This course is open to all interested students regardless of prior experience. Each term focuses on a single instrument, and that instrument of choice may change from ensemble to ensemble. The students study the history of the instrument and perform at a recital at the end of each term, as well as in occasional informal performances. Emphasis is placed on reading, aural, rehearsal, performance, and blending skills, which apply to all music. Selected members of the ensemble are occasionally asked to rehearse and perform in collaboration with other ensembles.

This is a non-audition vocal ensemble designed to introduce treble voices to choral ensembles at a high school level. Students learn basic vocal technique as it pertains to choral and solo singing, to read and notate basic notes and rhythms, to use appropriate musical terminology, to sing simple music at sight using Solfège syllables, and perform music in multiple languages from various genres and musical eras. Each semester’s culminating performances are a meaningful and compulsory component of this class.

This is a non-audition vocal ensemble designed for tenor and bass singers. The core curriculum emphasizes the basics of healthy vocal technique and musicianship, providing assistance to the changing and developing voice, reading and notating simple notes and rhythms, using appropriate musical terminology, and functioning as a musical ensemble. This ensemble will perform music in multiple languages from various genres, cultures, and time periods. Each semester’s culminating performances are a meaningful and compulsory component of this course.

(READING AND KEYBOARDING). This course is designed to help students develop basic analytical skills in reading and notating music. Attention is given to note recognition in all clefs, aural and rhythmic dictation, and building scales, keys and chords. Students will also develop rudimentary keyboard skills in order to assist in deepening their understanding of music theory.

(COMPOSITION AND CREATION). Music Theory II is designed as the natural progression from Music Theory I. This course functions for the intermediate to advanced student musician in order to more thoroughly understand the elements of music theory, composition, and musicianship. Ear training and sight-reading are critical parts of this course. In addition to incorporating analysis of more complex musical works, students will also create music and understand the guidelines used in music written by others in order to better understand the inner workings of composition. Students taking this course must read music and it is preferred that students have been a member of one of our music ensembles before taking this course, but it is not required.

This is an auditioned, intermediate-level vocal ensemble whose focus is on developing higher musical literacy, challenging choral repertoire spanning several genres, languages and time periods, intermediate to advanced level vocal production, and public performance. Emphasis is placed on developing more advanced musicianship and professionalism. Participation in this ensemble requires semi-regular public performances that are a meaningful and compulsory component of this course.

To understand the techniques and concepts used in the modern, digital recording studio, students learn how those ideas were forged and study the development of each new technology. Only with this information are they able to make intelligent decisions in the recording process. Basic concepts of acoustics and their application in the modern studio are emphasized. Past and current technologies are observed and implemented in the classroom as well as in projects. By the end of the course, students record a live performance and mix it in the studio, as well as build a recording one track at a time.

Private instruction is available for most instruments and voice on a weekly basis and at an additional cost. Instruction is provided by some of the finest musicians in the greater Boston area. No academic credit is granted. Students enroll by completing the summer online form or by speaking directly with the music department head.

This course is designed to be the equivalent of a first-year college course in music theory. Students prepare for the advanced placement examination in May. The ability to read and write musical notation is fundamental. It is also strongly recommended that the student will have acquired at least basic performance skills in voice or on an instrument. (NOT OFFERED IN 2021-2022).

This semester-long course allows students to study a project in music under the supervision of a member of the department.

This is an ensemble that studies and performs music written for large ensembles in a variety of styles including swing, blues, Latin-American, and modern jazz/rock fusion. Members of the group work together to develop their skills in such areas as precision in performance, accuracy of style, and group awareness. Opportunities are provided for those who wish to explore the art of improvisation. This group, also known as "The BrooksTones," performs at the winter and spring concerts, jazz brunches, and a variety of other events throughout the year.

This ensemble furthers the structure and intent of Jazz Band at a higher level and with a strong emphasis on improvisation and collaboration. This group performs at the winter and spring concerts as well as a variety of other events throughout the year.

This is an intermediate-level orchestral ensemble whose repertoire spans from the Renaissance Era to Contemporary 21st Century music. With an emphasis on standard orchestral repertoire from the last two centuries, students build skills in music reading, intonation, interpretation, and group dynamics. The Chamber Ensemble regularly performs at school functions, final semester concerts, and outside venues both alone and in collaboration with the choral forces at Brooks School.

The band is designed for instrumentalists and vocalists interested in studying, composing and performing music in rock style. The group performs at school functions throughout the year.

