OSFO, Hepcat and I made the long trek to Frank Sinatra School of the Arts High School in Astoria, Queens by subway because we wanted to see how long it would take to get there from Park Slope by train.

Whoa. It’s quite a journey.

Hepcat was chief navigator and he decided that the quickest route was to take the G train from the Seventh Avenue F train station (at 9th Street) to Court Square in Long Island City. From there we walked for 8 minutes (on a cool moving walkway) through the station and caught the M train to Steinway Street.

It took about an hour. But it was worth the trip just to see the school.

Unfortunately we got there late so we missed the presentation in the impressive auditorium. However, we did get to see the gorgeous modern building that the school is and sit in on a presentation about the fine arts program.

Why don’t these schools use microphones at these meetings? It’s so hard to hear teachers and administrators in crowded lunchrooms.

That said, two of the art teachers gave a clear, interesting presentation about the fine arts program at the school, which also has music, drama, dance, film and media programs. They were both working artists who spoke about the benefits of a small program, where you can get to know each student and their work very well.

They also talked a good deal about the audition process, which is very competitive. They emphasized that five of the ten pieces required for the student’s portfolio  must be life based drawings (or paintings). Beyond that the students can include abstract work, photography, design and photos of 3-dimensional work. But it is imperative that the student know how to draw from life.

The school, which has 725 students is an audition-based conservatory style program that emphasizes academics and even has PSAL sports programs. Every student is expected to take four years of  science, math, English and social studies.

But the arts are what it’s all about and we enjoyed being serenaded by classical music as we walked into the building.

The fine arts program is a four-year sequential curriculum that begins with a “get a taste of all mediums” and drawing year in 9th grade and progresses to painting and sculpture in 10th grade, illustration and design in junior year, digital photography and publishing in senior year (and preparation of portfolios for college admissions)

Every year the fine arts kids are required to take art history so that they have a good understanding of the major periods of art, cultural studies and aesthetics.

I assume the other programs in film, media arts, instrumental music, vocal music, dance and drama are just as intense and comprehensive.

A group of fine arts seniors participated in the presentation and they were articulate and enthusiastic. One raved about the internship opportunities at the school that enabled her to work at various museums. A boy talked about the musical theater program that students in all disciplines are able to join once they’re in the school (as a minor study).

For the most part, the arts are separated and you can’t take courses in other disciplines.

The school opened in 2001 and had its first commencement in 2004 so it’s a very new endeavor. The modern, light-filled five-story building is a sight to behold. It is located in Astoria, Queens near the Kaufman Studios and across the street from the Museum of the Moving Image.

Tony Bennett (the Tony Bennett) conceived of the school as a way to honor his buddy, Frank Sinatra. A community service program at the school enables students to intern in hospitals, day care centers, senior citizen homes and homeless shelters and participate in partnerships with cultural institutions such as, Metropolitan Opera, Battery Dance Company, Museum of Modern Art, Queens Museum, American Theatre Wing.

Frank Sinatra School of the Arts struck me as a really interesting and fun place to go to school if you’re a kid who is passionate about the arts. It seems to consist of small and intense programs inside a large, bright and colorful school building. It’s high school for the “Fame, I’m gonna live forever” crowd as it promises to be a  smaller and more intimate LaGuardia for kids with talent and big dreams.

For our return trip, we took the R train from Steinway Street, which took us all the way to Union Street in Park Slope. A long trip through Manhattan, at least it was only one subway.

Illustration by Kevin Kocses: www.kevinkocses.carbonmade.com