Arts (Visual Art / Drama / Music)
Through music, art, and drama, students both shape and respond to what they are learning. In regularly scheduled arts-related classes with adults who are practicing artists, our students explore and create.
The art curriculum is designed to develop precision and technique through the exploration of different media, with students pondering the questions “What is your favorite media and why? To explore cultures other than their own, students will experiment with sculpture to create masks. Students will also explore color through the use of collage and will use a sketchbook for personal research. The new ISFA campus has well-equipped studios for drawing, painting, printmaking, ceramics, sculpture, fiber arts, and other activities.
Music falls into three disciplinary areas: Performance, Composition, and Listening. Our music program helps build a sense of community through its role in regular school assemblies, festivals and concerts. While singing is the foundation of musical experiences in classes and signing assemblies, the program also incorporates movement, listening, playing instruments, reading and writing notation. Often classes present a musical play related to their core subject or thematic study.
Drama & Theater
The drama curriculum is designed to take into consideration the personality and development of each student while complementing the academic program being taught in other classes. The course includes an array of dramatic exercises which allow students to become conscious of using their bodies for expressing feelings; no joy without breath, no sadness without participation of the body, etc. The course strives to give an overview and appreciation for the great moments in the history of theater. Students will also be devoted to the production of a play to be performed in the spring. With the coordination of their music and theater teachers, students create all elements of the performance, from the acting of the play to the sets, costumes, make-up, lighting, box office, publicity, and volunteer teams. It is a group effort for the teachers and students alike.
Visiting Artist Program
We are raising a specially endowed Visiting Artist Fund so that we can invite a range of professional artists to work side-by-side with our students. Some artists would be in residence for one or two weeks; others may perform at an assembly and then offer workshops. The objective is to stimulate our students by exposing them to diverse artistic talents in an up-close, personal way.