The High School of Music & Art, informally known as "Music & Art" (or "M&A"), was a

public In public relations and communication science, publics are groups of individual people, and the public (a.k.a. the general public) is the totality of such groupings. This is a different concept to the sociology, sociological concept of the ''Öf ...

specialized high school located at 443-465 West 135th Street in the

borough A borough is an administrative division in various English-speaking countries. In principle, the term ''borough'' designates a self-governing walled town, although in practice, official use of the term varies widely. History In the Middle Ag ...

Manhattan Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...

, New York, from 1936 until 1984. In 1961, Music & Art and the

High School of Performing Arts The High School of Performing Arts (informally known as "PA") was a public alternative high school established in 1947 and located at 120 West 46th Street in the borough of Manhattan, New York City, from 1948 to 1984. In 1961, the school was ...

(est. 1947) were formed into a two-campus high school. The schools fully merged in 1984 into the Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & the Arts. Colloquially known as "The Castle on the Hill," the building that once housed Music & Art is located in the Hamilton Heights neighborhood of

Harlem Harlem is a neighborhood in Upper Manhattan, New York City. It is bounded roughly by the Hudson River on the west; the Harlem River and 155th Street on the north; Fifth Avenue on the east; and Central Park North on the south. The greater Ha ...

, in the campus of the

City College of New York The City College of the City University of New York (also known as the City College of New York, or simply City College or CCNY) is a public university within the City University of New York (CUNY) system in New York City. Founded in 1847, Cit ...

across the street from St. Nicholas Park. The building now houses the A. Philip Randolph Campus High School, a magnet school of the New York City Department of Education.

History

New York City Mayor Fiorello H. LaGuardia started the high school in 1936, an event he described as "the most hopeful accomplishment" of his administration.Steigman, Benjamin: ''Accent on Talent -- New York's High School of Music & Art.'' Wayne State University Press, 1984 LCCN 64-13873. As the mayor of New York City he wanted to establish a public school in which students could hone their talents in music, art and the performing arts. Music & Art was made up of three departments: Art, Instrumental Music, and Vocal Music. It was a

magnet A magnet is a material or object that produces a magnetic field. This magnetic field is invisible but is responsible for the most notable property of a magnet: a force that pulls on other ferromagnetic materials, such as iron, steel, nicke ...

school, meant to draw talented students from all boroughs. In 1948, a sister school — the

— was created in an effort to harness students' talents in dance. Future '' Mad'' magazine contributors

Al Jaffee Allan Jaffee (born Abraham Jaffee; March 13, 1921) is an American cartoonist. He is notable for his work in the satirical magazine '' Mad'', including his trademark feature, the ''Mad'' Fold-in. Jaffee was a regular contributor to the magazine ...

Will Elder William Elder (born Wolf William Eisenberg; September 22, 1921 – May 15, 2008) was an American illustrator and comic book artist who worked in numerous areas of commercial art but is best known for a frantically funny cartoon style that helped ...

, Harvey Kurtzman, John Severin, and Al Feldstein all attended Music & Art together in the 1930s.Mark Evanier, ''Mad Art'', Watson-Guptill Publications, 2002, . Comic book artists

Ross Andru Ross Andru (; born Rostislav Androuchkevitch, June 15, 1927 – November 9, 1993) Part 1: Animation: We Leave the Army", p. 21. In 1948, Andru's first professional work as a comic strip illustrator was drawing layouts for the ''Tarzan'' newspaper ...

and Mike Esposito, did as well, though they were slightly younger than Jaffee and the rest.

R. O. Blechman R. O. Blechman (born October 1, 1930) is an American animator, illustrator, children's-book author, graphic novelist and editorial cartoonist whose work has been the subject of retrospectives at the Museum of Modern Art and other institutions ...

, Milton Glaser,

Ed Sorel Edward Sorel (born Edward Schwartz, 26 March 1929) is an American illustrator, caricaturist, cartoonist, graphic designer and author. His work is known for its storytelling, its left-liberal social commentary, its criticism of reactionary right- ...

