This class is for intermediate string and wind instrumentalists who want to improve their technical and ensemble skills and explore a wide variety of music-making.  Repertoire will be drawn from the classical European and American traditions as well as including other traditions and genres.  Important fundamental skills such as sight-reading, ear training, practice technique, and theory will supplement the ensemble rehearsals.  Creative projects and broad music appreciation will also be included as part of students’ development as well-rounded musicians. Private lessons and intermediate instrumental proficiency are required.

This ensemble is for advanced string, wind, and percussion players looking to further their exploration of small group repertoire and to polish ensemble and orchestral playing techniques. Emphasis is placed on performance.  Repertoire from a variety of sources, from classical to contemporary, is explored in depth.  The string and wind ensembles will occasionally combine to rehearse and perform full orchestra pieces.  Students are assessed based on their preparation, in-class participation, written homework, recorded playing assignments, and major performances. The chamber orchestra performs at Upper School Arts Nights, festivals, competitions, and other school events.  Private lessons are required.

This course is designed for students with some or no prior singing experience who wish to build on the skills developed in Middle School Chorus or discover their voices and the benefits of singing in a mixed ensemble for the first time. The course focuses on strengthening fundamental singing skills, with particular emphasis on blend, intonation, diction, breath, and navigating vocal registers. Music in unison and multiple parts is performed a cappella and accompanied. Sight singing is part of the curriculum, but previous experience with music notation is not a prerequisite. Private voice lessons are encouraged but not required. Outside of class, students are expected to maintain a regular practice schedule. Students in this course will be assessed on their overall growth and progress, their completion of any occasional homework assignments, and their active participation in class rehearsals and major performances. Voice placement auditions for this course occur in May.

This course is designed for students with significant prior singing experience who wish to build on the skills acquired in the Upper School Chorus. This mixed ensemble performs a wide range of advanced choral repertoire in diverse languages from an array of different cultures and historical periods. Students will develop skills needed for ensemble singing, with particular focus on securing advanced vocal techniques and sight singing in multiple parts. Multi-part repertoire is performed a cappella and accompanied. Previous experience with sight singing and music notation is a prerequisite. Private voice lessons are strongly encouraged. Outside of class, students are expected to maintain a regular practice schedule. Students are assessed on their active participation in class, their preparation for and performance in major concerts, and their overall growth and progress as a musician. Voice placement auditions for this course are held in May.

This band is for intermediate- to advanced-level jazz musicians. Students perform at concerts, school assemblies, competitions, and festivals. Standard big band repertoire is explored. Private lessons are required.

This band is for the most highly skilled jazz musicians. The Honors Big Band performs the most advanced big band repertoire at concerts, competitions, festivals, and professional jazz venues. Private lessons are required.

Students in these ensembles study and perform works for jazz combo by musicians such as Miles Davis, Charlie Parker, John Coltrane, and Herbie Hancock. Emphasis is on developing improvisation skills. Opportunities are available for composition and analysis. Private lessons are required.

Students in these ensembles study and perform works for jazz combo by musicians such as Miles Davis, Charlie Parker, John Coltrane, and Herbie Hancock. Emphasis is on developing improvisation skills. Opportunities are available for composition and analysis. Private lessons are required.

Students will be up on their feet in this active class as they learn and practice physical, vocal, and character building skills for comic and dramatic performance in a fun and welcoming environment. Using games, body and vocal exercises, and their imagination, students will gain confidence as they work together.  Through improvisation and group work, students will build their creative risk-taking and performance skills; in creative pair work, students practice character-building, blocking, monologue, and dialogue delivery. Finally, students will learn drama terminology and how to offer constructive feedback of their own and others’ performances. The class will end with a performance of student work.

This class offers all students the opportunity to develop their acting skills and perform in and stage a play in a fun, active, and friendly environment.   In the first part of the course, students will review voice, body, and character work through short scenes and monologues; they will also learn about theater jobs and work that goes into staging a play.  Then, they will move into the production process itself: audition, casting, blocking, rehearsal, coaching, set and costume design. The course culminates in a public performance in the spring. Please note: this course offers students who cannot participate in the after school drama program a chance to be in a play.

This course is designed to create confidence and originality in the dancer and non-dancer. In this course, students learn the intermediate skills of dance while improving their techniques, poise, stage presence, and creative ability. This course aims to give students of varying dance abilities and experience the opportunity to enrich their kinesthetic awareness by learning several dance genres, including ballet, jazz, hip-hop, modern, and theater dance. In a supportive environment, students will receive and learn to give constructive feedback on their performances, working to grow their overall confidence and technique. After learning the foundation of various dance styles, students will develop their own choreographic ideas and, in small groups, will choreograph a dance to a genre of their choice and teach their piece to the class.

This Musical Theater course builds and expands vocal, acting, and movement skills. With the goal of becoming a “triple threat,” students learn to create dynamic and engaging performances through their voice, body, and emotional connection to Broadway material. Students present songs and scenes in class and learn techniques for both speaking and singing in character. Students will prepare as soloists as well as members of small groups and larger ensembles from the Broadway genre. There will also be a unit on the audition process and musical theater history and repertoire. Musical Theater is a course focused on self-expression and honing student’s individualized talents as a singer, actor, dancer.

Honors Dance Choreography will co-occur with Dance Choreography, but the students recommended for and enrolled in Honors Dance Choreography will have a different experience. Honors students will choreograph and lead the group in full length song with the class, and students will be in charge of choreographing their own full-length song solo song to be presented at their final performance. Honors students will be asked to fill out an in-depth choreography binder including their creative process, written choreography, spacing map, etc, and present their work to the class. Throughout, honors students’ performances will be assessed based on a separate rubric with attention to song difficulty, dance style, technique, dynamics, emotional connection, and impactful use of stage. 

Honors Drama will take place in the spring Drama II class; however, the Honors Drama students will write or direct a short play (10-12 pages). In the first half of the course, student playwrights will meet with the teacher to learn about, write, and revise a script for performance, while student directors will present their concept for the short play (or the play being written by another honors student), including vision, set design, and costume.  In subsequent classes, the student playwrights will edit and revise their script for performance, while the student directors will block, coach, and rehearse the actors, with help from the teacher as needed. After Spring Break, honors students will be cast with the others in a one-act play; however, they will also act as assistant directors for that show, helping with coaching and stage manager tasks. They will maintain the blocking script and a performance journal for that show.  At the end of the course, honors students will submit a portfolio of their experience, including their annotated short play script, their journal, and a final reflection about their semester-long experience.

Honors Musical Theater will co-occur with Musical Theater, but the students recommended for and enrolled in honors will have a different experience. Honors course students will be required to direct a group song chosen (with the help of the teacher) by the student. This will include coaching, blocking, dancing, and overall vision/props/costumes. Honors students will present a 5-10 minute presentation of their choice reflecting on the experience of directing and how it impacted them as a performer and director. Students will have an “honors” song at their final performance in which they will choose and direct themselves in a full-length musical theater song. Throughout, honors students' performances will be assessed using a separate rubric to ensure attention to song difficulty (Composers such as Sondheim, Webber, Brown, or a song from an operetta), dynamics, emotional connection, and intricate staging.