This course builds upon the work established in Rock Band. The course is a small ensemble class which is geared towards preparing the group for a variety of live performances in the rock and pop genre. Students work as a group and individually to learn the material on their various instruments or vocally, as well as studying other aspects of live performance. Two major and one or more minor performances will be scheduled for the ensemble during the school year.

From character analysis to combat techniques students discover and hone their unique performance style as they explore acting onstage and on camera. Students will collaborate on a historical range of text and technique from diverse playwrights to inform their performance work while participating in showcase performances and creating original short films. This is a differentiated classroom for first and second level acting students.

In this hands-on course, students will explore all aspects of technical design and theatrical direction including but not limited to constructing costumes, rigging scenery, programming lights/sound, and dramaturgy. Students in this course have the opportunity to assist with design or/direction of a mainstage production.

This hands-on class covers stage carpentry processes, including building and covering scenery, rigging and flying scenic pieces, and lofting and sawing techniques. Students learn the proper and safe operation of hand and power tools commonly used in scenic carpentry as they complete personal projects and collaborate on mainstage productions.

From character analysis to combat techniques students discover and hone their unique performance style as they explore acting onstage and on camera. Students will collaborate on a historical range of text and technique from diverse playwrights to inform their performance work while participating in showcase performances and creating original short films. This is a differentiated classroom for first and second level acting students.

Students engage in all aspects of stage direction and playwriting in this active, collaborative class. No experience? No problem! Through classroom exercises, script analysis, and staged readings, beginning to advanced students explore and expand upon the necessary techniques to create and direct theatrical works. This course culminates in an original play festival featuring staged readings of students’ original work alongside historical and contemporary pieces. This course may be repeated if a student wishes to continue developing their skills but does not intend to specialize by taking an advanced acting class. (NOT OFFERED IN 2021-2022)

This year-long course is designed for students who demonstrate strong performance techniques and have been recommended by the Arts Department. In this performance-based class, students undertake in-depth character analysis and explore sophisticated ways of expressing their character(s) as individuals and in an ensemble. Students engage in master classes, generate original material, explore a wide range of historical techniques, and hone their skill sets through showcase performances. There is also potential for collaboration with Advanced Open Studio. As the course material and ensemble members shift yearly, students are able to repeat this course to continue advancing their skills.

STUDENT DIRECTION AND DESIGN. After choosing a concentration in stage direction or design, students collaborate with the Director of Theatre and Technical Director to mount a student led production on the mainstage.

This course is an introduction to dance and movement. It is ideal for all students, actors, athletes, anyone who has never danced before, or those who dance at a beginning level. Throughout the course, students are introduced to and engage in four units: Evolution of Dance, Dance and the Human Body and Brain, Cross-cultural Dance Studies, and Social Arenas and Pop Culture. Students explore the basic principles of dance and examine the aesthetic elements of movement. Through both movement and critique, students examine various dance styles. There are explorations and formal exercises to learn how to see, generate and manipulate movement in clear and creative ways.

This course is designed for students who have strong technique in dance and movement and have been recommended by the Arts Department. It covers dance technique in the styles of ballet/lyrical, modern/ contemporary, jazz, hip hop and a variety of partner dancing. Students explore improvisation, choreography, and dance history. Additionally, students discover how dance systems relate to language, culture, race, national origin, beliefs, history and identity. The interdisciplinary study of dance honors one’s individual ancestries and the ancestries of others. The focus of this course will be on technique, performance and choreography. By committing to this course in the first semester, students enrolled in Dance II are entered into a variety of regional dance competitions in the spring and have the opportunity to compete in solo, duet, and group pieces.

This course combines pottery wheel skills and hand-building methods to build sensory awareness, creative dexterity and self-expression. Elements and principles of design will inform the work while additive and subtractive methods will be used to create the work. Students will explore functional and sculptural construction using stoneware clay and a broad spectrum of surface finishes. There will be a final project of creating a complete uniquely styled collection, either functional or sculptural.

This hybrid studio and performance art course seeks to take the novice’s interest as lifelong audience members of visual media to build a foundation in film language and techniques. In this course, they become familiar with the language and vocabulary while learning the basics of pre-production (developing an idea, storyboarding and scripting), production (shooting) and post-production (editing). Students develop the skills of creativity, collaboration, communication through the process of visual storytelling with video production exercises, screenings, critiques and class discussions.

This course is designed to teach students the basics of woodworking in a step-by-step and machine-by-machine process building a collaboratively designed project that lays the foundation for good woodworking technique. Our emphasis will be on the achievement of a solid foundation in the skill and process of the woodworker's craft, rather than on the size and complexity of the product. The proper use of machinery with emphasis on shop safety will be reviewed. Students will be expected to learn about and safely use hand tools, power tools, and woodworking machinery. Students will expand their knowledge and experience through various projects, lessons, exposure to diverse woodworking artists and practices and technical vocabulary. The course will culminate with a capstone project that the student will build and exhibit.

