9th & 10th Grade: How Visual and Performing Arts Students Should Spend These Years
The freshman and sophomore years of high school can feel like a long way from college applications. They're not. For students who want to pursue visual or performing arts in college — especially at conservatories, arts schools, or competitive university arts programs — 9th and 10th grade are when the foundation gets built.
This doesn't mean pressure to have everything figured out. It means being intentional: getting involved early, committing to your craft, building relationships with teachers and mentors, and positioning yourself for leadership roles that will matter when application season arrives. Here's a practical roadmap by discipline.
Why These Years Matter More Than You Think
Arts college applications are different from general college applications in one important way: the panel evaluating you cares most about your artistic development over time. A student who has been consistently involved, who has taken on increasing responsibility, and who has pursued their craft with genuine commitment — through school, private study, and summer programs — tells a story that admissions panels respond to.
9th and 10th grade are your opportunity to begin writing that story. Join things early. Show up reliably. Seek out challenges. The student who auditions for everything, joins every relevant ensemble, and earns their way to a leadership role by senior year has a dramatically stronger application than the one who waits until junior year to get serious.
Musicians
Your primary goal in these years is to become indispensable in your school's music program while simultaneously deepening your private study. The two reinforce each other: what you learn in private lessons elevates your contributions to ensembles, and the discipline of ensemble work makes you a better independent musician.
In-school opportunities to pursue:
Audition for orchestra, band, or choir from day one — and audition every year. Consistent improvement toward first chair or section leader is a compelling narrative.
Enter solo festivals, all-county, all-state, and regional competitions. Adjudicated performance experience is valuable both for development and for your application.
Audition for chamber ensembles or select choirs, which typically involve more rigorous repertoire and greater individual accountability.
Join a jazz or stage band, pit orchestra, a cappella groups, glee club, or marching band early — before the upperclassmen lock up the leadership spots.
Join clubs and ensembles in 9th grade whenever possible — leadership positions almost always go to students with seniority.
Actors & Dancers
The performing arts are collaborative by nature, and the most competitive college applicants are the ones who have demonstrated both artistic skill and the ability to contribute to a company or ensemble. Start auditioning early, take on every role that comes your way, and work your way toward the production and leadership roles that signal genuine investment.
In-school opportunities to pursue:
Audition for school plays and musicals starting in 9th grade. Early casting experience — even in smaller roles — builds technique, stage comfort, and relationships with directors.
Participate in production and stage crew. Understanding how a production comes together from the technical side makes you a more versatile and collaborative performer.
Aim for student director, choreographer, or stage manager roles in your junior or senior year — these positions signal leadership and are noted on applications.
Join drama club, improv club, dance team, and discipline-specific dance clubs (hip-hop, step, ballroom, contemporary) from the start.
For dancers: seek out opportunities to perform outside of the school dance team — recitals, community showcases, and student choreography projects all count.
Students who audition repeatedly — even when not cast — develop resilience and technique that shows in their eventual college auditions.
Visual Artists
For visual artists, the high school years are about building a body of work and developing a relationship with the art teachers and mentors who will eventually support your application. You want to be known in your school's art department — not just as a student who takes the class, but as someone who lives there.
In-school opportunities to pursue:
Become a regular in the art room outside of class hours. The students who stay after school, come in during free periods, and treat the art room as their studio build skills and relationships that pay dividends.
Enter school, local, regional, and national art competitions — Scholastic Art Awards is the most prestigious and widely recognized for high school artists.
Volunteer to paint sets for the theater department. It builds your portfolio, your school profile, and your relationships across departments.
Submit work to the school newspaper, literary magazine, or online publication.
Join a photography club, video production club, visual arts club, ceramics club, or any creative club that connects you with other artists and gives you structured opportunities to make work.
College portfolio reviewers look for range, growth, and intentionality — not just technical polish. Start building early so your work shows development over time.
Don't Neglect Academics
Arts programs — including conservatories — evaluate GPA and academic rigor. A student with strong technique but a weak academic record raises questions about whether they can handle the full demands of college. In 9th and 10th grade, establish strong study habits and take the most challenging courses you can manage without sacrificing your arts commitments.
This doesn't mean loading up on APs to the point of burnout. It means being an engaged, capable student across your classes — one who can credibly be admitted to a college environment, not just an arts program.
Think About Summer Now
The summers after 9th and 10th grade are prime time for intensive arts programs. These programs offer training that goes well beyond what's possible during the school year, introduce you to faculty at the colleges you'll eventually apply to, and connect you with a peer network of serious young artists.
They're also a significant item on your application. Students who attend summer intensives demonstrate initiative, artistic seriousness, and a willingness to invest in their craft. Start researching programs in your discipline early — many have application deadlines in January or February for summer enrollment.
At Best Fit Education, we work with students as early as 8th grade to map out a plan that builds toward competitive arts applications. If you want help thinking through your activities, your summer options, or your longer-term college strategy, get in touch.