by Vianca Soria
Every conservatory is different, but that does not mean each conservatory should be treated differently.
Although The Chicago High School for the Arts (ChiArts) is a school where the arts are appreciated, and students who attend had to audition to get in, so the student body is necessarily talented, several students report that some talents are praised more than others.
Karoly Keefe, who teaches math, definitely has an opinion on the issue.
“I think the most underrated conservatory is visual arts,” Keefe said. “I think it’s the least expressed in terms of visibility.”
Keefe feels that students who study visual art have to spend more time on an individual creation, and since their work is more long-term and quiet, it’s difficult for them to compete with performance artists in the school.
Junior Eros Farfan doesn’t agree with Keefe. He thinks the most underrated artists at ChiArts are either the creative writers or the vocalists.
Farfan is, himself, a vocalist.
“Vocalists, I think are underrated because, we’re compared to musical theater majors,” said Farfan, adding that fewer people attend vocalist’s shows than school musicals.
Farfan thinks creative writers are underrated because they’re quiet, and don’t have big shows.
A teacher, who asked that The Double Space keep his identity anonymous, believes creative writing is underrated.
“I think that Creative Writing is underrated. The other arts programs here have interesting elements that are easier to immediately spot, whereas you have to be really engaged and focused to enjoy Creative Writing.”
This teacher believes ChiArts Writers should look at more interesting ways to present their work to catch the attention it deserves.