The Upper School Fine Arts Department at St. Andrew’s Episcopal School strives to provide all students with numerous opportunities for meaningful self-expression and creative exploration. In addition to involving the students intellectually, personally, and emotionally, the knowledge of the content learned assists students in developing skills that will transfer to other disciplines and life situations.
Acting
(open to students in grades 9 – 12)
This class develops and sharpens the student’s appreciation, understanding, and technical mastery of performance skills, including character development and relationships, stage movement, and script evaluation. Materials include published plays, monologues, poetry, and others manuscripts selected by the students and the instructor.
Theatre Production-Acting
(open to students in grades 10 -12 by audition and interview)
This is a studio class for highly motivated acting students. The program is designed not only to heighten the acting student’s mastery of performance technique, but also to acquaint the student with the many elements involved in producing a play or film, including lighting and sound design, costuming, scene design and construction, budgeting, and directing.
Theatre Production-Technical
(open to students in grades 9 – 12 by interview)
Students are trained in set design and construction technique, as well as sound and lighting design and implementation. Students have the opportunity to work daily in a state-of-the-art theatre and to broaden their particular areas of expertise through active participation in multiple productions produced by this class and the theatre department throughout the school year.
St. Andrew’s Singers
(open to students in grades 9 – 12 chosen by audition)
This course covers the basic elements of vocal production, music theory, sight-reading, three- and four-part singing, musicianship, and concert presentation. This course provides students with an opportunity to develop their voices as instruments of self-expression, to improve their music literacy, and to enjoy a meaningful group experience through daily participation and performance.
Chamber Choir
(students in grades 10 – 12 chosen by audition)
Chamber Choir is composed of advanced student musicians. In addition to sight-reading, four- to eight-part singing, singing in foreign languages, and formal concert presentation, the class pursues an advanced knowledge of music theory and a high level of musicianship.
Upper School Band
(grades 9-12)
This course teaches music and musicianship in the context of a performing instrumental group. Development of musical skills (scales, rhythms, tone quality, sight-reading, intonation, phrasing, and interpretation) is a priority. Student musicians are exposed to a variety of musical styles and provide service to the school and community by performance.
AP Music Theory
(requires teacher approval)
This course offers a detailed study of the principles of musical construction and of ways of connecting the visual and aural elements of music. Students explore the elements of pitch, rhythm, chord construction and recognition, voice leading and part writing, texture and style, twentieth-century materials and techniques, rhythmic reading and dictation, melodic dictation, harmonic recognition and dictation, and sight-singing.