The Upper School Arts Program

The Arts Curriculum at St. Andrew’s is structured to affirm and develop the artistry within every student. In the Upper School, we achieve this with engaging curricula which affords both curious and serious students to explore or specialize their arts studies in survey, advanced, and concentration level courses and ensembles to encourage their growth and realizing their artistic potential.

Performing Arts

Students take four trimester-long arts courses in the Upper School, which must include at least one survey-level performing arts elective course. Our breadth and depth of trimester and year-long offerings allows students to survey a variety of performing art forms or concentrate in one or more areas to prepare for collegiate pursuits or a career in the arts. At each level, students are inspired to realize their creative potential and experience joy and fulfillment through the production and presentation of their art.

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  • Performing Arts Course Offerings

    Survey Level Music Courses
    All Music Ensemble - Rock & Soul
    All Music Ensemble - Orchestra Classics
    All Music Ensemble - Hop Hop & Contemporary Pop
    Guitar
    Learn to Groove: Afro-Cuban Percussion
    Music Production & Audio Engineering
    Piano
    Ukulele

    Survey Level Theatre & Video Courses
    Acting
    Acting Shakespeare
    Costume & Fashion Design
    Film & Video Production
    Lighting & Sound Design
    Live Video Production
    Improvisation
    One-Act Play
    Physical Performance Skills
    Public Speaking
    Scenographics & Property Design
    Set Building & Design Fundamentals

    Advanced Level Courses
    Advanced Guitar
    Advanced Improvisation
    Advanced Music Production & Audio Engineering
    Advanced Piano
    Advanced Technical Theatre
    Concert Choir
    Jazz Ensemble (Fall, Winter, Spring)

    Concentration Level Courses
    AP Music Theory
    Independent Study in the Performing Arts

    Online Courses
    Music Production & Audio Engineering

  • Performing Arts Clubs & Extracurricular Offerings

    Clubs
    A Cappella Club
    Jazz Combo Club
    Technical Theatre Club

    Extracurricular Offerings
    Fall Dance Company
    Fall Play Cast
    Fall Play Tech
    Winter Musical Cast
    Winter Musical Tech
    Spring Dance Company

  • Performance Opportunities

    Performing Arts Assemblies: At the end of each academic trimester, ensembles and students in music, drama, music production, and video production put on a variety show for the Upper School.

    Homecoming (October): Featured the Jazz Ensemble, All Music Ensemble, A Cappella Club, and Dance Company

    Upper School Fall Play (October): Students have the opportunity to perform in or do tech for a full-length show with high production values. Recent shows include Our Town, The Laramie Project, An Evening of One-Acts, She Kills Monsters, A Midsummer Night's Dream.

    Winter Musical Concert (January): This coffee-house-styled evening showcases students in our vocal and instrument music ensembles from both the Middle and Upper divisions.

    Upper School Musical (February): Our signature production features approximately 50 students as members of the cast, show band, tech crew, and costuming. The rehearsals run after school during the winter. Recent shows include: Les Miserables, Working, Legally Blond, The Sound of Music, Sister Act, Hairspray, The Drowsy Chaperone, and Oklahoma.

    Spring Music Concert (April): This evening is a culmination of our year, with our Middle and Upper School student instrumental and vocal ensembles. The event also includes senior recognitions and send-offs.

    Upper School Spring Dance Concert (May): Members of the Spring Dance Company perform a varied set of dance numbers from multiple genres of movement. The event also features a number of student compositions.

    Music Showcase Festival (May): Music ensemble students take a weekend trip to Virginia to compete in this festival for a panel of adjudicators and enjoy a full day at a theme park and an awards ceremony.

    Music on the Quad (June): Music ensembles provide live music following the last exam of the year. Festivities include food trucks and lawn games.



Signature Upper School Events

List of 4 items.

  • Upper School Fall Play

    Students have the opportunity to perform in or do tech for a full-length show with high production values. Recent shows include Our Town, The Laramie Project, An Evening of One-Acts, and She Kills Monsters.
  • Winter & Spring Concerts

    These coffee-house-styled evenings showcase students in our vocal and instrument music ensembles.
  • Upper School Musical

    Our signature production features approximately 50 students as members of the cast, show band, tech crew, and costuming. Recent shows include: Les Miserables, Working, Legally Blond, The Sound of Music, Sister Act, Hairspray, The Drowsy Chaperone, and Oklahoma.
  • Music Showcase Festival

    Music ensemble students take a weekend trip to Virginia to compete in a festival for a panel of adjudicators and enjoy a full day at a theme park and an awards ceremony.


