Arts
Performing Arts
Performing Arts (Grades 6 & 7)
Performing Arts (Grades 6 & 7)
Westmark School's Performing Arts department offers a quarter-long course in Music and Performing Arts. Our students are introduced to various instruments such as hand-bells, tone-chimes, glockenspiels, and are taught to read music and understand rhythm while performing familiar songs in groups. Students are also introduced to acting through monologue, scene work, and improvisation exercises and games. This is wonderful place for our students to find their talents or to continuing learning about different areas of music and performing arts. After taking this course, students tend to walk away with a better sense of their comfort levels and increase their confidence and self-esteem.
Peforming Arts (Grade 8)
Peforming Arts (Grade 8)Westmark School's Performing Arts department offers a quarter-long course in Performing Arts. Students are able to practice their acting methods through monologues, scene works, directing, creative writing, as well as improvisation exercises and games. Our students are also introduced to Technical Theater, where students learn about what it takes to put on a production and what happens behind the scenes (i.e. scenic design). This is wonderful place for our students to find what their own personal interests or passions are. Many of our students in Middle School will audition or interview for a cast or a crew position for a production once they have taken one of our performing arts courses in Middle School.
Production (Fall Play & Spring Musical)
Production (Fall Play & Spring Musical; Middle & Upper School Students)
Each year, Westmark School's Performing Arts department produces a fall play and a spring musical. Rehearsals are held after school. Students may work as a cast member in each production (Crew is only for Upper School students). The fall play is around Mid-November and the spring musical is around the end of April each year. Auditions for the fall play are held at the beginning of each school year and auditions for the spring musical are held right after students return from winter break.
Visual Arts
Visual Arts
Visual Arts
At the Middle School, Westmark offers a quarterly arts rotation which enables students to experience several art forms throughout the school year. Middle School visual arts classes are hands-on studio classes designed to introduce students to foundational art concepts, and to explore a variety of media. Classes are divided into 6/7th grade mixed level classes, and 8th grade classes. At each level skill building assignments scaffold the skills necessary to complete more complex projects. A variety of projects provide experience with the related arts concepts and mediums – such as paint, collage, printmaking and sculpture.
Student work is showcased at an annual Arts Showcase and at school events throughout the year.
After School Enrichment
Digital Arts
Digital Arts The Westmark Digital Arts department provides two mandatory quarter-long courses to Middle Schoolers: one course for a combined 6th/7th grade division and one for an 8th grade division. Students in the 6th/7th division use DLSR cameras to practice the basic concepts of subject selection, framing, focus, exposure, and image review. The 8th grade division builds upon these fundamental concepts with a deeper exploration of the camera’s manual functions as well as basic photo editing techniques to improve and/or manipulate their best selected images. Students in both divisions contribute photos, designed "sign-on” screens, and class videos to Westmark’s daily news broadcast, WNN.