Design & Tech Studio

Design & Tech Studio is a course for students interested in Technical Theater and/or Theatrical Design. Drawing from many disciplines and utilizing a variety of skills and technology, students will learn to research and communicate their ideas through a series of student-driven individual projects and mainstage shows, allowing them to learn and utilize design and production tools as well as carpentry, scenic painting, props, lighting, and sound. Students will explore how theater artists use these tools for creative problem solving and to communicate with audience members. The successful student would gain an understanding of shop and theater safe working practices, basic construction skills, knowledge of lighting and sound instrumentation and rigging, as well as how communication, planning, and collaboration are central to the health of a theater production. This course can be taken more than once and at the Honors level with permission from the instructor. Students interested in taking more than one art class should reach out to the registrar or the Head of Performing Arts to discuss possible options. Three Term Course No Prerequisites.

Instrumental Ensemble II

The Instrumental Ensemble II course builds on and further develops the skills introduced in Instrumental Ensemble I. This ensemble is open to all instruments including strings, woodwinds, brass, and rhythm section (piano, guitar, bass, percussion). Students will study and play a wide range of repertoire with a focus on building technical skills while exploring the cultural and historical context of the repertoire. This course utilizes components from the classical music traditions and contemporary styles from blues to rock and pop as vehicles to develop students’ technique and creative processes. Class material will integrate music theory, instrumental technique, rehearsal/performance skills, and improvisation skills. The ensemble will perform in formal mandatory concerts throughout the year. Weekly individual instrumental lessons are not required but are available on campus to students for an additional fee. Students who are on financial aid at Beaver have the same percentage of aid applied to private lessons. Students interested in taking more than one art class should reach out to the registrar or the Head of Performing Arts to discuss possible options. Two Term Course Prerequisite: Instrumental Ensemble I, Ikonoclastic or placement audition

B-Side A Cappella

B-Side A Cappella is a vocal group open to everyone—from beginners to experienced singers—with the option to take the class for honors credit. In a cappella music, everything you hear is made using only the human voice—no instruments—through harmony, vocal technique, and beatboxing-style vocal percussion. In B-Side, students rehearse and perform contemporary pop songs while building confidence, musicianship, and strong ensemble skills. Building on A Cappella Foundations, students will learn how to arrange music for voices, experiment with improvisation, and explore how a cappella fits into broader cultural and musical traditions. Rehearsals emphasize collaboration, creativity, and independence, with frequent opportunities to work in small groups and take on leadership roles during weekly rehearsals. B-Side performs in one public concert each term, giving students regular opportunities to share their work with an audience. This course may be taken more than once. Weekly private voice lessons are not required, but are available on campus for an additional fee. Students receiving financial aid at Beaver will have the same percentage of aid applied to private music lessons. Students interested in enrolling in more than one arts course should contact the registrar or the Head of Performing Arts to explore scheduling options. Two Term Course. Can be taken for 1 Term only if in conjunction with A Cappella Foundations. Prerequisite: Any Upper School choral ensemble or permission of the instructor.

Ikonoclastic

Ikonoclastic is an instrumental ensemble for students who identify as female or non-binary. All instruments are welcome—strings, woodwinds, brass, and rhythm section (piano, guitar, bass, percussion). In Ikonoclastic, ensemble members have a real voice in selecting repertoire and shaping interpretations, making the group a creative, inclusive space. Students perform a wide range of contemporary music while strengthening your technique, confidence, and ensemble skills, and you’ll explore the cultural and historical context behind what you play. Past repertoire includes music by Fleetwood Mac, Sade, Tracy Chapman, Train, Ray Charles, Brittany Spears, and Taylor Swift, as well as genres such as tango and bossa nova. Class time blends playing and creating with learning the “why” behind the music, including music theory, instrumental technique, rehearsal strategies, performance skills, and improvisation. The ensemble performs in required concerts throughout the year, giving students regular opportunities to perform for an audience. Students should be able to play their instrument independently and have at least one year of private lessons and/or ensemble experience. New Beaver students will connect with a faculty member before the school year begins to ensure the best ensemble placement. Private instrumental lessons are optional and available on campus for an additional fee, with financial aid applied at the same percentage as tuition. Interested in taking more than one arts class? Reach out to the registrar or the Head of Performing Arts to explore your options. Three Term Course Prerequisite: One year experience with private lessons and/or ensemble experience.

Jazz Combo

This course offers instrumentalists an in-depth study of jazz performance. This ensemble is open to all instruments including strings, woodwinds, brass, and rhythm section (piano, guitar, bass, percussion). While playing a range of jazz repertoire, students will apply theory and learn strategies for interpreting and soloing over standard jazz chord changes. They will develop skills with swing phrasing, articulation, sight-reading, and idiomatic ensemble traditions. Rhythm section instrumentalists (piano, guitar, bass, and drums) will learn how to independently develop a range of instrument-specific parts for standard jazz repertoire. Students will build jazz vocabulary and develop their own voices as improvisers. The ensemble will perform their work in mandatory concerts throughout the year. Weekly individual instrumental lessons are not required but are available on campus to students for an additional fee. Students who are on financial aid at Beaver have the same percentage of aid applied to private lessons. This course can be taken more than once and at the Honors level with permission from the instructor. Students interested in taking more than one art class should reach out to the registrar or the Head of Performing Arts to discuss possible options. Two Term Course Prerequisite: Instrumental Ensemble II, Ikonoclastic or placement audition.