,Grimes, William
"Art; The Gripes of Wrath: 25 Years of Edward Sorel"
''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

''. (May 16, 1993). and

Reynold Ruffins Reynold Dash Ruffins (August 5, 1930– July 11, 2021) was an American painter, illustrator, and graphic designer. With Milton Glaser, Edward Sorel, and Seymour Chwast, Ruffins founded Push Pin Studios in 1954. An illustrator of more than twenty ...

— three of the four co-founders of the design firm Push Pin Studios — were M&A students in the 1940s. Other M&A graduates from the 1940s include Bess Myerson,

Allan Kaprow Allan Kaprow (August 23, 1927 – April 5, 2006) was an American painter, assemblagist and a pioneer in establishing the concepts of performance art. He helped to develop the "Environment" and " Happening" in the late 1950s and 1960s, as well ...

, and Hal Linden. Notable graduates from the 1950s included Gloria Davy,

Diahann Carroll Diahann Carroll (; born Carol Diann Johnson; July 17, 1935 – October 4, 2019) was an American actress, singer, model, and activist. She rose to prominence in some of the earliest major film studio, major studio films to feature black cas ...

, Susan Stamberg,

Billy Dee Williams William December Williams Jr. (born April 6, 1937) is an American actor. He appeared as Lando Calrissian in the '' Star Wars'' franchise, first in the early 1980s for ''The Empire Strikes Back'' (1980) and ''Return of the Jedi'' (1983), and thir ...

, Peter Yarrow, Tony Roberts,

James Burrows James Edward Burrows (born December 30, 1940), sometimes known as Jim "Jimmy" Burrows, is an American television director who has been working in television since the 1970s.Stated in interview on '' Inside the Actors Studio'' Burrows has dire ...

, Erica Jong, and Felix Pappalardi. Notable M&A graduates from the 1960s include Peter Hyams, Steven Bochco,

Robbie Conal Robert "Robbie" Conal (born 1944) is an American guerrilla poster artist noted for his gnarled, grotesque depictions of U.S. political figures of note. A former hippie, he is noted for distributing his poster art throughout a city overnight usi ...

Graham Diamond Graham Diamond (born 18 August 1949, Manchester, England) is an author who writes across multiple genres, including fantasy and science fiction. He has published twenty novels with more than a million copies of his books in print."Low-Key Author ...

Maira Kalman Maira Kalman is an American artist, illustrator, writer, and designer known for her painting and writing about the human condition. She is the author and illustrator of over 30 books for adults and children and her work is exhibited in museums a ...

,Master of the Month: Maira Kalman
from ''IllustrationFriday.com''

Bob Mankoff Robert Mankoff (born May 1, 1944Wilson, Craig. "Top drawer at 'The New Yorker' Mankoff makes his imprint as cartoon editor," ''USA Today'' (2 October 1997): D, 1:2.) is an American cartoonist, editor, and author. He was the cartoon editor for '' ...

,Mankoff, Robert
"Comics: Meet the Artist," (transcript)
''Washington Post'' (November 5, 2004). Diane Noomin,Noomin profile
, UF Conference on Comics & Graphic Novels 2003: Underground(s)].

University of Florida The University of Florida (Florida or UF) is a public land-grant research university in Gainesville, Florida. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida, traces its origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its ...

. Retrieved on 2008-01-30. and

Margot Adler Margot Susanna Adler (April 16, 1946 – July 28, 2014) was an American author, journalist, lecturer, Wiccan priestess, and New York correspondent for National Public Radio (NPR). Early life Born in Little Rock, Arkansas, Adler grew up mostly ...

; while notable graduates from the 1970s include musicians

Paul Stanley Paul Stanley (born Stanley Bert Eisen; January 20, 1952) is an American musician who is the co-founder, frontman, rhythm guitarist and co-lead vocalist of the hard rock band Kiss. He is the writer or co-writer of many of the band's most popula ...

