About Howard W. Blake Magnet High School of the Arts

Performing, Visual, and Communication Arts

Blake is the only premier high school of the arts in Tampa, FL, offering a rigorous curriculum in both academics and the arts. Our 50 million dollar facility includes a black box theatre, proscenium theatre, professional art gallery, private practice rooms, four art studios, TV-video studio, costume shop, technical theatre scene shop, and three dance studios. All of the fine arts faculty are professional artists, bringing real world experiences and a high level of expertise to the classroom. Students have received hundreds of scholarships to the most prestigious colleges and art institutes including, Julliard, Boston Conservatory ,Ringling, Savannah College of Art and Design, Pratt, Harvard and Stetson, just to name a few. Students achieve high GPAs due to the large number of Honors and AP Classes that are offered. Parents feel connected to the program through the many departmental booster club organizations including Friends of the Arts, a prestigious umbrella organization whose purpose is to support all of the unfunded needs of fourteen major curriculum tracks and to make connections to the community. These major curriculum tracks include: Band, Chorus, Drama, Guitar, Harp, Creative Writing, Dance, Drama, Journalism, Musical Theatre, Orchestra, Piano, TV/ Film, Technical Theatre and Visual Arts.

To belong to this prestigious magnet program, students are required to apply during one of three application periods and are accepted through the audition process. In general, students will showcase their talent either by performing or showing a portfolio of their work. Specific information can be found on the Blake’s website or by viewing the magnet brochure which can be found on the district's website here.

To experience this unique program, prospective students can shadow Blake students on certain dates scheduled throughout the school year. Over fifty student performances take place each year either in the Multiform (Black Box) Theatre or the Proscenium Theatre. Performances are often sold out due to professional quality performances which are open to the public at an affordable price. The fine arts calendar is posted on the school’s website.