Arts

The Visual and Performing Arts are an integral part of the Walker’s community. Communication, creativity, and collaboration are fundamental to all of the arts on our campus. Through the arts, students learn to take risks, push beyond perceived boundaries, and discover new ways of expressing themselves and engaging with the community.

A student who has a passion for the arts can pursue after school co-curricular activities such as acting, technical theater, dance, and visual arts during all three seasons. In addition, students can participate in private voice and instrumental lessons, and perform in vocal and instrumental ensembles. There are so many opportunities for students to perform and showcase their art work. There are several main stage music, theater, and dance performances as well as art galleries throughout campus.

The Arts programs emphasize both skill development and self-driven experiential learning. Courses in Digital Photography, Movie and Video Production, Studio Arts, Ceramics, Dance, Music, and Theater, as well as independent studies in all areas, allow students to delve into numerous art forms as they discover new ways to express themselves. All students have an Arts requirement, but often students find a form that speaks to them and they continue beyond the minimum credits. Formative assessments are used throughout every visual and performing arts class. Students are given immediate feedback throughout the lesson, which includes suggestions, options, and engaging conversations. Critical and constructive feedback from both peers and faculty measure the effectiveness of both the creative process and the final product.

Arts students are taught to be leaders by choreographing, composing, curating, and assistant teaching. Students participate in arts-related community partnerships, such as children’s dance classes, a capella competitions, the Memory Project, and the Connecticut Inclusive Arts program. At Walker’s, we prepare students to look beyond themselves and find ways to use the arts to give back to the community and make a difference in the world.

Dance Courses

Middle School Dance

Grades 6-7

Credit: 0.33

The Middle School dance program concentrates on the development of technical skills, and the appreciation of the art form. An annual dance performance is included in the yearly activities.

Dance Fundamentals

Open to Grades 9-12

Credit: 0.5

This course is designed to give students an overview of dance technique, improvisation, composition, and history. We will focus on several techniques and history to build strength and knowledge in the art form. The study of dance composition through improvisation and design concepts will also be a focal point of the course. Recommended for students with little to no experience in dance.

Dance Composition

Open to Grades 9-12

Credit: 0.5

This course focuses on the process of choreographing original dance pieces. Students will learn composition through experimenting with the elements of movement: time, space, weight, and flow. This course is recommended for students with some dance experience through the advanced level.

Theater Courses

Performance Fundamentals

Grades 7-8

Credit: 0.33

The Middle School theater classes will focus on the fundamentals of dramatic performance. The classes will build the necessary skills for character development and stage presence through scene work, theater history, and improvisational exercises. Theater studies help students to hone public speaking skills, teach them to listen and respond effectively, foster their spontaneity and problem-solving skills, help them to grow as collaborators, and give them the confidence to take risks on stage and in life.

Acting

Open to Grades 9-12

Credit: 0.5

The goal of this course is to develop self-awareness, master acting guideposts, and build on previous knowledge of stage acting through the use of scenes, improvisation, and monologues. This one-semester class introduces students to basic acting techniques rooted in Stanislavski and Meisner, incorporating effective use of the voice, principles of stage movement, building a character, playwriting, story creation, and improvisation. The course is designed for students interested in exploring theater as a means of personal development and expression, as well as for those who wish to begin to study the craft of acting and/or playwriting. Students are expected to memorize lines, write journals, and be evaluated on their performances. This course may be taken more than once, so the course will be tailored to the students’ interests and needs.

Playwriting And Play Production

Open to Grades 9-12

Credit: 0.5

After starting by studying plays from classic and contemporary playwrights, this course culminates in an open performance of students’ original plays. Students learn how to write in the voice and style of those plays. Students then develop their own voice and style and create an original 15-minute play that will be staged with other students in the class (or from beyond the class). Students will learn how technical aspects of the theater can inform storytelling, such as devising their own lighting to reflect the mood of the piece/characters’ journeys, costume creation/choosing, period prop acquisition, and research, etc. Class will also include interactive theater exercises amongst students so playwrights can become empathetic towards the actors for which they are writing. Activities may include analyzing dialogue and character relationships through video clips from movies, TV shows, and creating a short play from current events using interviews, news stories, and videos as source material.

Musical Theater

Open to Grades 9-12

Credit: 0.5

In this class, students will collaborate on scenes, songs, and dances from classic works of musical theater. Students will have the opportunity to watch and learn from historic theatrical performances, as well as delve deeply into character work, song analysis, and choreography through musical theater vocal solos, duets, monologues, and scene work.