"Nicki Minaj Forbidden From Meeting Students at Her Old High School: "I Guess I'm Not Good Enough"
'' E! Online'', September 14, 2014. and Kenny Washington. Notable M&A grads from the 1980s include writers

Jonathan Lethem Jonathan Allen Lethem (; born February 19, 1964) is an American novelist, essayist, and short story writer. His first novel, '' Gun, with Occasional Music'', a genre work that mixed elements of science fiction and detective fiction, was publi ...

Reed Tucker
"Fame’s Honor Roll"
''

New York Post The ''New York Post'' (''NY Post'') is a conservative daily tabloid newspaper published in New York City. The ''Post'' also operates NYPost.com, the celebrity gossip site PageSix.com, and the entertainment site Decider.com. It was established ...

'', September 20, 2009. and Lynn Nottage, and hip-hop musician Slick Rick.

Merger with Performing Arts

As per Mayor LaGuardia's vision, Music & Art and Performing Arts merged on paper in 1961 and were to be combined in one building. However, this took many years and it was not until 1984 that the sister schools were merged into a new school, the Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts, at a new building designed by Eduardo Catalano in the Lincoln Square area of Manhattan. The

Board of Education A board of education, school committee or school board is the board of directors or board of trustees of a school, local school district or an equivalent institution. The elected council determines the educational policy in a small regional ar ...

posthumously honored Mayor LaGuardia by naming the new building after him.

Architectural significance

The 1924

gothic revival Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic, neo-Gothic, or Gothick) is an architectural movement that began in the late 1740s in England. The movement gained momentum and expanded in the first half of the 19th century, as increasingly ...

building was designed by William H. Gompert, Architect & Superintendent of School Buildings for the New York City Board of Education, to house the New York Training School for Teachers. The Training School became the New York Teachers Training College from 1931 to 1933. That school was abolished during the Depression when there was a surplus of teachers for the city's school system, and Mayor LaGuardia used the opportunity to create the High School of Music & Art. Architecturally, the building blends in with the older gothic revival buildings of the City College campus, designed by architect George B. Post around 1900 to create a setting that came to be known as "the poor man's

Harvard Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...

." Music & Art students and graduates often referred to the building as "The Castle on the hill," a reference to the design of its gothic towers, and the decorative gargoyles done in a quirky and playful style that the Landmarks Commission report describes as "finials in the shape of creatures bearing shields." The tower rooms have dramatic acoustics, which Music & Art used as choral practice rooms. The large gymnasium features large Tudor-arch-shaped windows on two sides that at certain times during the day stream sunlight into the room. The auditorium has excellent acoustics, and features diamond-shaped amber windows that during daylight cast a warm glow on its dark wood interior. The iron ends of the auditorium seats have a casting with an image of the Tudor window arches in the gymnasium. The building won status as a landmark by the

New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission The New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) is the New York City agency charged with administering the city's Landmarks Preservation Law. The LPC is responsible for protecting New York City's architecturally, historically, and cu ...

in 1997. According to the Landmark Commission report, this was not an expensive building for its time, and many of the structural components (like the staircase bracings in the stairwell) were left exposed to save money. Yet much thought went into humanizing the space and creating a good environment for learning, with plenty of natural light and air, expansive collaborative spaces, and much playful decoration thrown in for good measure:

Notable alumni

: Note: anyone who graduated after 1984 is considered a graduate of

Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts, often referred to simply as LaGuardia, is a public high school specializing in teaching visual arts and performing arts, located near Lincoln Center in the Lincoln Square n ...

, not Music & Art *

(1964), radio journalist *

(c. 1940),Esposito, Mike, in Additional , June 16, 2012. comic book artist * Eleanor Antin (1952), artist *

Louis Abolafia Louis Abolafia (February 23, 1941 – October 30, 1995) was an artist, social activist, and folk figure. His candidacy for president of the United States under the Nudist Party on the Hippie 'Love Ticket' various times in the 1960s and onward was ...

(1958), artist, presidential candidate, and countercultural figure *

Stanley Aronowitz Stanley Aronowitz (January 6, 1933 – August 16, 2021) was a professor of sociology, cultural studies, and urban education at the CUNY Graduate Center. He was also a veteran political activist and cultural critic, an advocate for organized labo ...

