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THE ARTS
Writing about art, music, and drama is almost an oxymoron.<br />
The arts are meant to be seen, listened to, or performed. Some<br />
might say that Paideia is an “artsy school” because so many<br />
junior high and high school students are actively engaged in<br />
the arts. However, an even a higher percentage of students<br />
take social studies, and we are not known as a “history school.”<br />
The real reason for this reputation is that those students who<br />
paint, sing, or act have long evidenced a passion, nurtured by<br />
great teachers, for the chance to do what they do in a public<br />
setting.<br />
Linoleum block print by Bronwyn Katz
Each of the 18 teachers in Paideia’s arts program brings<br />
his or her style and expertise to the classroom. In the high<br />
school, students take arts courses in both the long terms<br />
and the short terms. Some courses are better suited for<br />
the expanded class times during short term; others fit quite<br />
nicely into a 50-minute slot. Many courses are offered every<br />
year and others rotate to increase the variety of choices<br />
available to students.<br />
One does not major in any area in high school, but some<br />
students squeeze in so many arts courses that it almost<br />
looks like a major. In music, most stay with either chorus,<br />
band, or orchestra all four years. Visual artists sample<br />
courses in different media.
Drama is available both within the course<br />
structure and in afterschool productions. In<br />
the high school there is a student-run musical<br />
at the beginning of the year, an elaborate<br />
musical every January, and several serious<br />
dramatic productions with smaller casts<br />
throughout the year. There are opportunities<br />
for junior high students to become involved in<br />
dramatic productions from writing to acting<br />
to tech crew. The junior high musical, a long<br />
tradition at Paideia, takes place in the spring<br />
and other junior high-wide and classroom<br />
plays occur throughout the year.<br />
Many Paideia alums have pursued successful<br />
careers in the arts. There are screenwriters,<br />
film makers, comedy writers, artists,<br />
photographers, musicians classical and rock,<br />
and even a stand-up comedian or two. Most<br />
graduates do not earn their living in the arts,<br />
but instead make the arts a constant part<br />
of their adult life. Almost all say that their<br />
Paideia arts experience was transformative.
HIGH SCHOOL VISUAL ARTS MUSIC D RAMA<br />
Long Term<br />
SAMPLES<br />
Drawing and painting<br />
Photography<br />
Ceramics<br />
<strong>Digital</strong> design<br />
Printmaking<br />
Chamber orchestra<br />
Jazz ensemble<br />
Wind ensemble<br />
Chorale<br />
Music theory<br />
Film<br />
Acting workshop<br />
Acting master class<br />
Playwriting/<br />
screenwriting<br />
Theater tech<br />
Short Term<br />
SAMPLES<br />
Small metals<br />
<strong>Digital</strong> playground<br />
Studio lighting<br />
Clothing design<br />
Clay canvas<br />
Playing with fire: Raku<br />
West African drumming<br />
Improvisational music<br />
Musical: cast, Ceramic tech crew, bust<br />
orchestraby Abby Freed<br />
Chamber music<br />
Songwriting workshop<br />
Standup 101<br />
Acting – troupe play<br />
Acting – improvisation<br />
Playwriting<br />
Classic films
Ceramic bust<br />
by Abby Freed
This photo by Libby Kirk<br />
was shot with a Mamiya 645 and<br />
printed in Paideia’s darkroom.<br />
It won both a Regional and<br />
National Scholastic Gold Key<br />
and will be exhibited around<br />
the country for two years.<br />
Libby, a dancer herself, says<br />
this photograph "turned into<br />
a commentary on the audition<br />
process and ballet as a whole.”
Noteworthy<br />
Paideia elementary students have music class twice a week. In a program based on the philosophies of the German<br />
composer Carl Orff, children use their bodies, voices and minds to understand and practice musical concepts. All 5th<br />
and 6th graders participate in either the elementary band or orchestra program. The choral program also begins in<br />
5th grade.<br />
Recent graduates have been awarded Presidential and merit scholarships to attend college art programs at<br />
Boston University, CalArts, Maryland Institute College of Art, Massachusetts College of Art and Design, Pratt Institute,<br />
Rhode Island School of Design, and School of the Art Institute of Chicago.<br />
Paideia's art students have a strong record of gold and silver key awards in the regional Scholastic Art and Writing<br />
contests: almost every year a student wins in the national Scholastic competition as well. Usually<br />
several students are finalists in the best of High School and College photography contest. Their photographs<br />
are published in the Photographer's Forum book.<br />
Paideia does not discriminate on the basis of race,<br />
religion, ethnic group, gender, or sexual orientation.<br />
THE ARTS<br />
All high school music students go on a music trip every other year. They have performed in Alice Tully Hall<br />
in Lincoln Center in New York, Jordan Hall in Boston, and Ryman Auditorium in Nashville.<br />
PAIDEIASCHOOL.ORG<br />
© 2016. The Paideia School. All rights reserved.<br />
Photo Credits: Danny Lee Photography, Kemi Griffin, and the Paideia yearbook staff