Experiences and ideas make meaningful art, students in this course will explore traditional, cultural and contemporary systems of drawing with an emphasis on nature. The principles of design and the elements of art will be used to emphasize the arts as an all-inclusive language. We will examine the Brooks campus environment and align it with our aesthetic views of global inclusion. We will use drawing as a form of communication to reflect each student's voice. In this course, we will be looking at our memories, dreams, and interests as additional sources of inspiration. Students will be required to work in a sketchbook and create and maintain a digital portfolio, along with their in-class project work.

Students will delve deeply into the nuances of working with paint to express ideas, explore a concept or tell a story. Students will learn and practice strong critique and presentation techniques in order to effectively communicate their work and ideas; they will be charged with creating a series of works that address specific challenges including still life, landscape, portraiture and narrative. Experimentation in different painting media, including acrylic, gouache, watercolor and mixed media will be encouraged. Students will be required to work in a sketchbook and create a digital portfolio, along with their in-class project work.

Students will begin the semester combining functional pottery and sculptural forms using hand building and pottery wheel methods. Students will have an ongoing journal and research aspect to their physical practice of ideas that are of interest to them and that will be shared with the class weekly. As the semester progresses, they will choose a direction to either combine or isolate these methods to develop their personal point of view in either functional or sculptural work. The final quarter, they will create a cohesive body of work that will include surface finishing methods. Throughout the course, the students will also be learning and assisting the firing processes.

This course offers an in-depth exploration of 3-D forms of sculpture. While students will continue to use the basic elements and principles of design to create and inform their work, they will be asked to interpret selected subjects in multiple mediums and styles with a personal point of view. Students will explore additive and subtractive methods in clay, wood, plaster, fabric and found objects until they discover one they will work with in depth for the final quarter of the semester. Students will choose to work in degrees of realism and abstraction of different subjects such as the figure, landscape, portraiture and design while also maintaining a sketch book of developing ideas. A final project will be done in a series of three works based on the students’ preference of subject and medium.

This beginning animation course exposes students to digital techniques used in computer animation. Emphasis is on creating movement and expression utilizing electronically generated image sequences. Students learn basic theory and mechanics behind animation develop observational and drawing skills and study the fundamental principles of design and layout.

This course focuses on drawing techniques as they pertain to the commercial illustration strategies, concepts, and specialized illustration techniques used by designers and illustrators. Students create illustrations in digital formats. Emphasis is on creative interpretation and disciplined draftsmanship for the visual communication of ideas. (NOT OFFERED IN 2021-2022)

Students will learn all aspects of publishing a newspaper (The Brooks Shield). The course entails news writing, in-class writing assignments, and journalism ethics discussions. Students will learn about various forms of journalistic styles by reading from texts that will include In Cold Blood, The Right Stuff, Consider the Lobster, and a variety of current news stories from publications such as The New York Times, Boston Globe, and Wall Street Journal. Skills students will master include interview techniques, news writing, and editing. There will also be an opportunity to lead the decision-making process for what gets included in the The Brooks Shield...and what doesn't.

MEDIA ARTS. This course provides an opportunity for experienced New Media artists to build a portfolio in either Photography, Cinematography, Animation or Digital Art. The open studio format allows for considerable individual attention and the freedom to narrow one’s focus. Combining advanced artists and passion-driven independent inquiry within the same space will establish an environment that fosters experimentation, collaboration, risk-taking, and the systematic analysis of one’s work. Through long-form critiques, guided inquiry, self-discipline, and collaboration, students will prepare highly developed portfolios that focus on concept and exploration. Students will develop their unique visual language further and implement it with purpose. The portfolio students create in this course will highlight their voice by showcasing their depth, breadth, and mastery. The students in this class will curate and produce a portfolio (with option to submit to AP 2D), a Student Art Exhibition in the Center for the Arts or The Robert Lehman Art Gallery and their own permanent addition the Brooks Virtual Reality Gallery.

This course provides an opportunity for experienced visual artists to build a portfolio in either Drawing/Painting, 2D Design (photo/film) or 3D Design with a body of work that demonstrates breadth and depth. Students will submit a portfolio to the College Board in May, in addition to helping curate two Student Art Exhibitions in the Robert Lehman Art Gallery.

This semester-long course allows students to study a project in art under the supervision of a member of the department.