Student of the Month June 2023: Roberto Arteaga wins Frank Sinatra audition

Roberto was very musical from the time he was in kindergarten. He was placed in a musical class with second graders when he was only five because he took to the piano so quickly.

Magdali, Robert’s mother, wanted to give Roberto an advantage in his musicianship so she sought out private piano lessons for him. She was recommended Sage Music® by a friend and has found the lessons to be exactly what they were looking for. Roberto enrolled at Sage Music three years ago in 2020.

Magdali told us “We had to stop the in-person lessons because of COVID but we were very grateful because we were able to continue with online piano lessons. We knew that when it came time for high school, it would be very competitive and Roberto would have to audition to be admitted.”

Roberto was determined to attend a performing arts high school in New York. He knew how highly competitive it was and how limited the openings were. Roberto told us that music called to him in a way that other studies just didn’t, and he was determined to get it.

After playing the piano for years, Roberto practiced the piano consistently for many months to prepare specifically for his audition. He worked on the required pieces, but he had difficulty choosing a performance piece for his audition on his own.

Magdali said, “He was struggling and struggling to choose a song because he wanted to play everything” but that the structure of the lessons helped. “Joel (Roberto’s piano teacher at Sage Music) really was a life-saver. Roberto had a chance to express himself and encouragement to play but he was also pushed to focus and reach his potential.”

Roberto said he “couldn’t really play sheet music before” before his lessons at Sage Music but “Joel taught me how to read sheet music and he really inspired me. I was losing motivation to play the piano for a while but the lessons brought it back.”

Roberto finally chose a jazzy composition called “It’s Been a Long, Long Time” for his performance piece and worked on it in his lessons for months. Roberto was very proud to say he was accepted to his first choice high school, Frank Sinatra School of the Arts. Plus he even got a call back from his second choice, the famous Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts.

Roberto began with a passion for music but credits Sage Music School with the structure he needed to succeed at being a musician.

When asked if he has any advice for other students trying to get into a performing arts school, Roberto said to “practice, practice, practice! It may seem difficult at first - for me, it was super difficult - but it wasn’t impossible. I focused, practiced on a regular basis, and I got in so don’t give up.”

We’re proud of you Roberto for working so long and hard to reach your goals! Audition preparation is something that can’t be done in just a few weeks, but takes months of work, and years of practice.

And we are also proud that with Roberto’s success, we maintain our 100% success rate in helping students prepare and win high school music auditions.

Congratulations Roberto, Magdali, Joel and team. We’re so happy to hear of your success and honored to be a part of it.