Theater
Lower Division
Students in elementary grades enjoy after-school drama classes, which include Fairytale Puppetry for Nursery and Kindergarten and Improv Comedy Blitz for 1st-3rd grades. Each course focuses on growing students’ abilities as physical storytellers, listeners, and collaborators. In each course, students will create original short works inspired by games, improvisations, and craft projects. Coursework incorporates object mime and clowning exercises to specify physical gestures and storytelling.
In 5th and 6th grade, performing and vocal arts are co-taught with music. Students create an original play inspired by their academic work and themes of wellness, joy, and community. 5th and 6th graders focus on the fusion of artistic disciplines and student projects made in collaboration with music and art. The curriculum includes acting, improvisation, and puppetry as well as playwriting, allowing students to collaboratively create fun original works and share them with their peers. Across all grades, students learn cooperation, team building, storytelling, and performance techniques while improving cognitive, emotional, and social skills.
Upper Division
Students in 7th and 8th grades focus on the creative process, devising collaborative work from classroom texts and topics as well as their interests. Students will create short plays, songs, movement pieces, and solo performances. Students will write, direct, design, and act in an array of works made in collaboration with their peers.
Students in 9th -12th grades will explore a diverse array of performing traditions, with an emphasis on the body and voice as a multi-faceted acting instrument. Coursework will include contemporary and classical scene study and may also include puppetry, mask, costume design, and site-specific theater.
Across grades, work will also integrate new media into the theatrical process, exploring the ways that technology, including video, audio, and interactive media, can be used to complement theatrical storytelling. Ultimately, students will begin to answer the complicated question of what theater looks like in the 21st Century and how the hybrid art forms birthed during the pandemic might evolve in the next several years.
Visual Arts
Lower Division
In our Lower Division Visual Arts program, students from grades K-4 explore a variety of artistic techniques and mediums. This program emphasizes creativity, self-expression, and the fundamental skills necessary for artistic development. Through engaging projects and hands-on activities, young artists discover their own voices and learn to appreciate the beauty in various forms of art.
Key Highlights:
- Introduction to Artistic Mediums: Students experiment with drawing, painting, sculpting, and mixed media to understand different techniques and materials.
- Artistic Expression: Emphasis on personal creativity and self-expression through guided projects that encourage imagination and originality.
- Cultural Appreciation: Exploration of art from different cultures and historical periods to broaden students’ understanding of global artistic traditions.
- Art Exhibitions: Opportunities for students to showcase their work in school-wide art shows and exhibitions.
Upper Division
The Upper Division Visual Arts program for grades 5-12 provides students with advanced artistic training and opportunities to refine their skills in various art forms. With a focus on both traditional and contemporary techniques, students develop a deeper understanding of artistic concepts and gain the skills needed to pursue art at a higher level, whether for personal enrichment or future academic and career aspirations.
Key Highlights:
- Advanced Techniques: Instruction in advanced drawing, painting, digital art, and sculpture, allowing students to master more complex skills and techniques.
- Portfolio Development: Guidance on creating a professional portfolio, including both personal and academic projects, to prepare for college applications or art careers.
- Artistic Exploration: Encouragement to explore and develop individual artistic styles and interests through independent and guided projects.
- Exhibition Opportunities: Participation in local and regional art exhibitions, including collaborative projects with other schools and community art events.
Music
Lower Division: Music Exploration
Our Lower Division Music program for grades K-4 introduces young students to the fundamentals of music through interactive and engaging experiences. Children explore rhythm, melody, and harmony using a variety of instruments and vocal activities. This program aims to foster a love for music and build foundational skills in a fun and supportive environment.
7th & 8th Grade Music Elective
Students will learn about music and other aspects of the culture of many non-Western societies in this semester-long course. They will also gain insight into how these cultures influenced American and British popular styles. Students will have the opportunity to actively experience the music by playing guitars, bucket drums, and other instruments in Garden’s new music lab.
7th & 8th Grade Advanced Topics: Audio/Visual Projects
In this creativity-centered course, students will learn some photography basics before embarking on multiple projects combining their own still images, video, and sound.
9th – 12th Grade Music Elective
Students have the opportunity to engage their creative impulses in this semester-long course on electronic music composition. They will create music using recordings of sounds of nature and common objects, electronic instruments, and audio editors while simultaneously being introduced to what others have done in producing music through electronic means.
