Catalyst Lab

BVR Catalyst Lab is a hands-on, innovation, and design process centered course that meets on campus for two blocks during the term and guides students to turn ideas into impact. Creative students gain structure and tools to organize their ideas, while analytical students stretch their creative muscles in a dynamic, feedback-rich environment. During the first half of the term, students collaborate with an external community partner to develop ideas that address an authentic, human-centered challenge. This shared project builds core skills in the design thinking process, project management, research, stakeholder engagement, and iterative prototyping. In the second half of the term, students apply those skills more independently to an idea of their choice grounded in a unifying theme and present their work publicly. Co-taught by an R+D team member and a rotating faculty partner—and enriched by outside mentors, speakers, and field trips—the course is intentionally structured to support students who are new to the design process while also challenging more advanced innovators to deepen their craft. There will be a follow-up application process for interested students and it is available for honors credit.

Advanced Sculpture

This course builds off your interests and success from Sculpture  and provides the opportunity to improve in technique. You will deepen your understanding of a chosen process through rigor and self-direction. Exhibiting completed artworks with intention and concept is required. Prerequisites: Sculpture and recommendation from the Visual Arts Department Head.

Advanced Drawing + Painting

If you are committed to drawing or painting and ready to go deeper and work more independently, this class is for you. You will develop a portfolio of works about a particular theme while practicing your technical skills. Researching the subject matter and techniques used by artists throughout history will support your studio practice.  Prerequisites: Drawing + Painting and recommendation from the Visual Arts Department Head.

Advanced Ceramics

This course builds off the foundational skills from Ceramics and provides the opportunity to expand on hand-building and wheel-throwing practices. You will explore your point of view as a ceramicist by creating a portfolio inspired by a theme or chosen process. Research into how and why artists have and continue to use clay as a method of expression and functionality will support your studio practice.  Prerequisites: Ceramics and recommendation from the Visual Arts Department Head.

Ceramics

This course is dedicated to the exploration of how a ball of clay can lead us toward complex ideas and functional objects. Based on hand-building techniques and wheel throwing students will focus on form, structure, making mistakes, and idea development. By exploring the cultural connections of food and community and the rituals they were created for, students will build vessels and tableware for a social gathering. There will be time for students to design their paths as their skills and confidence grow to give them more control over the objects they envision. Prerequisites: 3D or by the recommendation from the Visual Arts Department Head.

Drawing + Painting

Building on your prior knowledge of drawing and painting, you will expand your technical skills and work with new materials in this course. Concepts and subject matter for your work will come from your interests, and you will have the opportunity to design your own studio practice at the end of the term. Regular discussion of The World of Art and Art History will provide context for our work. Critiques, documentation, and presentation will be essential elements of the class, emphasizing process and product. Prerequisites: 2D or by the recommendation from the Visual Arts Department Head.

Student Directed Project – SDP

A Student-Directed Project empowers students to do an in-depth exploration of a topic of interest throughout the term.

The student designs, plans, and leads their research project in collaboration and with the guidance and support of a coach (faculty advisor). It allows students to delve deeper into their passion and to be the designer of their own learning. There is a wide range of Student-Directed Projects; they are multi-disciplinary, non-linear, and most importantly, student-created and led.

That’s what makes them so interesting.

Here are some examples of past projects:

• Creating an architectural model using 3D architectural software
• Through their eyes: Photo and interview series of veterans
• Robosub electromagnetic linear accelerator
• Acoustic pinger for Robosub
• Virtual Reality game for visually-impaired persons
• Creating a concept album
• Dispute: Landlord-tenant board game
• Multimedia journalism: Producing a podcast series
• Perplex: English and Theater Study
• Sensors and fiber optics: Building a fiber optic dress
• Haptic technologies: Force-Feedback Virtual Reality
• Applications of integrals to analytical continuation of functions

Beatmaking and Electronic Music

This course is for students who are interested in creating electronic music and is open to both beginners and those with experience in music production. Through a series of independent projects, students will utilize these tools to create their own beats and express their own artistic vision. In addition to creating their own music, students will gain an understanding of the origins and cultural impact of pivotal electronic music throughout the term including hip-hop and house music. The class will cover various facets of digital music, focusing on recording and editing in Abelton Live, and the science and technology behind electronic music production. Students will also have opportunities to share, discuss, and analyze electronic music that they choose themselves. No music experience is necessary. This course can be taken more than once and at the Honors level with permission from the instructor. One Term Course No prerequisite

Beginning Guitar/Piano

Have you always wanted to learn how to play the guitar or piano? Did you teach yourself how to play a few chords, but want to take the next step? This practical, non-performance-based course is designed for students with little to no previous guitar/piano experience. After choosing to focus on either piano or guitar, essential skills are taught in a fun, supportive setting that allows students to develop at their own pace. The idea is to get you playing right away. Chord-reading and note-reading are taught to both pianists and guitarists so you can work with chord charts or written sheet music. By the end of the course, you will be able to play simple popular pieces, including songs that you choose yourself. This course can be taken more than once. One Term Course No prerequisite

Advanced Costume Design and Construction (Honors)

Advanced Costume is a one-term, process-to-production course designed to prepare students for 2 public performances at Beaver. The course begins by focusing on script analysis and design, and then students work as costume technicians and designers to bring the play to fruition with the Advanced Theater Acting and Advanced Tech Theater and Design classes. Costume roles can include design, draping, construction, craft, and wardrobe. 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 She Kills Monsters and Exit, Pursued by a Bear. One Term Course: Winter Term  Prerequisites: Costume and Fashion Design Studio and permission of the instructor.

Chroma

Chroma is an ensemble for musicians who want to level up their skills and explore music beyond the usual boundaries. From cinematic film scores and anime soundtracks to Radiohead and avant-garde jazz, this group dives into bold, genre-spanning music that challenges and inspires. In Chroma, ensemble members have a real voice in selecting repertoire and shaping interpretations, making the group a creative, inclusive space. Open to all instruments—strings, woodwinds, brass, and rhythm section (piano, guitar, bass, percussion)—Chroma performs intermediate and advanced repertoire through custom arrangements that blend classical foundations with contemporary styles. Students don’t just play the music; they dig into the cultural and historical context behind it and develop their own musical voice along the way. Class time focuses on building strong technique, musicianship, and ensemble skills while integrating music theory, rehearsal strategies, and performance skills. The ensemble performs in required concerts throughout the year, giving students regular opportunities to share their work on stage. Chroma can be taken more than once and may be taken for Honors credit with instructor permission, making it a great option for students who want to push themselves further each year. Weekly private lessons are optional and available on campus for an additional fee, with financial aid applied at the same percentage as tuition. Students interested in taking more than one arts class should connect with the registrar or the Head of Performing Arts to explore scheduling options. Two Term Course Prerequisite: Instrumental Ensemble II, Ikonoclastic or placement audition.

Costume & Fashion Design Studio

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. Students will explore the visual communication, history, and impact of clothing both on the stage and in everyday life, and they will deepen their understanding of the principles of costume and fashion design. Students will also learn the skills and techniques needed to then create their own designs. These techniques may include research, collage, sketching, digital sketching, figure drawing, sewing, draping, pattern making, tailoring, dyeing, distressing, painting, and craft. Students entering this class should be highly motivated and work well independently. 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 Prerequisite Required.