 | The arts are alive and center stage at Brooks. The visual arts curriculum allows the novice artist to tap unknown creative talents while giving experienced students a platform for serious study. Courses include painting, drawing, ceramics, studio techniques and digital art and design. Theater productions vary from year to year, featuring a wide-range of material. And the diverse selection of music courses, ensembles and activities offer students the chance to make music a part of their lives.
The visual arts program at Brooks is grounded in the importance of process. Students use clay, paint, pencils, found objects, cameras and film to present an idea, story or problem. Brooks School artists gain visual vocabulary through a study of the historical canon, and subsequently learn to manipulate elements of design, composition and color theory to present their own ideas effectively. In each of the visual arts classes, students of all levels create original bodies of work, participate in both formal and informal critique sessions, and ready pieces for display both on campus and in the greater Boston area. Brooks studio art faculty are passionate working artists in their own right, offering an authentic and current understanding of the struggle and joy of creating work.
All Brooks students, whether in studio classes or not, are invited to exhibit in the annual student exhibition held in February at the Robert Lehman Art Center. More than 60 works of art were exhibited last year of all media, including painting, drawing, sculpture, photography, ceramics and fashion design.
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Students are able to work on three theater productions each year: a fall play, a winter musical and a spring play. Recently, Brooks productions featured a comic farce, a Tony-Award winning musical and a comedy-drama. And students were tapped during the past two years to direct the spring productions. And while most productions take place either in the school's auditorium or black box theater, students sometimes choose more unusual venues for specific productions.
The diverse selection of music courses, ensembles and activities offer students the chance to make music a part of their lives. In addition to scheduled performances, students sing at alumni and admission gatherings and other special events. As students get inspired more groups are added each year. Ensembles now include several a cappella groups, Gospel Choir and Brooks Chorus. Much like the vocal ensembles, the instrumental ensembles perform at alumni and admissions gatherings and other special events. Groups include Advanced Jazz Band, the BrooksTones jazz band, Chamber Ensemble, Bishops Bells and three different rock bands. Courses offered include audio recording, music theory and jazz history. |
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