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New Iowa City performing arts school pushing dreams
Iowa Conservatory sees 10 students, high spirits in boarding school’s first year
Jan. 1, 2024 5:30 am, Updated: Jan. 3, 2024 7:40 am
IOWA CITY — Students in the inaugural year at Iowa Conservatory — a performing arts boarding school in Iowa City — are bringing energy to the program that is exceeding the expectations of the school’s founder Leslie Nolte.
“The students who have found us this year — which I think was a risk for many of them because we are not proven — have a place where they are seen and heard in their craft,” Nolte said. “All the time, energy, thought, work and money, and every time I thought ‘Is this school a good idea?’ — this is our first example, 100 percent yes.”.
Ten students enrolled at Iowa Conservatory, which opened in August. Nolte had hoped for 40 students the first year, but she’s far from deterred.
“We’re beautifully anxious, waiting to grow,” Nolte said. “What this small, inaugural class has offered us is time to set in stone the curriculum and how we work together as a new team. The way it worked out, although a surprise, I believe was better. I don’t know if we would have been as ready year one for 100 students.”
One way the school can prove itself is by current seniors in the program being placed in their “top chosen (college) programs,” Nolte said. “The signs are looking like they all will be very pleased with the schools they end up choosing.”
The Iowa Conservatory, at 123 N. Linn St, is the first performing arts high schools to open in Iowa. Nolte already has made a name for herself as a performing arts educator with Nolte Academy, a dance school in Coralville. The performing arts boarding school has been a dream of Nolte’s for more than a decade.
School helps students get into college of their choice
Londyn Kirol, 16, a senior at Iowa Conservatory, said the program is “everything I wanted it to be and more.” Only four months into the school year, Kirol said she now has a “why” behind her desire to be a performer.
“I don’t just want to perform,” she said. “So many people will say, ‘What’s your backup plan in case musical theater doesn’t work out?’ My plan ‘B’ is my plan ‘A.’ This experience has taught me to stick to my dreams. Ultimately, there’s so many people who never got to do that. I’m doing it for all of them.”
Kirol, who is from New Jersey, said although the student body is a lot smaller than what she was expecting, the students have “such a close bond.”
Students like Kirol who board at Iowa Conservatory — also known as ICON — get more than 25 hours a week of private and small group coaching sessions and coursework in the arts.
To continue their academic education, students can enroll in the Iowa City Community School District’s online school. A learning coach is available in-person to help students progress through academic coursework.
Kirol also is taking dual-credit classes at Kirkwood Community College.
“I can’t fall behind in my schoolwork because then I’ll fall behind in my artistic work,” Kirol said.
Kirol has applied to 46 colleges “and counting,” she said. “It’s so competitive, the chances are you only get into five.”
Kirol, however, already has several offers from colleges of her choice, opportunities she doesn’t think she would have had by December of her senior year if not for Iowa Conservatory, where her teachers have helped her with her college applications and in-person and taped auditions.
“I didn’t think I had what it takes, and they’ve convinced me and given me the confidence to realize that I do. I’m incredibly grateful for that,” Kirol said.
What next?
Nolte projects the school having up to 45 students enrolled next year and 75 students by year three.
“My investors are being patient right alongside me,” she said. “We do have to reach our numbers eventually.”
Students in the Iowa City area can enroll in the conservatory’s commuter program, designed for students who want to take academic classes in their home district and attend arts education classes at the conservatory in the afternoon.
Another option is ICON’s “gap year” experience, designed for students wanting to take another year to prepare for college or their career.
Tuition is $22,000 a year; $11,000 a semester for an ICON gap year; and $3,600 a trimester for ICON commuters. Out-of-state residents pay an additional $7,635 in academic tuition for the Iowa City school district’s online program.
Avery Slaubaugh, 18, a senior at Mid-Prairie High School, is enrolled in Iowa Conservatory part-time and is commuting. She was recruited to the school after impressing staff members as Anna in the musical “Frozen” presented by the Coralville Center for the Performing Arts in June.
The Iowa Conservatory, Slaubaugh said, feels like a place where she can be “creative every day” and where her “abilities are celebrated.”
Comments: (319) 398-8411; grace.king@thegazette.com
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