The Sparhawk Arts Program

We are artist/educators; musicians, visual artists, dancers, and actors creating a nurturing environment in which students can explore, become immersed, and fully develop their creative potential. We inspire students to learn the skills and vocabulary of the arts, and help them experience the joy of the creative process. Through coursework, projects, workshops, demonstrations and field trips, Sparhawk students learn to appraise, appreciate, and make wide artistic connections.

Performing Arts

Music 

Sparhawk high school students may choose from a variety of electives in music. All classes encompass each of the following four skills and activities, performance, composition, history, and music theory, although the emphasis varies depending on the particular class. Whether music is an interest, a passion, or a future career, our students have significant opportunities to gain exposure to the joys and wonders of musical expression.

Extracurricular music activities and performance opportunities include: The Sparhawk Regional Youth Chorale, a performance ensemble for area students ages 10-18, private voice, piano, and guitar lessons, a Rock Ensemble, a Jazz Ensemble, and, coming soon, a Classical Ensemble.

Dance

Sparhawk High School students have opportunities to practice and hone their performance skills in thematic classes in dance. In dance classes, students learn the cultural context of various dance styles - including ballet, modern, jazz, contemporary, and world traditions, and develop their own creative process through choreography projects and explorations.

Drama

Drama classes give students the opportunity to practice the art of presentation through thematic classes in theater, They may study everything from specific theatrical styles and traditions, to acting craft, to puppetry, to scene study.

Sparhawk Spotlights, our theater company, performs twice each year, with a play in the fall and a musical each spring. Past productions include The Brothers Menaechme, Evita, Flower Drum Song, Grease, Fiddler on the Roof, Beauty and the Beast, Ah Wilderness, and The Sound of Music. Currently we are rehearsing The Secret Garden. Productions are open to all Sparhawk School students K-12. 

Visual Arts    

Woodworking

The emphasis on woodworking is on the acquisition of basic skills, and the ability to visualize a project from start to finish. There is exposure to the utilization and safe operation of the drill press, band saw, scroll saw, and jointer. Students have built furniture, kayaks, scenery and props for Sparhawk Spotlights, and, this spring, will build components of the timber frame building for our lower campus.

Studio Art and Art History

Students learn to express themselves artistically with the support of our wonderful faculty in fundamental classes that emphasize  skill development within an atmosphere made safe for artistic risk- taking. More advanced studio electives and art classes that emphasize art in the context of history are also offered every semester. Field trips to art museums and galleries and to the studios of working artists further enrich our students. One group of students recently studied art at a school in Florence, Italy.

Student work inspired by Latin American art

Inspired by Native American art studies

Art exhibit

Integrated Arts and Humanities Studio

One of the significant ways that some of our students learn to make wide artistic connections is by choosing to express their understanding of their interdisciplinary studies through a semester synthesis project in the arts. These thoroughly conceived and polished products help students integrate and synthesize the knowledge and skills gained in their arts classes. Examples of the different types of integrated art synthesis projects appear below:

     A.  A visual art production of a series of at least three works related to the current theme. This could be the creation of specific paintings or drawings, etc in the style of a period artist or school of art, etc.

     B. A theatrical piece such as assuming the persona of a specific person related to the current theme or from a specific time period, or performing a work written during that time.

     C.  The presentation of fashion or costume examples relating to the current theme or specific time period. Here the student would be actually making clothes to present along with an explanation related to his/her research that led to the choices and construction of the clothing items.

     D.  A musical performance of a thematic or period work of at least 10 minutes in duration or an original composition in the style of period music written in some widely acceptable notation.

    E. A dance performance of a thematic or period work or an original choreographed piece in the style of period dance.

     F.  Any other Arts idea that a student may contemplate that is thoroughly thought out and presented to her/his Synthesis Mentor for consideration.

These products and performances become wonderful opportunities to fully integrate the arts with our thematic curriculum across disciplines.