Visual Arts

Students take four trimester-long arts courses in the Upper School, which must include at least one survey-level visual arts elective course. At each level students are cultivating studio thinking by paying equal attention to process and product. In addition to demonstrating a mastery of formal concepts, skills, and processes, students develop collaborative skills, empathy, and insight into diverse points of view across time and culture. This informs their perspectives and strengthens their personal voice and agency in creatively expressing their art and designs. While upper level art courses become more challenging, the art faculty strives to encourage an environment that supports and enables students to open themselves to new experiences, to take informed risks, to self-validate their own potential as visual learners and designers, and to find avenues for self-expression through the arts.

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  • Visual Arts Course Offerings

    Survey Level Visual Arts Courses
    Ceramics
    Digital Design
    Drawing
    Painting
    Photography
    Video & Interactive Media
    Yearbook

    Advanced Level Visual Arts Courses
    Advanced Ceramics
    Advanced Drawing
    Advanced Painting
    Advanced Digital Design
    D!Lab Engineering and Design Thinking
    Advanced Photography
    Advanced Yearbook
    Honors Arts / Portfolio Development

    Concentration Level Visual Arts Courses
    AP Arts & Design
    Independent Study in the Visual Arts

    Online Courses
    Drawing

    Competitions
    SAPA Awards
    National Scholastic Arts

     
  • Special Programs in the Visual Arts

    Independent Art: Serious Upper School art students who have completed any advanced level art course may submit a proposal for independent study in the visual arts. If accepted, they can work in the medium of their choice to develop their art portfolio.

    AP Studio Art: This course makes it possible for Upper School students to do college-level work. At the end of the year, students submit a drawing portfolio (which may include painting), 2-D design or 3-D portfolios of work for evaluation by the College Board.

    Print and Digital Publications: St. Andrew's publishes a literary magazine, a newspaper, and a yearbook. In addition to literary submissions, these publications feature students' original artwork and photography. Students take the lead in designing and producing these publications.

    National Scholastic Art & Writing Awards: Each year, students arists in the Upper School submit their work to the nation’s longest-running, most prestigious recognition program for creative students in grades 7-12.  Submissions are judged by luminaries in the visual and literary arts, and award winners are celebrated on a local and national-levels.  All entries are considered for Gold Key, Silver Key, Honorable Mention, American Visions Nominee, and American Voices Nominee Awards within each region. From there, Gold key entries are automatically considered for national awards and scholarships. In February 2022, seven St. Andrew’s students won awards for nine artworks, including two Gold Key awards.

    Spring Arts Celebrations: Each Spring, St. Andrew's celebrates the visual arts with a week-long art show and competition. Students are invited to enter their original work in the areas of drawing, painting, ceramics, sculpture, photography, video, and digital graphics. A panel of outside expert judges organized by the SAPA Cultural Arts Committee reviews the entries in each category, and recognition is given for top honors through the Judges' Choice Awards.

    Kreeger Gallery: A small, professional-quality gallery located at the entrance to MacDonald Hall showcases original student work as well as the works of alumni and professional artists.

    Student Portfolios: All Middle and Upper School students have the opportunity to create a personal digital gallery of their artistry (both performing and visual) while at St. Andrew's.

    Richard Klemm Boyd, Jr. Awards: Each year one student artwork by a senior is identified for distinction as the annual Richard Klemm Boyd, Jr. awardee. The artwork selected represents a model example of the high concept and craft our student artists achieve. It is purchased from the student artist and becomes part of St. Andrew's permanent art collection. Click here for past award winners.




Kreeger Gallery Exhibition Calendar

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  • Middle School Art Show

    November - January
  • Upper School Selected Projects

    January - February
  • Senior Art Show

    February - April
  • Upper School Spring Arts Show

    April - May
  • Middle School Spring Arts Show

    May
St. Andrew’s Episcopal School is a private, coeducational college preparatory day school for students in preschool (Age 2) through grade 12, located in Potomac, Maryland.