ARTS The Arts Program, which meets four times each week, is an integral part of the curriculum in the Middle School. Students explore the visual and performing arts in a climate that encourages creative problem solving, risk taking, experimentation, and the development of self-confidence. BY WORKING IN BOTH the performing and visual arts, students make connections between the various art forms and are encouraged to think in an interdisciplinary way. Working in the arts promotes complex thinking that requires nuance judgment and involves the integration of multiple criteria that demands independent thinking. The Middle School Arts Program emphasizes the process of creative thinking because it encourages the development of skills and the joy of making art. THE MIDDLE SCHOOL ARTS FACULTY is made up of professional artists who continue to work within their disciplines as well as teach. They share their love and commitment for the arts with their students and provide role models for students who aspire to do advanced work in the arts. STUDENT ASSESSMENT is based on effort, willingness to take creative risks, and willingness to participate in the artistic process of working, reflecting, and reworking. Attention is paid to the understanding of specific concepts and the development of skills. Students, however, are not assessed according to skill. The process of creating is given priority over the product. ALTHOUGHT THE ARTS PROGRAM EMPHASIZES process, students are encouraged to perform and display their work. Drama students perform scenes at the end of their rotation, dance students perform a group dance that they have choreographed, music students participate in numerous performances during the year, and art students display their work throughout the school. They also have their own gallery exhibition in the spring. Students frequently take advantage of opportunities to display their work in public areas. In the past, students have mounted an exhibition of work at various local restaurants, stores, and the Santa Monica Place Gallery. FIELD TRIPS AND SPECIAL EVENTS occur throughout the year. Every year students visit local museums and galleries, theaters, and the Music Center. Arts field trips are often coordinated with academic teachers to further integrate academics and the arts. Los Angeles is rich in cultural and artistic events, and we are committed to using the resources of the city to further student knowledge and appreciation of the arts. SIXTH GRADE:  Sixth graders follow three arts rotations during the year. They have a trimester each of dance and drama, studio art and sculpture, and music and chorus. The sixth grade arts rotation encourages self-confidence and active participation in the fine and performing arts. It lays the foundation for further study in the seventh and eighth grade arts. Sixth grade subjects covered are: Studio Art, Sculpture, Drama, Dance, Chorus, and Music. SEVENTH GRADE:  The seventh grade follows a required arts sequence of four different class rotations. Seventh grade art builds on the concepts and skills learned in the sixth grade and lays the foundation for further study in theater, dance, music, and visual art. As students move through the art rotations, they are taught to recognize common conceptual threads that connect all of the arts. They are introduced to the notion that artists talk about the quality of line in drawing, in music, in dance; that artists explore concepts of space and timing in painting, drama, dance, and music; and that our fundamental human perceptions inspire the work of all artists in all media. Seventh grade classes are:  Introduction to Music, Chorus, Studio Art, Ceramics, Drama, Dance, Arts and Cultures. EIGHTH GRADE:  Eighth grade arts courses are based on student interest and build on sixth and seventh grade experiences. Students make informed choices based on their curiosity and desire to do advanced work in a particular discipline. Each semester, students choose two art electives. Classes last the entire semester, allowing students to concentrate and to develop skills that enable them to produce or perform at an accomplished level. Classes are designed to encourage further exploration and skill development as they help prepare students for work in the Upper School. The following classes are available in the eighth grade: Architecture, Multi-Media Art, Ceramics, Computer Explorations, Computer Arts, Drama, Electronic Music, Film Studies, Jazz Dance, Musical Theater, Photography, Printmaking, Sculpture, Studio Art, Video Production, and Yearbook.