This team-taught course introduces students to the foundational principles and basic vocabulary through which the visual artists define themselves and communicate their ideas. Students have the opportunity to gain experience in digital, photography, two-dimensional and three-dimensional media forms while gaining an understanding of artistic expression and discovering what forms have personal value and meaning for them.

Open to freshmen and sophomores

Drawing (Fall, Spring)

The drawing course allows students to explore the nature of line and value with a variety of drawing techniques in wet and dry media. The course includes foundational exercises in measurement, proportion, contour line, shape and plane to create structure, as well as perspective, composition and color in drawing. The development of observational drawing skills and improving ability to draw forms from the mind’s eye are emphasized.

*There is a materials fee for this course

Open to to all grade levels

Prerequisite: Visual Arts Principles

This year-long course is for those students who are dedicated to developing a complete drawing portfolio and aspire to study visual art beyond their Severn experience. Students must complete 6-8 works over the summer prior to the beginning of the course. Students are required to submit portfolios which are eligible for AP credit.

Open to seniors

Prerequisite: A grade of A or better in Advanced Drawing and Painting, and approval of the department.

This course explores the historical and contemporary perspectives of ceramics and investigates technical ceramics processes and questions of creative artistic processes and artistic problem solving. Students learn basic ceramic building techniques as they create both functional and sculptural forms. Traditional glazing and non-traditional surface techniques are introduced. Students also learn to use the pottery wheel.

Open to to all grade levels

Prerequisite: Visual Arts Principles

Advanced Ceramics builds upon the skills and techniques covered in Ceramics while adding a more in depth understanding of the ceramic process. New methods of production will be covered including casting and tile making. This course also explores the link between clay’s historical place in art and its contemporary understanding as a medium. We will also build upon the throwing skills learned in Ceramics and expand upon the understanding of pottery, both in form and decoration.

Open to sophomores, juniors and seniors

Prerequisite: A grade of A or better in Ceramics

Students examine the sculptural form through the use of many different types of media. They begin to develop an understanding of the process of sculpture through the exploration of their own artistic perspectives. Emphasis is placed on how the elements and principles of art are applied to their individual projects.

Open to to all grade levels

Prerequisite: Visual Arts Principles

This course is designed for the intermediate level student to expand upon sculptural skills and to further develop an individual artistic voice. Projects in this course become increasingly student driven and students are expected to motivate themselves more independently in their creative processes. In this course, students are able to explore a variety of media. Students also build upon knowledge of traditional and contemporary sculpture artists.

Open to sophomores, juniors and seniors

Prerequisite: A grade of A or better in Sculpture I.

This course provides an experience similar to a college level graphic design or photography course. Students go beyond the basics of digital art and photography to develop an independent body of work based on a concentration as well as develop a breath of work that reflects a range of design based styles. Each student creates a digital and printed portfolio that must be submitted for AP credit. Students must complete 6-8 works over the summer prior to the beginning of the course.

Open to seniors

This course gives students an experience similar to a college level studio course. Over the course of a year, the student-artist develops an individual portfolio of sculptural work. Student-artists drive the artistic process from developing a vision, to making a series of art works, to taking digital slides of the work for a portfolio review. Students are required to submit portfolios which are eligible for AP credit.

Open to seniors

Prerequisite: A grade of A or better in Sculpture II or Advanced Ceramics and departmental approval.

Students gain foundational experience using the elements of art and principles of design in digital media. Using basic graphics developing and editing software in a context that incorporates the history of design, students create works and experiment with visual communication techniques. Units covered include: photo editing, typography, animation, game design, advertising, and logos.

Open to all students

Prerequisite: Visual Arts Principles

In this course, students explore the process of traditional photography techniques in the darkroom. Students translate their ideas into successful visual expression, gaining mastery of camera functions, working in the darkroom, and developing skills through working on a series of assignments dealing with light, elements of art, composition, and portraiture. Holga and 35mm cameras are available for student use, but students may choose to use their own camera. No prior photography experience is required.

Open to sophomores, juniors, and seniors

Prerequisite: Visual Arts Principles and departmental approval

In this course, students further explore the process of traditional photography techniques in the darkroom. Continuing the development of their skills working with a camera and producing prints in the darkroom. Students develop a deeper understanding of photographic techniques and explore alternative processes used in the darkroom.

Open to sophomores, juniors, and seniors

Prerequisite: Darkroom Photography

This course is designed to give students the opportunity to explore the fundamentals of digital photography. Students develop their photography editing skills through the use of Photoshop and Adobe Creative Suite software. They learn to use settings on a digital camera to examine light, color, composition, motion, depth of field, and other concepts. As a digital camera and computer are used to translate ideas into visually compelling communication, this course requires the use of a digital camera. School owned cameras are available for checkout or students may use their own cameras, if desired.

Open to all students.

Prerequisite: Visual Arts Principles

Advanced Digital Art (Spring)

In this course, students examine book design and its relationship to editing and production to create a yearbook. Units covered in book design include: typography, composition, page layout, illustrations, photo editing, and printing. Students learn how to use Adobe InDesign, Photoshop, Illustrator, and Acrobat to develop templates, layout, and create high quality pdf documents. They become photojournalists, interviewers, designers, and editors. Students may apply to become head editor after they gain one year’s experience on the yearbook staff. This course can be taken multiple times.

