The arts are an integral part of the curriculum and culture at BCDS. We believe students become more sensitive observers of themselves and the world around them through exploration of the arts. In addition to teaching technical skills, arts courses address issues of diversity, emphasize problem solving skills, provide opportunities for students to express and challenge themselves, and encourage students to take a positive and active role in our community. Arts teachers work closely with other faculty to provide links between the arts and other disciplines. It is common to see a science class singing, a literature class acting, and an art class listening to a history lesson. Two popular upper school electives are called “Algorithmic Art” and “Music and Literature.” These connections enrich the learning experience for everyone in the school community.

Arts Requirements & Extracurricular Options

Middle school students take a trimester each of visual art, music and drama in grades 6, 7 and 8, taking their arts courses five out of seven days in the rotating schedule. Students are introduced to the basic vocabulary of the art forms, learn elements and principles that apply to each discipline, gain an overview of art history, and express themselves using the basic skills and techniques they have learned. Students are exposed to art from many different cultures while working on interdisciplinary units in the middle school curriculum.

Upper school students are required to take at least two years (4 trimesters) of art as a graduation requirement. While some students choose to focus on visual art, music, or theater, others explore all three disciplines, and many students are involved in artistic endeavors throughout the four-year program.

In both middle and upper school, the visual and performing arts are also an extracurricular option (as an afternoon activity, in lieu of participating in a sport for up to two terms per year).

In addition to required and elective arts courses and afternoon activities, students have many opportunities to share their talent with the community. The annual arts calendar at BCDS includes:

• 3 choral and chamber concerts
• 3 jazz concerts
• 7 theater productions, including middle and upper school musicals
• 6 gallery shows of student and professional artists in two and three-dimensional media
• The Jazz Café and the House Chamber Concert
  
  

Arts Facilities

Space devoted to the arts abounds on campus. In addition to the state-of-the-art facilities of the new Visual and Performing Arts Center, the original school building has an exhibition gallery (The Nancy Lincoln Gallery), a main-stage auditorium (Bradley Hall), and a spacious art studio on the top floor (McElwain Studio) that has ample northern exposure, as well as other dedicated rooms for ceramics and large three-dimensional projects.