Arts & Music
Arts
The Eastminster Visual Arts Program includes a comprehensive studio art and art history curriculum. Students study some distinctive artists, a wide spectrum of cultural artistic practices, several major periods in art history, basic art terminology, and a variety of art materials, art media, & art making techniques. Each year the students follow a new thematic curriculum. The 2006-7 curriculum was entitled Artists A to Z, the 2007-8 curriculum is entitled Studio Art Essentials, and the theme planned for the 2008-9 school year is Art Through the Ages. Each student is given their own sketchbook and portfolio to maintain, as well as a series of lesson objectives to complete over the course of the year. Students also participate in a spring art exhibit and in several art fundraising activities through out the year. All art lessons at Eastminster are designed to include: inspirational creative exercises, meaningful learning experiences, and productive activities that develop artistic skills and encourage the creation of fulfilling artwork.
Lower School Music Program
Students at Eastminster School are actively engaged in music through imitation, exploration, improvisation, analyzing, creating, and communicating by the use of speech, movement, singing, and instrument playing.
All lower school students are singers, but students also develop proficiency on “Orff Instruments.” Orff Instruments were developed by Carl Orff. The instruments are xylophones, metallophones and glockenspiels. The students also use other pitched and unpitched instruments. The Orff Instruments enhance the children’s voices and help to develop gross and fine motor skills. Even the youngest of our children are successful on the instruments on their very first experience.
Kindergartens through fourth grades focus on songs, games, movement and drama. The goal at this level is to teach listening skills, motor skills, vocabulary, beat competency, communication of moods and feelings. There is an emphasis on different cultures and history and students also study composers from various periods in history.
The lower school students perform two musical productions a year; a winter musical and a spring musical. Every student is given the opportunity to audition for a solo at one of these programs. The students also go out into the community and perform at local retirement homes and for civic organizations.
Lower School String Instruments Program
The Eastminster School String Program follows a holistic approach to music teaching and learning at all levels. The family and its community context are central to learning.
The program in string instruction is based on the best exemplars of string pedagogy and performance. Approaches include principles adapted from Shinichi Suzuki’s pedagogical philosophy; research findings on expert string pedagogues, such as Dorothy DeLay; the classic literature on string instruction written by Galamian, Flesch and Auer; ongoing findings on human development in the fields of Music Instruction and Study and Cognitive Psychology, and the professional training and experience of instructors.
All students follow a rigorous curriculum of technical development and are expected to participate in their own school ensembles and are encouraged to participate in any of the outstanding local youth and regional orchestras. String instruction and study is open to students 5 and up (younger by audition). |
