What it was really like attending an arts school for sixth form

Since starting university I have been surrounded by people who were private schooled. People who spent small fortunes on gaining the best qualifications possible. This makes me a little sheepish when I explain my last few years of education, because in some eyes I didn’t have one. It’s time to open these eyes to the real life of an arts student.

Set the scene

When Sir Winston Churchill recited his famous ‘blood, toil, tears and sweat’ speech in 1940, I think it’s safe to assume he didn’t intend for such extreme expression to be used to describe the average 21st century creative arts student.

I’m certainly not saying that creative arts are as demanding as fighting a War, but it’s certainly no song and dance – pun intended.

BOA is a modern building, in the centre of Birmingham. Birmingham Ormiston Academy – BOA. Doors fly open, setting free the sound of catchy theatre tunes, while elaborate stage sets catch your eye. Three girls tap in sync. A thespian, fit for an Elizabethan banquet, recites Shakespearean sonnet… a flash mob takes your hand, leading you singing and dancing through the world of the creative arts industry…

I wont tell you to shatter this stereotypical image completely, I’m just going to give you a ‘behind the scenes’ of sorts, presenting the reality of arts school.

Welcome to BOA

At 16 I found myself approaching BOA – the building that was to become a kind of second home. BOA is a newly established, creative arts academy in the centre of Birmingham, specialising in 9 pathways within the creative, digital and performing arts. The academy’s free to attend, following an audition and an anxious wait to see if you secured a place. With some pretty fancy equipment to aid you, BOA is a place for creative teens to develop their craft, alongside traditional study.

While BOA isn’t your conventional school, the ‘High School Musical’ image attached to it is pretty inaccurate, which I discovered for myself.

The first thing to know is that everyone at BOA is unique. Seems obvious, but I reiterate it because it creates individual experiences for every student. This article is just a snippet of what goes on in such a diverse building.

I studied Music at BOA so I spent a large portion of my life in the blue walled corridors of the music floor. Another portion was spent with the purple walls of the art floor and the yellow walls outside my English class.

So if BOA, being an arts academy, is stereotyped as bright and colourful then that stereotype is correct. Though there’s a number of stereotypes that the academy undeniably conforms to, such as the music-filled stairways musicians are often found practicing in, there are plenty more stereotypes given to arts schools that are slightly exaggerated.

The cast and crew

Musical Theatre is a prominent pathway at BOA. When people think ‘arts school’ they think musicals. But there’s more to the academy than musicals. At BOA we see the whole cast and crew. Artists, actors, musicians, dancers, designers – the list goes on.

A special thing about BOA is the connections you make. Arts students (particularly performing arts) aren’t the bitchy, competitive characters they’re depicted as in the media (not all the time anyway). The people I met at BOA , staff included, are some of the friendliest, most open people I’ve ever come across.

I have to say, there’s always an element of competitiveness when your personal work is being compared to those around you, but that’s to be expected in the creative industry. Being surrounded by people who love what you love creates inimitable relationships. The students, (along with staff) organise, work and perform at BOA’s events. Everyone is always working together. It’s not always easy, but conflicting styles and interests translate into creative solutions.

Despite occasional disagreements, being friends with so many creatives means there’s always someone to create with – I got to sing with one of my favourite singers in the world (my best friend).

Long days, long nights

There’s mutual respect for the people around you who are going against tradition to do what they love. The “what about a real job?” question is thrown at us because there’s this perception that we dance around, sing a little and then get thrown into the big, wide world with no skills and no hope. This is BS.

There aren’t many places like BOA, meaning people travel pretty far everyday to attend. Through winter I’d start my two hour journey home in the dark to rise again, in the dark, at 5:30am. I balanced my music course, my A level course and live performances, and I knew people that balanced much more. BOA provided training. In place of exam revision, was pages and pages of coursework, along with rehearsals and performances, all with very little time to complete. It’s also worth mentioning the level of talent that could be found in the building, despite stress and time constraints.

While this left us tired, it got us prepared for a work intensive career in any occupation. Leading onto another criticism students, like those at BOA, get. The criticism that someone studying the arts is destined to end up ‘famous’ or die trying. There’s lots of students at BOA that pursue the arts but that isn’t the only option.

I saw dozens move on to successful arts institutions. I also saw one of my best friends leave BOA to study an English degree at Nottingham, while another chose to develop her music while working a full time job. I watch this from my little room at the University of Exeter, studying Anthropology.

BOA’s slogan is “Imagine Everything”. I find it fitting – the world becomes your oyster. The main thing I’d express is that academic study and success do not always correlate.

It’s obvious that attending an academically acclaimed school increases your chance of academic success but I got to experience how a less traditional form of education prepares some (such as myself) perfectly for university!

I’ve had plenty of experience in long hours, rejection and staying up all night to finish essays that are due the next day.

And for all that, BOA, I thank you.