Instrumental Ensemble I

Instrumental Ensemble I is open to all instruments including strings, woodwinds, brass and rhythm section (piano, guitar, bass, percussion). This performing arts course strives to build a strong foundation for the student musician. Students will study and play a wide range of repertoire with a focus on building technical skills while exploring the cultural and historical context of the repertoire. This course utilizes components from the classical music traditions and contemporary styles from blues to rock and pop as vehicles to develop students’ technique and creative processes. Class material will integrate music theory, instrumental technique, rehearsal/performance skills, and improvisation skills. The ensemble will perform in formal mandatory concerts throughout the year. Students should be capable of playing their instrument independently with at least one full year of private lessons and/or ensemble experience. Students who are new to Beaver will be contacted by a faculty member prior to the beginning of the school year to ensure proper ensemble placement. Weekly individual instrumental lessons are not required, but are available on campus to students for an additional fee. Students who are on financial aid at Beaver have the same percentage of aid applied to private lessons. Students interested in taking more than one art class should reach out to the registrar or the Head of Performing Arts to discuss possible options. Two Term Course Prerequisite: One year experience with private lessons and/or ensemble experience.

Select Singers (Honors)

Select Singers is an all-year Honors vocal ensemble for experienced singers which performs choral music from across a wide variety of traditions, time periods, and places across the globe. Select Singers aims to advance vocal technique, ensemble skills, and individual musicianship through study and performance of a wide variety of choral repertoire. Students will work in a variety of smaller groups within the ensemble in both sight-reading exercises and sectional rehearsals. Students should be highly motivated and committed to learning music at an accelerated pace and be prepared to sing for public concerts in smaller ensembles. Select Singers will perform in concerts at the end of each term. This course can be taken more than once. Weekly individual voice lessons are not required but are available on campus to students for an additional fee. Students who are on financial aid at Beaver have the same percentage of aid applied to their private music lessons. Students interested in taking more than one art class should reach out to the registrar or the Head of Performing Arts to discuss possible options. Three Term Course - E Block Prerequisite: Audition

Advanced Theater (Honors)

Advanced Theater is a one-term, process-to-production course designed to prepare students for two public performances at Beaver. The course begins by focusing on script analysis and character development and then students engage in the rehearsal process to bring the play to fruition with the Advanced Design & Tech and Advanced Costume design classes. Acting roles are open to seniors who have completed all prerequisites. Students entering this class should be highly motivated and interested in an intense and exciting experience that requires a great deal of commitment. This course involves two weeks of rehearsal outside of the regular school day at the end of the process so that the play can be performed in its entirety while adding technical elements and costumes. Recent productions include The Shape of Things, Durango, The Wooden Heart, She Kills Monsters, What I Did Last Summer, Humpty Dumpty, and Blight. One Term Course: Winter Term  Prerequisites: Acting: Scene Study or permission of the instructor.

Actors’ Showcase

This workshop is designed for the enthusiastic actor developing their craft. It will focus on audition material for college and theater opportunities beyond Beaver. The course will give students an opportunity to prepare audition monologues as well as explore dramatic structure and topical themes through contemporary scene work. This course is for both the dedicated and independent drama student and students that wish to explore theater for the first time. This course will culminate in a showcase for an audience at the end of the term. One Term Course: Fall Term  No Prerequisites.

Scene Study

Scene Study continues to support the actor’s process through warm-up exercises, rehearsal techniques, and games; but the focus is on applying techniques to scene work from scripted plays. While studying each play, students dig into the material by researching the time period, playwrights, and other important aspects of dramaturgy that place the play in the historical and cultural context of the time it was written in. We then bridge that context with the current world we live in. Also, through group discussion, the class studies the dramatic structure of each play by identifying the protagonist, climax, and other important elements that create the structure of each play. In Term I, students explore different characters while collaborating closely with other students as actors. After further training in scene work and directing, students can also choose to both direct scenes and act during Term 2. They also continue to analyze dramatic scenes from multiple perspectives. Authors studied may include Lorraine Hansberry, Arthur Miller, and John Patrick Shanley. Students interested in taking more than one art class should reach out to the registrar or the Head of Performing Arts to discuss possible options. Two Term Course Prerequisite: Intermediate Acting or permission of instructor.

Intermediate Acting

Intermediate Acting continues the actor’s process through ensemble building, rehearsal techniques and games, improvisation, and scene work. Students learn to discover their inner resources and use them to inform their acting work. Students’ work will focus on actions and objectives, status, subtext, and character analysis and creation. Individual and group exercises culminate in scene work from comic and dramatic plays. Students interested in taking more than one art class should reach out to the registrar or the Head of Performing Arts to discuss possible options. Two Term Course Prerequisite: Foundations of Theater or permission of instructor 

Foundations of Theater

In this introductory course, students will begin the year working on developing the actor’s process through warm-up exercises, rehearsal techniques and games, improvisation and scene work. Students will learn about specific script analysis tools and the design and production aspects of theater. Practical hands-on stagecraft is taught in the various theaters and theater-related spaces such as the scene shop and control booth. This course meets with the Foundations of Design/Tech Theater class, and it is meant to give students an overview of the major components of theater including acting, technical theater, public speaking, script analysis, improvisation and theater games. Students interested in taking more than one art class should reach out to the registrar or the Head of Performing Arts to discuss possible options. Two Term Course This course is a prerequisite for students entering the Upper School Theater Program.