Performing Arts

Middle School

Our Middle School performing arts program encourages risk-taking, experiment and exploration. It scaffolds student learning throughout the sixth and seventh grade, building confidence and skills in all areas.

6th Grade:
In the sixth grade we emphasize risk taking and confidence building, whether that be an improvised mime, an original musical composition, or an expressive dance piece. Highlights of the year include a winter arts event that showcases collaborative work with creations highlighted from both the visual and the performing arts. The "Festival of Antiquity,” a one day interdisciplinary celebration of the ancient world, is presented in the spring and also highlights artwork and staged pieces created and performed by the students.

7th Grade:
Seventh grade performing arts continue with collaborative projects that celebrate diversity and build skills. Students learn world dance styles, sing in three part harmony while studying languages and musical styles from around the world and develop voice, movement and acting skills.

8th Grade:
The eighth grade offers choices (one arts elective each semester) to focus on a particular medium or theme. Classes offered aim to promote the development of personal skills in choreography, original one act theater, digital moviemaking and chorus.

Musical Production
Middle School performers also have the opportunity to participate in a large, full-scale musical production. Any student who wishes to perform is given a role in the show, which is performed with sets, costumes and live music on our Chapel Theater stage.

Upper School

Upper School performing arts focuses on collaborative creation along with a broad view of theatrical, musical and choreographic traditions from around the globe.

9th Grade
All ninth graders take a year-long study called Core Arts. Here, students study dance, drama, music, arts, photography, film and design. Taught by teachers in all of the arts disciplines, the course is a lively combination of academic and studio approaches to learning and increase students understanding of the arts in diverse cultures. It also connects to work created in other academic disciplines in the ninth grade. The art and design section provides students with the knowledge and tools to analyze and interpret historical and contemporary visual images and utilize them as a means of understanding the cultures and communities in which they occur.

Arts Electives
After ninth grade, students are required to choose a one-year arts elective chosen from a large selection of either visual OR performing arts. While there is only a one-year requirement, many students opt for more than one course during their time in High School.

Most of our performing arts classes are project-based and provide students with the opportunity and support to create original work.

Classes offered include: Dance, Film, Drama, Chorus & Honor Choir. An example of one of our performing arts courses:

Chorus is a year-long course which explores a variety of songs from the choral canon. Beginning with madrigals from the Renaissance and following through to present day, students build on their work in Core Arts as they sing works from different eras, cultures and styles. Incorporated into each lesson is the building of skills to enable the singers to develop a foundation in theory and sight singing. The choir has an opportunity to perform on campus at least twice a year for our winter and spring concerts, and many times in the community as we practice service learning at local senior and community centers. There is also encouragement to participate in the annual ACDA Honor Choir for which singers are chosen from schools around the country. Our students have been well represented in years past.

Theatrical Productions
Two full-scale extra-curricular theatrical productions; a play and a musical are mounted each year. Recent performances have been Twelfth Night, The House of Bernarda Alba, Lysistrata, Kiss Me Kate and Grease.

More:  Orchestra