Expert Panel: High School Auditions & Portfolios + Q&A

In this webinar, our panel of experts will discuss the many different public audition and art portfolio high schools in NYC, and help you make an informed decision about what school(s) might be right for your child. We will also discuss what and how to prepare, go over timelines, and share expert tips and strategies for success. Parents with middle schoolers in NYC won't want to miss this event!

What we’ll cover:

• How to apply to audition / art portfolio schools , including LaGuardia, with the best chance of success
• The benefits and pitfalls of a dual mandate school
• How to prepare strong auditions and portfolios
• Examples of successful auditions and portfolios in all majors
• What you should and shouldn't include in auditions and portfolios
• How do auditions and portfolio submissions work logistically and what timeline to expect.

Our Expert Panel

Sophie Thomason is a screenwriter, actor, and choreographer who creates for film, theatre, and music videos. A graduate of USC’s schools Dramatic and Cinematic Arts, her short films BOLOGNESE and HELIUM are currently making their way through the festival circuit and have respectively premiered at Palm Springs International ShortFest (Best U.S. Short nomination, Bolognese), NFFTY (Audience Award winner, Bolognese), IFFBoston, and Cinema Femme Short Film Fest. Her play THE DEAN premiered at the New York Theatre Festival last December. Sophie has worked with Pacific Resident Theatre, the British American Drama Academy, New York Musical Festival, and Center Theatre Group. Sophie loves working with teens and preteens and, for over 5 years, she has helped many students successfully prepare for auditions in voice, drama, film, and stage tech.

Dan Fagen is a music educator and multi-instrumentalist based in New York City, where he is entering his 10th year teaching band at M.S. 54 - Booker T. Washington. Born on Staten Island and a product of NYC public schools, Dan received a B.A. in Music and Psychology from Binghamton University ('10) and M.A. in Music & Music Ed. from Teachers College, Columbia University ('14). While his students are his main focus, Dan enjoys performing music when his schedule allows, having appeared with the New Amsterdam Symphony Orchestra, the Philharmonic of Southern New Jersey, the Metropolitan Music Community, and as a saxophonist for the indie folk-rock artist "Thin Lear".

Mary Ellen Duncan (Soprano), currently teaches private voice lessons in New York City and is the founder of SING LIC. A graduate of New England Conservatory, she has sung has a soloist in Carnegie Hall, Orlando Opera, DiCapo Opera Theatre, Opera Omaha, Commonwealth Opera, New York Opera Project and numerous others. She is the mother of two and bravely navigates the NYC DOE performing arts auditions for many students as well as her own daughter in 2022!

Vic Walsh is a Brooklyn-based educator and interdisciplinary artist. They teach High School Portfolio Prep classes for middle schoolers at the Art Annex, as well as offering one-on-one lessons. Vic is also the Programs Coordinator at Open Source Gallery and has taught with many youth arts organizations in Brooklyn. They studied Fine Arts at Parsons School of Design.

After a career performing as a member of American Ballet Theatre, Pacific Northwest Ballet, and Staatsballet Berlin, Natalia Boesch turned her attention to teaching and writing. She teaches at Ballet Hispanico and Manhattan Youth Ballet, where she was named the school’s first Director of Curriculum, and has taught at schools including Neglia Ballet, Steps Academy, and Ballet Tech. Her extensive writing about ballet technique has appeared in Dance, Pointe and Dance Teacher magazines. A proud product of the NYC public school system, Natalia trained at the School of American Ballet and remembers well her own experience with the Performing Arts HS auditions. In classes and private lessons for over 15 years, she has coached young dancers through the audition process for high schools, summer intensives, colleges, and companies. It’s her great joy to pass along her expertise and love of dance, building each student’s confidence along the way.  

Katie Miller is an Education and Admissions Consultant who has been advocating for parents and children in public school education for the last 15 years. Katie is an expert on navigating the complex New York City public school admissions process and works closely with families to ensure they feel confident, informed and supported. Katie created Katherine Miller Consulting 5 years ago in order to work more closely on fostering creative public / private partnerships, and to share her expertise on the interplay between education, parenting and community. She has also served in a number of volunteer leadership positions at her children’s public schools, including P.S. 87, M.S. 54 (Booker T. Washington Middle School), West End Secondary School (WESS), The Beacon School, and LaGuardia. Katie also acts as a consultant to a variety of youth arts organizations. Before her career as an education and small business consultant, Katie was the Director of Civil Justice at Common Good, and a Litigation Associate at Cleary Gottlieb. Katie graduated from Amherst College and received a joint J.D./ M.A. from Cornell Law School and the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy.

Lisa Speransky is the founder of Ivy Tutors Network, a New York City-based education company. The company's core belief is that education isn’t one size fits all. That may sound simple, but understanding this concept opens the door to really enjoying learning. For over 20 years and countless success stories — from learning to read and count to getting into the college of your dreams— we’ve proven that personalized education can breed a love of learning that leads to confidence and to goal-crushing in all its forms! Lisa is a product of the NYC public school system, graduating from PS 87, MS 54, and the Bronx High School of Science before completing her BA at Columbia University.