Performing Arts: Beyond the Curriculum

Middle School

As part of our Choral and Instrumental Music curriculum all students learn how to play an instrument or sing in an ensemble – or hone their skills if they are already accomplished musicians. Using orchestra and chorus as a model for collaboration, students learn technique and musicianship skills through practicing and rehearsing a range of repertoire.  In addition, students can further their music education during Afternoon Activities by participating in advanced instrumental ensembles or the musical.

Upper School 

The Upper School offers an eclectic range of instrumental and choral ensembles for students of all levels. Theory and technical skills are woven throughout all courses and applied to each performance. With a focus on ensemble work, students strengthen their music skills while learning to work both as leaders and as productive members of a team. The courses culminate in five concerts throughout the year both on and off campus.  Past off campus venues include Ryles Jazz Club and Berklee College of Music. In the afternoon program, students can participate in the fall band or the musical. 

Theater is a truly collaborative art form in which playwrights, directors, designers, technicians, and performers come together to create something bigger than any one person could generate on their own. Our primary focus is on fostering a love of theater and developing strong collaboration skills and habits of mind while teaching discipline-specific skills and techniques with which to create powerful theatrical experiences.

Middle School

In the Theater Arts Curriculum, students develop an understanding of theater as a collaborative art form and work to create a supportive, trusting, and cooperative ensemble. Through theater games and activities, students learn the importance of communication and problem-solving and grow more confident as collaborators and performers. In the afternoon program, students can elect to take technical theater and audition for our fall play and winter musical, applying the skills learned in class to produce main stage shows.

Upper School 

Theater courses in the Upper School range from technical theater and design to acting to costume design and construction. Focusing on theater as a collaborative art form where designers, playwrights, directors, and performers work together to bring their ideas to fruition, students hone and apply their skills while exploring a range of theatrical genres. The afternoon program complements the curriculum, giving students the ability to participate in three fully-realized productions, either from a technical theater or performance perspective.

Middle School  

Dance is offered as part of the afternoon program in the spring term.  This activity is open to all students, from the novice to the advanced dancer, who are interested in exploring dance through a variety of styles. Students also have the opportunity to dance as part of the musical in the winter. 

Upper School 

In the Choreography Foundations class, students study movement and choreographic tools through the lens of dance. Students interested in composition work will have the opportunity to apply the elements of choreography introduced in class and discover their individual voice as part of their creative process.  In the afternoon program, a dance activity is offered in the winter term and students also have the opportunity to dance as part of the musical in the spring.