, academic and activist * Ray Billingsley (c. 1974) — cartoonist, creator of the syndicated comic strip '' Curtis'' *

(c. 1948), animator, illustrator, children's-book author, and cartoonist * Steven Bochco (1961), TV producer & writer * Frank Bolle, cartoonist * Steven Brower (1970), designer and author *

(1958), director * Harriet Camen (1946), ceramics artist *

(1953), singer * Jerome Charyn (1955), novelist * Kvitka Cisyk (1970), singer * Billy Cobham (1962), jazz drummer *

Gil Coggins Gilbert Lloyd "Gil" Coggins (August 23, 1924 – February 15, 2004) was an American jazz pianist. Coggins was born to parents of West Indian heritage.Sal Cuevas Salvador "Sal" Cuevas (1955 – April 9, 2017) was an American salsa bassist known for his association with the Fania All-Stars from 1978 to 1985. Although he also played the upright bass, he was one of the most popular electric bassists in the N ...

(1972), bassist * Kenny Drew, jazz pianist *

(1961), artist * Gloria Davy (1951), operatic soprano *

(1963), speculative fiction writer *

(1940), cartoonist *

Alvin Epstein Alvin Epstein (May 14, 1925 – December 10, 2018) was an American actor and director. He was a founding member of both the American Repertory Theater and Yale Repertory Theatre. He was particularly admired for his performances in the plays of Samu ...

(1943), actor and director * Mike Esposito (c. 1940), comic book artist * Al Feldstein, cartoonist and editor *

Bela Fleck Bela may refer to: Places Asia *Bela Pratapgarh, a town in Pratapgarh District, Uttar Pradesh, India *Bela, a small village near Bhandara, Maharashtra, India *Bela, another name for the biblical city Zoara * Bela, Dang, in Nepal * Bela, Janakpur, ...

(1976) banjo player * Charles Fox (1958) composer * Peter Freeman, multi-instrumentalist, bassist and music composer *

Gerald Fried Gerald Fried (born February 13, 1928) is an American composer, conductor, and oboist known for his film and television scores. He composed music for well-known television series of the 1960s and 70s, including ''Mission: Impossible'', '' Gill ...

, composer, conductor, and oboist * Dave Gantz (c. 1939), cartoonist *

Lenora Garfinkel Lenora Garfinkel (1930 – April 29, 2020) was an American architect, specializing in the design and construction of Jewish ritual buildings. Childhood and education Born Lenora Fay Josephy in 1930 in the Bronx, Garfinkel attended the High Sch ...

(1930-2020), architect * Milton Glaser (1947), designer * Andy González (1968), bassist * Jerry González (1967), bandleader, trumpeter *

Christopher Guest Christopher Haden-Guest, 5th Baron Haden-Guest (born February 5, 1948) is an American-British screenwriter, composer, musician, director, actor, and comedian. Guest is most widely known in Hollywood for having written, directed, and starred in h ...

(~1966), screenwriter, actor, director, composer * Charles GwathmeyBERNSTEIN, FRED A
"Charles Gwathmey, Architect Loyal to Aesthetics of High Modernism, Dies at 71,"
''New York Times'' (AUG. 4, 2009). (1956), architect * Larry Harlow (musician) (1957), pianist, composer * Peter Hyams (1960), director *

(1940), cartoonist * Erica Jong (1959), author *

(1967), illustrator, writer, artist, and designer *

Michael Kamen Michael Arnold Kamen (April 15, 1948 – November 18, 2003) was an American composer (especially of film scores), orchestral arranger, orchestral conductor, songwriter, and session musician. Biography Early life Michael Arnold Kamen was bor ...

(1965), composer *

Susan Kamil Susan Laurie Kamil (September 16, 1949 – September 8, 2019) was the publisher (as of 2018) as well as editor-in-chief of the Random House Publishing Group. Career Susan Kamil was born in Manhattan, where she attended the High School of Music & ...

