Fine Arts

The Fine Arts encompass theatre, band/music, and visual arts. Antilles School's curriculum offers programs for students to explore each of these areas, discover their passion, and grow their craft.

THEATRE

The theatre program allows for beginning, intermediate, and advanced groups to become their own ensembles. Some will be actors, some painters, or set builders, but all will be able to individually explore the parts they like best, and see how they all fit together to deliver a cohesive production.

Students map out sets and see their vision through, catering to more technically-minded students as well as performers.

Not everyone is going to become an actor. We know that, but there are experiences theatre gives you that can be applied to anything, and everything, else.

Strengthening communication, building confidence, and giving students opportunities to take risks and be reflective are just a few of what we hope are the biggest takeaways of our program, along with building safe spaces for conversation and platforms for teamwork.

BAND & MUSIC

In the Lower School students are exposed to music from various cultures. They sing and perform songs from memory that connect to parts of the curriculum, and different celebrations. They learn about rounds, partner songs, and ostinati. Different instruments are introduced and basic notes and reading music begins in third grade. Learning to play and perform with handbells, chimes, and rhythm instruments are also part of the program.  Students also enjoy learning and performing local dances and participating in singing games.

Between our Fine Arts Festival, mini-concertettes in the Courtyard, and Spring Concert, the band program offers students time for composing, practicing, and actually playing their instruments.

Pep Band also helps students create and perform music they listen to daily and offers a greater source of inspiration for our budding performers - not to mention opportunities for student leadership, including teaching music or conducting an ensemble.

Students have an opportunity to apply for membership in the school’s chapter of Tri-M, an International Honor Society for band members that cultivates student leaders responsible for helping with concerts, generating performance ideas, and helping the program across all ensembles.

A general standard among successful band programs, Tri-M currently has more than 6,200 chapters worldwide and is the only music honor society for 6th-12th grade students. Additionally, the organization is incorporated into the National Association for Music Education and the Music Educators National Convention, both of which advocate for music education and the development of both music educators and students.

VISUAL ARTS

In the ELC, removing boundaries and bringing joy to the creative process is important. The students are learning basic concepts of color, shape, and space, and how to use a wide range of different art materials. The emphasis is on the process of creating and experimenting, not the finished product. They are also exposed to different artists and their various techniques and materials.

In the Lower School, art concepts are reinforced through drawing, sculpting, and painting exercises that become more developed at each level. This method helps solidify the basics (line, shape, color, texture, space, form, and pattern) so that when they transition to sixth grade, they will only have to add one or two new skills for projects like Pop Art, which is used to demonstrate scaling and measurement.

The Middle and Upper School art program provides students with opportunities to draw, sculpt, paint, and engage in mixed media art. With opportunities to be hands-on, students get to not only take ownership of their piece, they can apply any or all of the concepts about which they are learning. It also sets them up to be more independent in selecting and executing their projects, which is what they will fully have to do at the next level.