The teenage former president Ferdinand E. Marcos dreamed of a society deserving of the Filipino people’s legacy and longed for a people born to greatness in the middle of the Mt. Makiling Forest. As a result, the National Arts Center (NAC), located atop Mount Makiling, was designed as a memorial to Filipino artists during his administration. The NAC continues to develop as a training ground for students with an interest in the arts and was officially named the official home of the Philippine High School for the Arts (PHSA) on June 11, 1977. Likewise, it seeks to explore methods of instruction with a focus on the creative arts.
The PHSA offers a basic secondary curriculum that is combined with an arts-specific curriculum. It seeks to produce cultural leaders for the dynamic evolution of Philippine arts and culture and environmental protection. It strives hard to develop the potential of its rising arts scholars as future cultural leaders with a patriotic perspective and is dedicated to the preservation and development of the creative and cultural traditions of the Philippines.
The Department of Education (DepEd) currently houses the PHSA. It seeks guidance from the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) regarding the execution of arts-related policies and programs. Five art-related specialized programs are available at the institution: theater arts, creative writing, visual arts, dance, and music. In addition to offering specialized arts programs, PHSA follows DepEd guidelines for general education curricula.
The PHSA gives its students opportunities for cultural awareness in addition to academic and creative instruction, which will help them grow as artists for society. These young artists acquire an attitude of independence balanced with a spirit of cooperation as they produce art together, shaped by their experience living away from home and integrating with peers in this unique residential high school. Interaction sessions between local and foreign artists and the academics of the PHSA are held regularly to reinforce the artists’ commitment to promoting national understanding via art and cultural education. Unwavering in its conviction that artists are essential to the growth of a nation, the PHSA consistently develops new initiatives that directly tackle the educational, social-emotional, cultural, and economic realities of the nation.
Programs and Services
The programs and services of the Philippine High School for the Arts (PHSA) are listed below:
Curriculum
Basic Education
The PHSA K–12 curriculum includes the Basic Education subjects that have been mandated by the DepEd. To help promote specialized studies for artistic expressions in the Art disciplines, these subjects are addressed uniquely.
Art Education
Aside from the Basic Education subjects that the DepEd has prescribed, the PHSA offers a unique arts curriculum.
- Theater Arts – It covers theater and performance skills, acting, directing, ensemble building, technical theater, stage and production management, musical theater, and modifying performances.
- Creative Writing – It includes writing for theater, film, and graphic novels alongside creative non-fiction, poetry, and seminars on topics related to modern culture.
- Visual Arts – It encompasses studio painting, materials and techniques, visual perception, appreciation of art, and film cinematography.
- Dance – It covers the fundamental rhythms and steps of dance, choreography and composition, dance notation and interpretation, modern and contemporary dance, dance production and research, music and instrumentation from the Philippines, basic production design, and production management.
- Music – It is a foreign language course that covers applied music (voice, instrument), music theory, choir, classical music, literature, and large ensemble jazz.
Scholarship
Test and Audition
Youngsters with creative talent are welcome to apply for the government-run PHSA. Future artists and cultural leaders are trained and developed through the use of a unique secondary education curriculum.
The PHSA assesses and awards scholarships to artistically gifted youngsters across the nation through the Annual Nationwide Search for Young Arts Scholars (ANSYAS), an annual screening of incoming Grade 7 applicants. Under the guidance of audition masters, applicants undergo an examination and audition process to evaluate their academic standing, aptitude, and abilities.
The selected applicant receives a monthly stipend, master teachers for classes, free tuition, board, and housing (except on weekends), and the opportunity to represent their school and nation in international festivals, contests, and exchange programs. As long as the academic and extracurricular requirements are met, the scholarship award is renewable annually for a maximum of six (6) academic years.
The following criteria must be met to be eligible for a scholarship: the applicant must be a citizen of the Philippines, have no pending applications for immigration to any other country, be enrolled in Grade 6 at the time of application, not be older than thirteen (13) years old when the scholarship is awarded, pass the interview and audition, and be in good physical and mental health.
Scholarship Application Form: http://www.phsa.edu.ph/images/docs/application_form_for_scholarship.pdf
Gender and Development Program (GAD)
The Gender and Development Program (GAD) is defined by the Magna Carta of Women (Republic Act No. 9710) as a development perspective and process that is equitable, sustainable, violence-free, respectful of human rights, encouraging self-determination, and actualization of human potential. As a core value that should be represented in development decisions, it aims to establish gender equality and asserts that women are active developers as well as passive consumers of development.
By influencing the process and results of policy-making, planning, budgeting, implementation and monitoring, and evaluation, GAD aims to equalize the status, conditions, and relationships between women and men by bringing gender issues and concerns that impede women’s full development to the forefront of these processes.
Video: Journey to passing Philippine Highschool for the Arts (PHSA) 2021
Scholarships are offered by Philippine High School for The Arts (PHSA) to individuals who are enthusiastic about the arts. Watch Julianna Santos’s journey to passing the PHSA.
Contact Information
Website: http://www.phsa.edu.ph/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/phsa.edu/
Contact Number: (049) 572-2974 / (049) 572-2973
Email Address: phsafoi@gmail.com