, book editor and publisher *

(1945), painter and performance artist * Amy A. Kass, educator and anthologist *

Everett Raymond Kinstler Everett Raymond Kinstler (August 5, 1926 – May 26, 2019) was an American artist, whose official portraits include Presidents Gerald Ford and Ronald Reagan.James Howard Kunstler (1966), author, social critic * Harvey Kurtzman (1941), cartoonist, creator of

Mad Magazine Mad, mad, or MAD may refer to: Geography * Mad (village), a village in the Dunajská Streda District of Slovakia * Mád, a village in Hungary * Adolfo Suárez Madrid–Barajas Airport, by IATA airport code * Mad River (disambiguation), several ...

* Paul Lansky (1961), composer *

Michael Lax Michael Lax (1929–1999) was an American industrial designer who created household products for companies such as Copco, Lightolier, Dansk, Salton, Metaal, Mikasa, Tupperware, and American Cyanamid. Several of his best-known products, includin ...

(1947), industrial designer *

(1982), author * Shari Lewis (née Sonia Phyllis Hurwitz) (c. 1951) actress, puppeteer * Hal Linden (1948), actor *

(1962), cartoonist and long-time ''

The New Yorker ''The New Yorker'' is an American weekly magazine featuring journalism, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry. Founded as a weekly in 1925, the magazine is published 47 times annually, with five of these issues ...

'' magazine cartoon editor * Ray Marcano, medical reporter and music critic * William A. Moses, real estate developer * Bess Myerson (1941), actress and politician * Diane Noomin (c. 1964), cartoonist * Lynn Nottage (1982), playwright * Laura Nyro (née Nigro), (1965), singer/songwriter * Frank J. Oteri (1981), composer and music journalist * Brock Peters, actor * Margaret Ponce Israel painter and ceramist * Nancy B. Reich musicologist * Slick Rick (1983), hip-hop musician * Joshua Rifkin (1961), conductor and musicologist * Tony Roberts (1957), actor * Arlen Roth (1969) Guitarist, author, singer *

(1948), designer * Bernard Safran (1939), illustrator, artist * Ed Seeman cartoonist, cinematographer, photographer, abstract artist, movie director * John Severin (1940), cartoonist * Jeremy J. Shapiro (1957), critical theorist *

Joel Shatzky Joel Shatzky (November 30, 1943 – April 3, 2020) was an American writer and literary professor at the State University of New York. Biography Shatzky, who grew up in the Bronx, attended High School of Music & Art. He studied at Queens Colleg ...

(1943- 2020), writer and literary professor * Robert Siegel (1957), architect *

(c. 1947), illustrator and cartoonist * Susan Stamberg (1955), radio journalist *

(1970), musician * Jeremy Steig (1960), improvising flutist * Daniel Stern (1946), writer, musician *

Steve Stiles Stephen Willis Stiles (July 16, 1943 – January 11, 2020) was an American cartoonist and writer, coming out of the science fiction fanzine tradition. He won the 2016 Hugo Award for Best Fan Artist. Early life and education Steven Willis Stil ...

(c. 1960), cartoonist * Susan Strasberg (1956), actress * Beth Ames Swartz, artist * Richard Taruskin (1961), music historian * Dave Valentin (1969), Latin jazz flutist * Daniel Waitzman (1961), flutist and composer * Kenny Washington (1976), jazz musician *

(1955), actor * Peter Yarrow (1955), singer/songwriter * Sherman Yellen (1949) playwright, memoirist *

Kristi Zea Kristina Gwyn Zea (born October 24, 1948) is an American production designer, costume designer, art director, director and producer in film and television. Born and educated in New York City, she discovered she had a talent for design while workin ...

(1966) production designer

References

External links

Website of the Alumni & Friends
of LaGuardia High School of Music & the Arts
1977 New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission Report
on the old High School of Music & Art Building that now houses the A. Philip Randolph Campus High School (pdf-format file).
MyCastleTreasures.com
a tribute to the alumni of the High School of Music and Art {{DEFAULTSORT:High School Of Music and Art, The High School of Music and Art Art schools in New York City Defunct high schools in Manhattan Music schools in New York City Alternative schools in the United States 1936 establishments in New York City * New York City Designated Landmarks in Manhattan