At King School, our students are exposed to many forms of creative expression and encouraged to pursue an artistic passion or discover a new one.
King’s Performing Arts program, which includes theater arts, music, and dance, offers students the opportunity to make personal and cultural discoveries by participating in a creative, disciplined and collaborative process. Through a structured communal process, students develop self-confidence, perseverance, imagination, reflective thinking, and intuition.
The Art and Design program at King School stresses the importance of original creative thinking and personal artistic expression. Students learn to use a wide range of art media, techniques, and design concepts through assignments that are age appropriate and challenging. A wide variety of traditional art classes are offered as well as digital media, including photography, animation, and filmmaking. Each class culminates in an OPEN project , which stands for Original, Personal, Experienced, and Novel. Students independently apply their learning by creating an original project of personal significance, becoming experienced through practice while exploring novel ideas and applications.
King’s stunning state-of-the-art Performing Arts Center (PAC) plus multiple art studios across campus offer tremendous support for students' creative pursuits. The lobby of the (PAC) doubles as extraordinary exhibition space for students, professional artists, and alumni. The Lower School Makerspace and the Middle and Upper School Innovation Lab provide additional opportunities for students to design solutions to real world problems.
"I'm impressed by the students' creativity, maturity, and thoughtfulness in tackling the show's themes. They are successfully bringing to life the challenging and sometimes frightening aspects confronting adolescents," said Mark Silence, the show's director.
Grade 6 student Alicia Leng and grade 8 student Olivia Asnes love to sing, but they also enjoy that choir includes non-singing activities. We also "learn how to read notes, find out if you are singing the correct pitch, and learn how music can impact the world," says Olivia.
How do I express who I am through art? King students in grades 4 and 5 confront this challenge, developing self-expression as well as technical drawing skills. Art and Design Faculty Debbie DePouli reflects that "with the turmoil and uncertainty of our current times, the art studio is a place for students to hone their creativity, while having a safe outlet to process their experiences and emotions."
"I've been looking forward to being a part of this since pre-K," states grade 5 student Eden Weisel. "We are learning about ancient civilizations. It has been amazing to be able to act out Greek myths and bring these stories to life." Eden plays Demeter, daughter of Persephone. "It is a story about the power of a mother's love for her child," she adds.
Grade 4 student Nikita Gusinski appreciates the camaraderie that takes place in his music class. Lower School students partner with their performing arts teacher Cara Grimaldi to create a new classroom contract each year that supports an inclusive classroom culture.
Giana Mazotas, Grade 4 student, feels she "likes music class because there are so many songs that you can learn and instruments you can play. You can work with friends and practice independently when you're playing the ukulele. It helps me learn when we can talk to each other and move around the room to keep ourselves active. Because we know so many chords and songs, I feel like I can keep playing the ukulele even after we stop playing in music class."
