazing opportunities. I wouldn’t trade it for anything. It has definitely made me the artist I am now.”
Interlochen Arts Academy offers a one-of-a-kind mix of pre-professional training, passionate community, and real-world readiness. If you’re dreaming big and ready to work hard, it might just be exactly where you belong.
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