Performing Arts 

The performing arts curriculum provides numerous opportunities for students to continue their exploration of acting, dance, music, and production technology.  Classes and ensembles meet during the school day and the cast and crew for theatrical productions work outside the school day. The theater program includes three productions a year that align with the athletic seasons. A typical theater season might include a musical, a full play, a one-act play and/or student-written play.  Students interested in  production technology can take classes and also work on plays, concerts, and other events as members of Stage Crew. 

Sign-up process: 

Please complete the Performing Arts Form  to begin thinking about what offerings you might want to participate in next year.  You may have questions about your choices; faculty will be available to answer any questions on Wednesday, May 1, or you may reach out to Mary Jane Pagenstecher, Director of Performing Arts at any time.  

Performing Arts Requirement: Minimum of 1/2 credit  in Upper School with one of the following


SEMESTER COURSES

Real World Performing Arts ​(Fall or Spring, ½ credit): In Ancient Greece, the performing arts were a platform for civic debate. The performing arts, or storytelling with word, music, and movement, were seen as a necessary part of a democratic society. From Sophocles to The Laramie Project, and Bob Dylan to Kendrick Lamar, stories rise from artists needing to share their particular truths and hoping they serve as catalysts for change. This semester-long experiential class will focus on the power of the performing artist as activist and agent of change. Students will take on many roles: historians and critics; interpreters of existing monologues, scenes, dances, and songs; and creators of a multi-arts performance piece designed to spark action. Note: This course is open to 10th-12th graders only.


Music Theory ​(Fall, ½ credit): Students gain a foundational understanding of western music theory while also exploring a wide variety of musical traditions from around the world. Units in the course include listening, tonality, intervals, scales, rhythm, meter, harmony and form. These concepts are actively applied through listening, playing, singing, improvisation, composition, and analysis. Students build upon previous musical knowledge and experience to build new skills and understandings. This course is designed for aspiring performers, composers, songwriters, and producers to gain a new appreciation of the music they love, widen their perspective, deepen their understanding and help them to pursue their musical goals. There is no prerequisite for this course, although it is assumed that students will have a strong interest in music. 


Digital Music Production (Spring Semester, ½ credit): Digital Music Production is a hands-on exploration of musical concepts through the use of music production technology. The course is project-based, inviting students to create any type of music they are interested in using GarageBand as the primary digital audio workstation (DAW). Topics include audio concepts, multi-track recording, MIDI, songwriting/composition, mixing, and sampling. Students will develop skills with wide ranging real world applications, from professional recording engineering and home studio recording to podcasting or other media. The course provides a unique insight into music and digital culture as students explore the development of recording technology and the way technology has shaped genres such as Hip-Hop and EDM. Music listening will be a crucial aspect of this course, as we learn about musical innovators and their creative use of technology. Music Theory & Composition is not a prerequisite, but it is a logical and beneficial prelude to this course. 


Theater Lab ​(Spring, 1/2 credit): ​Theater Lab is an experiential performance and design course. As Hamlet says, “The play’s the thing.” Playwrights open a window into a unique universe. Students will have the opportunity to become theater makers as they delve into this multi-discipline creative art form. The focus is on developing skills as actors, designers, and technicians whose shared goal is to fill that universe and tell a story—expressively and collaboratively. Students will discover the actor’s instrument by tuning up their bodies, voices and imaginations with a variety of exercises that demystify the acting process. Students will toggle between acting and theatrical design allowing each aspect of the creative process to inform the other, build and employ a practical toolkit for both, and expand their cultural literacy through exposure to a variety of theater genres. Actor-designers will collaborate on culminating projects by making theater together, from the first reading of a dramatic text to designing, building, and rehearsing—all in service to a short play. 


DANCE COURSES

Dance Technique and Composition ​(Full year, two classes a week, ½ credit): This class is geared toward interested students whose athletic commitments preclude them from participating in Danceflete Collective during Upper School PE time. Students completing a full year in the Dance Technique and Composition class meet the minimum Performing Arts requirement. Students develop and improve their dance technique and expand their skills as choreographers and contributors to a creative choreographic process. Barre, floor, and center work will be emphasized to develop and refine technique, increase flexibility, and build strength and stamina. Compositional tools will be explored through short studies and longer solo and group projects. Students will have the opportunity to create and perform in new works for the Winter and Spring Dance Concerts.

