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Duke Ellington School for the Arts in the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. The building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

The Duke Ellington School of the Arts [1] is a high school located in Washington, D.C. dedicated to arts education. One of the high schools of the District of Columbia Public School system, it is named for the American jazz bandleader and composer Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington (1899–1974), himself a native of Washington, D.C.

Graduates of the school earn both an artistic and academic diploma. In addition to completing the traditional public school curriculum, students must audition for and complete studies in one of the following artistic areas: dance, literary media, museum studies, instrumental music, vocal music, theater, and visual arts.

The school developed from the collaborative efforts of Peggy Cooper Cafritz, long-time a member of the D.C. School Board of DCPS and Mike Malone, a veteran of Broadway, off-Broadway, and classical dancer, who were co-founders of Workshops for Careers in the Arts in 1968. In 1974 this workshop program developed into the Duke Ellington School of the Arts at Western High School, an accredited four-year public high school program combining arts and academics.

[edit] Students and faculty

Ellington currently serves approximately 500 students in grades 9-12. The academic faculty is fully credentialed and includes seven Fulbright Scholars, award-winning writers and musicians, various Ph.D's, and DCPS's only National Board Certified Teacher (NBCT) in Young Adulthood English/Language Arts.

[edit] Academics

Ranked as one of D. C. Public Schools' top high schools, Ellington's curriculum requires students earn 34% more credits than those at other D. C. public high schools. Students must maintain a minimum grade point average in both academics and the arts to be permitted to perform and, ultimately, to stay enrolled at Ellington. The school has a 99% on-time graduation rate.

[edit] Arts

Ellington is the place for aspiring young artists to refine their skills in one of eight pre-professional disciplines, including Dance, Literary Media, Museum Studies, Instrumental or Vocal Music, Theater, Technical Theater, and Visual Arts.

One of the many things the school is recognized for is the world renowned Duke Ellington Show Choir. This choir has traveled to Europe, the Virgin Islands, Asia, Hawaii, and throughout the U.S. The show choir has won numerous awards for their performances. The creator of this choir is Samuel L. E. Bonds, a well known man of music who studied with Todd Duncan. He also is the director of the Duke Ellington Concert Choir, which consists of all voice majors at the high school grades 10-12. The show choir performs all types of music including Broadway, Gospel, Opera, Jazz, R&B, and much more. This choir is very famous for their production of Amahl and the Night Visitors, which they perform every year around Christmas.

The Show Choir allows great talented students to stand out solo wise. The students of the show choir have a grade point average of 2.8 and above. Though they have very hectic schedules, they still manage to stay on top of their academics. This choir has performed at the White House for President Bill Clinton, and President George W. Bush. They performed for Mayor Adrian Fenty's inauguration. They have also shared the stage with people such as Clay Aiken, Patti LaBelle, Jasmine Guy, Patti Austin, Beyonce Knowles, Boyz II Men, and Denyce Graves. They have performed at Carnegie Hall and the Kennedy Center and continue to choir perform year round, most recently at the We Are One Inaguratioin concert. They perform for churches and many other organizations. They sang The Star Spangled Banner for the opening of the Washington Nationals first baseball game. Ellington's Show Choir has been growing strong since 1986.

[edit] College acceptance

Over 95% of Ellington graduates are accepted into universities and conservatories each year. Ellington alum have studied at Howard University, Yale University, New York University, Harvard University, The Juilliard School, Parsons School of Design, Pratt Institute, Berklee College of Music, and among other institutions.

[edit] Application process

In order to be admitted into Ellington, students must complete an admissions application, audition before a panel, provide academic and attendance records, two letters of recommendations and complete an interview.

[edit] Famous alumni

• Dave Chappelle, comedian
• Michaela Angela Davis, Essence (magazine) Executive Fashion & Beauty Editor, writer, author, commentator, and speaker
• Johnny Gill, R&B singer and member of New Edition (b. 1963)
• Denyce Graves, opera singer
• Meshell Ndegeocello, singer (b. 1968)
• Wallace Roney, jazz trumpeter
• Lamman Rucker, actor
• Tony Terry, R&B singer
• Mary Timony, indie rock musician (b. 1970)

[edit] External links

• Duke Ellington School of the Arts official website
• Duke Ellington School of the Arts official Alumni website

[edit] See also

• Duke Ellington