Open to sophomores, juniors and seniors

Prerequisite: Visual Arts Principles

Concert Choir trains singers in the fundamentals of good ensemble singing. A variety of songs are rehearsed and performed each semester, including traditional and contemporary choral music, as well as arrangements of Broadway, a cappella, and other popular styles. Daily vocal exercises develop individual vocal technique and build overall musicianship. Concert Choir performs in the two major concerts presented each year - the Revels in December and the Spring Concert in late April. Additional performance opportunities may also be scheduled. Students may take this course multiple times. All new students wishing to sing in either Concert Choir or Vocal Ensemble will need to meet with the choir director in order to be placed into the ensemble that best fits their musical needs.

Open to all students

Treble Choir is an advanced choir for higher (soprano and alto) voices only. Focusing on a wide array of challenging choral music from different genres, cultures and languages, students improve their singing, musicianship and performance skills. Members of Treble Choir participate in two concerts a year, as well as performances and competitions outside of Severn. All new students wishing to sing in Concert Choir, Treble Choir, or Vocal Ensemble will need to meet with the choir director in order to be placed into the ensemble that best fits their musical needs.

Open to all students

Departmental approval required.

This course is for string and wind players who wish to perform classical and contemporary music in an intimate musical setting. Pianists and classical guitarists are also welcome to enroll, although due to the nature of the course only one or two can be accommodated each semester. The musicians work in small groups and in full ensemble on a variety of pieces, and perform during the winter and spring concerts. Rental/purchase of an instrument and related materials required. 

Open to all students

Departmental approval required

Open to wind, brass, percussion, and fretted instrumentalists. Pianists are also welcome to enroll, although due to the nature of the course only one or two pianists can be accommodated. Instrumental Ensemble plays music from a variety of jazz, funk, and popular genres and performs at several events during the year, including Revels, Spring Concert and a music festival in the spring. Students enrolling in Instrumental Ensemble for the first time will be scheduled for a placement interview with the director. 

Open to all students

Prerequisite: Prior instrumental instruction and departmental approval

Created for students who are passionate about performing and learning new music in small groups, this course is open to guitarists, bassists, keyboard players, and drummers. Singing is a plus and other instruments may be able to be accommodated with permission from the department. In this course, students learn new music and rehearse in groups to perform and record in the studio. Other performance opportunities may arise depending on the configuration of the group and comfort level. Students are expected to provide their own instruments and applicable amplifiers, cables, and other accessories. 

*Rental/purchase of instrument and related materials required

Open to all grade levels

Prerequisite: Prior instrumental instruction and departmental approval

This course focuses on the rudiments of tonal music theory including sight singing, harmonic and melodic dictation, harmonic analysis, part writing and formal analysis. Through the course, students will have a strong grasp of the rules that govern tonal music from the mid 18th century to the present day, as well as the ability to deconstruct music through the criteria of form, harmony, and melody. The course covers all of the skills and knowledge required to take the AP Music Theory exam in the spring.

Open to sophomores, juniors and seniors

Students use GarageBand to explore the use of composition, mixing, and recording hardware in order to develop their understanding of musical production techniques. By applying the elements of melody, rhythm, harmony, and form to popular music styles, students create recordings of their own music. They then post their work to SoundCloud and keep a digital portfolio using the Weebly website creator.

Open to all students

Advanced Music Technology (Spring)

This course is designed for musicians who want to perform and record their own music or the work of other musicians. Much of this course will be based on live performing and recording, as well as on midi input. Students dive into the powerful tools offered by Logic Pro X. They also learn how to use and care for Severn’s recording studio equipment. Students post their work to SoundCloud and keep a digital portfolio using the Weebly website creator.

Open to all students

Prerequisite: Music Technology

Open to students who are passionate about learning how to engineer live recordings from a variety of instrumental and vocal sources. This course focuses on the procedures required for running a recording session from using Logic Pro X to running cables and microphones in a variety of settings to achieve a great sound. Being a musician is a plus, but it is not required in order to be successful in this course. Students are expected to learn materials through research, online content, videos and one-on-one meetings with the instructor. We meet in person as a group twice every rotation, with the remaining sessions online or in one-on-one sessions.

Open to all students

Prerequisite: Advanced Music Technology (formerly Music Tech II) and departmental approval

Introduction to Theatre Arts (Fall, Spring) 

In Introduction to Theatre, students are introduced to Theatre Arts through the four pillars of theatre making:  Acting; Playwriting; Design; and Directing.  Students will begin the semester by learning core skills in Acting in Improvisation and Acting in Text before using those skills in learning fundamentals of script writing (Playwriting), performing each other’s writing and collaborating as an ensemble to bring playwriting from the page to the stage.  In the second half of the semester, students will begin by exploring the visual world of Theatre Arts by exploring scenic, lighting, and costume design.  Student work will culminate in directing short scenes and plays for in-class performance.  The course is designed to prepare students for entry to higher level theater courses and participation in productions.

 

Open to freshmen and sophomores

Acting I (Spring)

Acting I focuses on developing the fundamental skills used in rehearsing and performing scenes from classic to contemporary dramatic literature. Through scene study in comedy and drama and through specific focus on the actor’s instrument: vocal and physical strength, control, and expression, students will hone their ability to depict characters on stage, as well as broaden the range of characters they can portray.

Open to Sophomores, Juniors and Seniors

Prerequisite: Introduction to Theatre Arts

This course may not be repeated for credit.

Students will learn the basic principles of many aspects of  theatrical design such as scenery, lighting, costumes, properties, make-up, and sound. Students will work on actual shows in Price Auditorium in order to develop these skills.  Much of the work centers around carpentry, using tools to build the sets for the middle and upper school productions throughout the year.  

Open to all students