Danceflete Collective (Two afternoon PE sessions a week, ¼ credit per athletic season): Dancers may elect to participate in Danceflete Collective as their Upper School PE option for any/all of the athletic seasons per year. The fall season focuses primarily on dance technique. Dancers in the winter and spring seasons build upon that technical foundation and generate and rehearse works for the Winter and Spring Dance Concert. Dancers completing two seasons of Danceflete Collective in a single year meet the minimum Performing Arts requirement. Note: This course offering appears in the Physical Education options.


MUSIC ENSEMBLES (FULL YEAR) 

Music Ensembles are year-long classes meeting twice each week during the regular school day. Ensembles perform at the Winter and Spring Concerts in the Franklin Theater and also at informal performances throughout the year. 

Acoustic Roots Ensemble ​(Full year, two days a week, ½ credit): This class is open to students who are interested in playing guitar, banjo, ukulele, and dobro in an ensemble setting. A minimum of 8 students is needed for the ensemble; students must provide their own instruments. In addition to building technical skills on their instruments, students will expand their understanding of music theory, develop music-reading skills, and explore music from a range of acoustic genres. The ensemble will also have opportunities for formal and informal performance and may collaborate with other music ensembles. 

Chamber Music (Full year, two days a week, ½ credit): Chamber Music is open to a small number of players who demonstrate a superior level of commitment to Western art music performance and musicianship. Chamber Music membership is by invitation and is determined in September. Students must also be members of the Upper School Instrumental Ensembles. Chamber music is an intimate form of music-making with no conductor and with one player to each unique and important line of music. Students work with a coach to explore repertoire for small ensembles with special emphasis on balance, tuning, stylistic interpretation, and individual leadership as the music demands. Chamber Music members will perform in two formal concerts per year and additional informal performances on campus and in the community. Repertoire is selected and adapted for the specific instrumentation available. Members may also audition for Maine Music Educators Association All-State and District 2 ensembles. 

Chorus ​(Full year, two days a week, ½ credit): Chorus is open to interested students who share a passion for choral singing – no prior experience is required. Emphasis is placed on building a cohesive community, vocal training, part singing, stylistic interpretation, music literacy, and musical understanding. Singers will explore music from various styles, cultures, and traditions including contemporary a cappella and musical theater. The concert season consists of Winter and Spring Concerts plus additional performances for the school community, including Convocation, Commencement, and in collaboration with other ensembles. Members are also eligible to audition for Maine Music Educators Association All-State and District II honor choirs.

Instrumental Ensembles (Full year, two days a week, ½ credit): Instrumental Ensembles are open to all Upper School string, wind, brass, percussion, and bass players; students provide their own instruments. The group begins the year working as a String Ensemble and Wind Ensemble to allow foundational work on instrumental technique and ensemble skills. Members of the Wind Ensemble are invited throughout the year to join the String Ensemble for orchestral repertoire and other special projects. String Ensemble begins with Baroque repertoire to develop students’ collaborative musicianship and rhetorical skills and adds music of other styles throughout the year. The Wind Ensemble explores traditional wind band repertoire as well as various styles of jazz music. In addition to building technical skills on their instruments, all students expand their understanding of music theory and develop their music-reading skills. There is also a strong emphasis in Wind Ensemble on developing improvisational skills. In addition to formal concerts in the winter and spring, the ensembles perform at school events and members may audition for Maine Music Educators Association All-State and District 2 festivals and ensembles.

Jazz Combo (Full year, two days a week, ½ credit): ​Jazz Combo is open to a small number of players who are part of the Instrumental Ensembles and who demonstrate a superior level of commitment to jazz performance and musicianship. Jazz Combo membership is by invitation and is determined in September. Repertory consists of contemporary jazz arrangements from a range of styles that provide opportunities for students to develop improvisational skills. The Jazz Combo performs at two formal concerts a year as well as school and community events such as Convocation and the New England Youth Identity Summit. The students often participate in the Maine Music Educators Association District 2 Jazz Festival and/or the UNH Clark Terry Jazz Festival.