Visual and Performing Arts Nj High School

About Red Bank Regional's Visual and Performing Arts Academy

Red Bank Regional is conveniently located in Little Silver, central Monmouth County, and accepts both in-district students, (Little Silver, Red Bank and Shrewsbury) and tuition students from out-of-district that are accepted into one of our five four-year Career and Technical Education Programs. They are: the Visual and Performing Arts Academy (VPA), the Academy of Information Technology (AOIT), the Academy of Engineering (AOE), the Academy of Finance (AOF) and the Early Childhood Education Academy. In addition to the three constituent districts, our Academies have had as many as twenty-one other school districts represented in past years. Red Bank Regional High School is recognized as one of the top high schools in NJ by New Jersey Monthly Magazine, the 57th "Best Public High School in New Jersey" from Niche in 2017, one of the "Most Challenging High Schools" by the Washington Post in 2017, a "Top High School in America" by Newsweek in 2010 & 2011. Red Bank Regional High School has been designated by the state of New Jersey as a Model School of the Arts. Since we are a comprehensive High School we also offer extensive extra-curricular opportunities as well as a full complement of interscholastic athletics.

The Visual and Performing Arts Academy at Red Bank Regional High School has founded in 1983 and has grown through the decades to offer fourteen majors:

Studio Art    Commercial Photography    Creative Writing (Performance Art)   Dance Theatre Arts     Media Production

Instrumental Music – Brass    Percussion    Woodwinds    Strings GuitarPiano a nd    Vocal Music.

The mission of the VPA Academy is to provide a four-year career focused learning experience for serious emerging artists who possess proven advanced aptitude and passion for the visual and performing arts with the ultimate goal of inspiring all students to pursue careers and/or admission to competitive colleges/conservatories of fine arts.

Classes are taught by highly qualified and state-certified teachers who augment their programs with specialized workshops and master classes led by professional artists. The curriculum is aligned with the NJ Visual and Performing Arts Core Curriculum Content Standards and emphasizes interdisciplinary activities, cultural and historical relationships, career opportunities and college preparation in the arts.

VPA programs offer a minimum of 82 minutes of instruction daily for each of the four high school years along with additional performance and exhibition requirements. VPA Majors are required to participate in the arts experiences that extend beyond the regular school day in the form of rehearsals, performances, and exhibit openings both in school and out of school.

As a well designed career education program, students exhibit their work and/or perform on a regular basis under the guidance of their teachers. Performance majors are required to give a senior recital or participate in a major school production. Senior visual arts majors are required to exhibit their work in a senior show. The program is also highlighted by special performance opportunities both in-house and throughout the county and state. VPA students regularly submit their work to compete in regional, state and national competitions. Some of our groups have even performed internationally.

As per state Career and Technical Education requirements, successful completion of the program consists of written and performance tests, portfolio, and successful placement into a related career or acceptance into a school for continuing education in their field. Several majors include AP classes or dual enrollment credit as course requirements.

All programs are college preparatory as well as career based. Students completing our program have been accepted into prestigious colleges and conservatories, such as:

Boston Conservatory of Music      California Institute of the Arts      Chicago Institute of the Arts

The College of New Jersey           Drexel University                          Fashion Institute of Technology

Harvard University Johns Hopkins University (Peabody Conservatory)

Julliard School                             Manhattan School of Music           Montclair State University

Moore College                                New England Conservatory of Music

New School (Mannes School of Music)        New York University (Tisch, Steinhardt, Clive Davis)

Pace University Princeton University                     Rider University (Westminster Choir College)

Rutgers University (including Mason Gross School of the Arts) Savannah College of Art and Design

Shenandoah University School of Visual Arts                                       State University of NewPaltz

State University of NY at Purchase Syracuse University Temple University

University of the Arts                University of Rochester (Eastman School of Music)      Yale University

(This is a partial list of schools to which our graduates have attended)

Admission to the Visual & Performing Arts Academy is based on audition, portfolio, interview, standardized test scores, academic performance, attendance, and other criteria related to the specific area of study.

Learn more about and apply to the 4 Year Visual and Performing Arts Academy by clicking on the links to the left, or please call (732) 842-8000, extension 262.

Sincerely,
Lisa Boyle
Supervisor, Visual & Performing Arts Academy