Arts

Philosophy

A constructivist approach to teaching is a “best practice” for learning in the arts:
“[A] constructivist approach to teaching and learning argues that the goal of teaching is students’ understanding and that students construct knowledge, not simply reproduce it through memorization, recall, or routinized application.” (Sydney Walker)

This method of teaching is particularly applicable to education in the arts, as well as to the unique needs of gifted students. The Arts Department of The Sage School is committed to this approach in planning for a year’s curriculum, varying curriculum as students’ needs unfold, and in the very nature of interaction between and among students and instructors.

We believe:

• All children deserve, can succeed in, and benefit from sequential education in music, visual art, dance, and theater.
• Our approach is intended to equip the child with lifelong habits/skills of arts appreciation.
• Arts participation teaches habits of mind that apply to all subject areas.
• Arts are particularly important for gifted students, in that the “right” answer is different for each individual, and must be discovered.
• The arts classrooms are social and cultural environments where the development of social and collaborative skills are important.
• Negotiating the process is much more important than the appearance of the product.
• The most important outcome is the growth in ability to construct, express, and share meaning.

Click here for Co-Curricular Arts Electives for Seventh and Eighth Grade Students

Visual Art

The visual art program at The Sage School is based on the principles of the nationally recognized “Teaching for Artistic Behavior” (i.e. T.A.B. or Choice-based) method of teaching.

The idea is simple: Students are artists. The classroom is their studio.

The classroom is organized into small studios where students find materials, tools, and resources. Some studio centers such as drawing, painting, sculpture, clay, fibers, paper, and digital arts are  set up all year, while others such as woodworking, printmaking, jewelry, or puppetry will be introduced for shorter periods of time.

Performing Arts

The performing arts program is focused on offering age-appropriate activities allowing students to explore and create in the performing arts. Prime students are introduced to movement concepts and create simple dances while exploring ways the body can move. In the Junior Division, students apply movement concepts to other subjects and their own choreographic expression. As Middle Schoolers, students are given the opportunity to focus on the vocal aspect of performing and explore areas of theater that are of interest to them.

Music

Our Primes music classroom is based in the philosophy of Orff Schulwerk. It is grounded in the things children naturally enjoy – singing, dancing, and beat keeping. These instincts are directed in making music first, then reading, and writing it later – the same way we learned our first language. We use chants, rhythms, games, and circle dances to do this in the youngest ages, and progress into more complex ensemble pieces and instrument types, and to using the world around us for creating music – such as our bodies or found sounds. All activities in the music classroom are part of one of the four stages of music-making: exploration, imitation, improvisation, and composition. Prime classes also include many activities in Spanish, as part of the Espanusica partnership between the music and Spanish classrooms.

In Juniors and grade six, students enjoy more choices, as they participate in a class format of modified Teaching for Artistic Behavior that they experience in the Art room. Students use their own inspirations to compose pieces and create renditions of others’ pieces in self-directed projects. They are allowed to pursue individual interests, such as a particular instrument or style, while taking ownership of a project completed through reflection, perseverance, and self-pacing. Getting oneself organized to complete a self-directed project can be much trickier for an 11-year old than you may think!

Seventh and eighth graders are divided into classes based on interests. This year’s music class options include theory and songwriting, music of the movies, Orff ensemble, and numbers in music.