Program Updates: Art and Music – April 2025
VISUAL ARTS (Sarah)
The pace of productivity in the art room remains high! The favorite activity of the semester is, naturally, ceramics.
Our first firing
This is what the kiln looks like when it’s ready to fire. The bluish coating is an overglaze which turns to clear, glossy glass at 1,800 degrees Fahrenheit.
Grade 6
We studied the art of Ancient Greece, learning about the various types of pottery, and then created a Kylix (drinking cup) decorated with designs and images celebrating an imaginary goddess or god of their choice (topics included music, sea creatures, sports, and so on).
Next came an introduction to Mesoamerica (Ancient Mexico and Central America) and animal pots. Using a hand formed pinch pot base, imagination was on display with many variations.
Grade 7
Students finished up the copper foil project by dipping the metal into a liver of sulfur solution, then burnishing highlights, and finally mounting them on wood panels.
Now for ceramics! Coil pots were first on the agenda. Multiple coil designs were introduced and applied. Like all creations, these get glazed in a variety of colors using different glazing techniques
Next came masks inspired by the coconut masks of Latin America.
Grade 8
As usual, students were engaged in a variety of creative activities!
An introduction to the subject of food throughout art history and realistic plastic replicas from Japan inspired a colorful buffet of ceramic food.
Paintings from the Art/Language Art collaboration were still in completion mode.
We even have some custom skate decks being painted.
MUSIC (Kali)
All Grades
Students are continuing their foundational skills on their instruments through daily warm ups and continuing to work on new notes and rhythms in their Essential Elements books.
In addition, students are continuing to work on their Spring Arts Night concert music to prepare for our all school end of year concert. To work on this music, students have been learning how to break music into small chunks to practice individually and in sectionals, so that it is easier to put music together as a whole group.
As a whole group, students have been working on expanding their musical vocabulary and working on balance as an ensemble.
For choir, students have been learning new vocal warm ups, continuing to work on matching pitch, and working on our all school choir pieces for the end of year concert.