MS Fine Arts

All 6th grade students spend 12 weeks each in the following classes:

1. Choir: students rehearse with focus and discipline, practice listening and music literacy skills, advance their part-singing, as well as perform expressively. 

2. Art: students create art in a wide variety of media with an emphasis on skill development and techniques, critical thinking, creative risk taking, self-expression, and character building through art.
    
3. Drama: students use drama games to build focus, trust, and listening skills. They study pantomime, improvisation and character building and prepare a monologue performed for classmates.
    
4. Habits of Mind: students learn how to calm and quiet their state of mind through art experiences.

Students also take 6 weeks of Creative Writing and 6 weeks of Reader’s Theater, helping students find their literary and theatrical voice.

In 7th and 8th grades, students have the opportunity to exercise a choice in fine arts electives. Students can take 6 electives a year, two per trimester. Over the past decade, the School has offered over 93 different fine arts electives in the following genres:

• Drawing & Painting 
• Multi-Dimensional Art
• Digital Art
• Museum Experience
• Expressive Art
• Music
• Film
• Dance
• On Stage

In the current school year, we offer Choir (by gender) and music classes including Guitar, Drumming and Chapel Band.  Drama performs a One-Act Play and Dance performs at pep rallies and Pop Concert. Art offerings include Old School Drawing, Sculpture, Digital Illustration and special subjects like Paper Art and Photography. Students can work on publications like Yearbook, Literary Magazine, or Newspaper. Thanks to our location, we have a Museum District class where students go to museum exhibits and meet artists and curators.  Our partnership with MFAH’s Glassell School of Art offers us classes in Mixed Media and Sewing.

The School is able to offer an array of electives because in addition to three full-time fine arts teachers (Art, Choir, Dance/Drama), the School employs 10 additional guest artist teachers. They teach their craft on a part-time basis, and many are long-tenured, important members of the PS community.

View Elective Classes