Fine Arts

Eighth Grade Art: This course emphasizes artists and art history as inspirations for art projects. The 8th graders will create two and three dimensional pieces that further develop the elements of art (line, form, color, value, texture, space) and principles of design (balance, variety, harmony, contrast, emphasis). Students will have the opportunity to make personal choices about the creation of their art as well as develop an understanding and appreciation of self and others.

 

Theater

Sixth Grade: Theater is a quarter-long class that meets every day. Through games and unit studies, students will learn how their bodies, voices, and facial expressions convey messages. We will focus on the six elements of drama, vocal expression, storytelling, pantomime, and the role of the backstage crews.

Seventh Grade: Theater is a semester-long class that meets every day. Through games and unit studies, students will learn how their bodies, voices, and facial expressions convey messages. We will focus on plot elements, the history of theater, Shakespeare’s Hamlet, and an in-depth look at the role of the backstage crews.

Eighth Grade: Theater is a semester-long class that meets every day. Through games and unit studies, students will learn how their bodies, voices, and facial expressions convey messages. We will focus on monologues, audition etiquette, characterization, improvisation, script writing, and musical theater.  

Teaching the arts disciplines is essential to developing creativity, synergistic thinking, empathy, expression and the ability to view the world through multiple perspectives. Whether students are learning individual skills or are applying skills to enhance a collaborative ensemble, the arts demand perseverance, diligence, flexible thinking and innovation. The 21st century, conceptual age requires people who are dynamic, multi-disciplined, global thinkers which are the fundamental benefits of a comprehensive arts education.

 

Music is an art form whose medium is sound and silence. Its common elements are pitch (which governs melody and harmony), rhythm (and its associated concepts tempo, meter, and articulation), dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture. The word derives from Greek μουσική (mousike; "art of the Muses"). The creation, performance, significance, and even the definition of music vary according to culture and social context. Music ranges from strictly organized compositions (and their recreation in performance), through improvisational music to aleatoric forms. Music can be divided into genres and subgenres, although the dividing lines and relationships between music genres are often subtle, sometimes open to personal interpretation, and occasionally controversial. Within the arts, music may be classified as a performing art, a fine art, and auditory art. It may also be divided among art music and folk music. There is also a strong connection between music and mathematics. Music may be played and heard live, may be part of a dramatic work or film, or may be recorded.