Arts

At Berkeley Carroll, the performing and visual arts are essential—not peripheral—to the school experience. Every student from preschool through 12th grade has an enriched arts curriculum, and a high percentage of the student body participates in extracurricular or afterschool arts programs.

Music, theater, and dance comprise the performing arts program. Music is part of the core curriculum from preschool through 8th grade. Students sing together, play Orff instruments, learn how to read music, and become familiar with musical composers, styles, traditions, and instruments. Upper School electives are offered in music theory and composition, the history of jazz and rock music, songwriting, chamber ensemble, jazz band, and choir. Through the afterschool music program, students have individual and group instruction in piano, voice, percussion, string, brass, and wind instruments.

Theater is introduced in the early grades in a classroom setting, as young children learn the elements of storytelling and creative dramatics. Middle and Upper School thespians stage four theatrical productions every year in a fully equipped, state-of-the-art theater. They act, sing, dance, and play music, and also work behind the scenes as stage managers, technicians, and set, sound, and lighting designers.

The dance curriculum is taught in a workshop format, and students are encouraged to express themselves through performance. They learn about the elements of dance, explore techniques, choreograph compositions, and perform at school and community events. Master classes by prominent choreographers and dancers take place throughout the school year.

The visual arts program encourages students to express their creativity and explore a range of art mediums. Included in the course of study are drawing and painting, printmaking, sculpture, ceramics, mixed media, video and animation, graphic design, photography, and computer art. Student-artists win awards in local and national contests and are able to complete their studies on the Advanced Placement level. Specialized visual arts facilities include studio art classrooms, a photography darkroom, a ceramics studio and kiln room, and a digital media lab for computer, film, and video art.