Drama is offered as an elective for students in grades 6-9 during the first semester. In drama, students learn more about acting and backstage elements of the theater. Drama students become more comfortable on stage and strengthen their acting skills through participation in class activities and a performance at the end of the semester. Drama classes include lessons in pantomime, improvisation and character development, as well as monologue and scene study. Students in 6th - 9th grade who choose drama as an arts elective attend class twice a week for 47 minutes during the first semester.

Music Classes are taught using the Orff-Schulwerk approach, which encourages creativity and active participation, while helping students gain musical knowledge and skills. Students are exposed to the elements of music, rhythm, melody, harmony, form, and timbre through several different musical experiences including, speaking, singing, movement, playing instruments, and listening.

Each year, all students, age 3 - grade 3, perform in a grade level concert, usually centered on that grade’s current theme, and highlights concepts and skills learned in music class.

• Preschool and Pre-Kindergarten: Music classes three times a week for 20 minutes.
• Kindergarten - Grade 3: Music classes three times a week for 30 minutes.
• Grades 4-5: Music classes twice a week for 30 minutes and choose a music elective, band or chorus, which they also attend twice a week for 30 minutes.
  
  

Chorus is an elective for students in grades 4-5 throughout the entire year, and is a fine arts elective for students in grades 6-9 during the first semester. In chorus, students learn more about vocal production and singing in an ensemble as they prepare for several different concerts throughout the year. Choral students will strengthen their singing skills and gain further knowledge of musical concepts. Choral rehearsals incorporate vocal warm-ups, music notation reading, movement, and playing classroom instruments.

• Grades 4-5: As a music elective, attend chorus class twice a week for 30 minutes.
• Grades 6-9: As an arts elective, attend chorus class twice a week for 47 minutes during the first semester.

Musical Theater is offered as an elective for students in grades 6-9 during the second semester. In musical theater, students build upon skills and knowledge they gained from participation in chorus and/or drama classes during the first half of the year, as they prepare to participate in a large scale musical theater production at year end. During rehearsals, students will strengthen their singing, acting and dancing skills as they learn more about the historical and cultural background of the show through character studies and research.

• Grade 6-9: Students who choose musical theater as an arts elective, attend class four times a week for 47 minutes during the second semester.

For more information about the Tesseract Drama, Music, Chorus or Musical Theater Programs, please contact:

Ms. Terri Scullin

tscullin@tesseractschool.org

Band is offered as a music/arts elective for students in grades 4-8 throughout the entire year. In band, students learn to play a band instrument through progressional studies on how to play their instrument. Ultimately, the students learn the musical concepts and ensemble skills necessary to play their instruments properly with the entire band, as well as on their own. There are three skill levels of bands at Tesseract:

• Beginning Band for 4th-graders
• Intermediate Band for 5th-graders
• Advanced Band for 6th - 9th-graders

The Tesseract Band performs several concerts throughout the school year.

• Grade 4-5: Students, as a music elective, attend band class twice a week for 30 minutes.
• Grades 6-9: As an arts elective,students attend band class twice a week for 47 minutes.

Visual Art Classes encourage exploration, discovery and self expression in a discipline based approach. Students learn vocabulary, technical skills and artistic styles through the Aesthetics. The personal growth and development of each student is recognized. All students are considered artists with various strengths and are afforded opportunities to improve on learned and acquired skills. Sharing of ideas and critical analysis is experienced with respect for the individual’s work, effort and visual communication of ideas. Each child is evaluated on an individual basis and their own progress. Our goal is to have each child realize their own artistic ability and appreciate the process of visual communication from social, historical and cultural views. When appropriate, we will integrate curriculum themes and topics.

• Kindergarten - Grade 1: Meet once a week for 1 hour.
• Grades 2-5: Meet twice a week for 90 minutes. 
• Grades 6-9: Choose an elective class that focuses on a specific area of the fine arts.

For more information about Tesseract Visual Arts Classes, please contact:

Barbara Perez
bperez@tesseractschool.org

Back to Top