Fine Arts

Performing, creating, and responding are primary ways in which humans engage in music. Singing, playing instruments, moving to, and creating music enable people to acquire skills and knowledge that can be developed in no other way.

Learning to read and notate music gives students a skill with which to explore music independently and with others. Listening to, analyzing, and evaluating music are important building blocks of musical learning. To participate fully in a diverse, global society, students must understand their own historical and cultural heritage as well as those of others within their communities and beyond. Because music is a basic expression of human culture, every student has access to a balanced, comprehensive, and sequential program of study in music.

Highlands music classes utilize The Orff-Schulwerk approach, which helps to develop the students’ ability to improvise and create music as well as to interpret and express music through movement and song. Students perform a musical with speaking lines each year.

Art serves as a distinctive vehicle for discovering who we are and connecting with the world around us. At Highlands, the art curriculum prepares students to be successful in a 21st century environment that demands innovative thinking and creativity. The program is designed to reach all students and offer them a broad range of experiences and activities.

While supporting the National Art Standards, art instruction is based on Connecting, Creating, Presenting, and Responding using the Elements of Art and Principals of Design. Students are exposed to creative opportunities through various mediums and areas of self-expression, which are further enriched through the study of art history and the works of accomplished artists. That being said, the visual art program helps our students to develop creative confidence, critical thinking skills, self-image, and appreciation for other cultures by providing them with unique learning experiences not taught in other core areas.