Henderson County High School is gearing up for its new School of Fine Arts.
Current courses in voice, instrumental music, theater, dance and the visual arts will be expanded to create career tracks.
High school fine arts coordinator Brian Ettensohn is spearheading the program. He says the goal is to provide in-depth training that leads to a career path.
“There are a high number of students who are in probably band and theater, or possibly choir and theater,” says Ettensohn. “These are students that are passionate, highly passionate, about the arts. And they’re going on to college and looking at a career.”
The new program is being developed with existing staff. So there will be no additional expense to the school district.
Ettensohn says one of the biggest challenges is parents.
“I have parents who literally come in my classroom and they beg me, beg me, to talk to their child and talk them out of going towards visual art as a career,” says Ettensohn. “And I say, ‘OK, what do want me to talk them into?’ The number one answer is business.”
Ettensohn says he points out to parents the many career opportunities possible with an art education. He says options include work as an architect, city planner and designer of cars or smartphones.
The student application process will begin in the fall. The School of Fine Arts will open in the 2017-2018 school year.
