With nearly seventy cumulative visual and performing arts offerings, the Concord Academy arts program gives students the opportunity to learn at all levels. Concord Academy’s talented staff of arts teachers create fun and engaging class atmospheres in an adaptive yet structured curriculum. All performing and visual arts classes at Concord Academy occupy specialized studios with advanced materials and equipment available for student use.
With over thirty visual arts courses, CA truly has an offering for every interest and skill level. There are many different types of courses within the Visual Arts Department, including 2D studio arts, 3D studio arts, and media arts. Some common 2D arts courses include drawing, painting, printing & book making, and graphic design. 3D arts courses include ceramics, sculpture, fashion design, fiber arts, and architecture. Media arts courses include photography and film. The majority of visual arts courses are offered at differing levels, to provide options to students of all degrees of experience. Each student is required to complete at least two credits’ worth of “studio”-based visual arts courses over the course of their time at Concord Academy.
The Performing Arts Department features nearly forty courses in a variety of disciplines, including music, theater, and dance class options. Within the Music Program, students can choose from individual music instruction, performance-based ensemble courses, and music history, theory, and technology courses. With nearly half of the student body participating in individual music instruction (or IMI, for short), students can work one-on-one with knowledgeable staff to advance their learning of almost any instrument or singing discipline. The performance-based ensemble courses are an option for students interested in pursuing a specific style of signing and music. These selective, style-based musical groups include the Vocal Jazz and Pop Ensemble, Advanced Jazz Ensemble, and CA Singers. They strive to put together students interested in similar forms of music to work towards finalized performances throughout the year. The music history, theory, and technology courses offer students the opportunity to learn holistically about music, with the option for a departmental study as well.
Within the Theater Program, students can choose between theater courses and theatrical productions. Theatre courses are baseline or intermediate level courses to establish foundational improvisation, playwriting, script interpretation, and theater technology skills. Theatrical productions at Concord Academy include at least two professional-directed performances each year, plus Directors’ Workshop, the application-based theater capstone for seniors to direct their own one-act plays. Students can audition for roles in many productions including dramas, comedies, musicals, and experimental works. Each student is also required to complete at least two credits worth of performing arts courses during their time at Concord Academy.
For beginner dancers, the dance instruction classes are focused on training students to become well-rounded dancers. Whereas for more advanced dancers, the CA Dance Project and Choreographers’ Workshop are options to choreograph, collaborate, and perform with like-minded, talented dancers.
Aside from the educational aspect, arts courses at Concord Academy also provide a respite during the academic day for students to work creatively in a relaxed environment. Whether it is the movement of a paintbrush across a canvas, or the chords from a guitar, the arts programs at Concord Academy are goldmines for creative expression and artistic endeavors.