This department is the integration of two major fields in human expression: Music and Arts with Foreign Language (Spanish). These three subjects together are part of the extended world of humanities. At Lawrence Academy our main goal is to inspire and encourage our students to give their personal best in order to get ready to mount the challenge of higher education.
The middle school art program at Lawrence Academy is infused with a variety of images and approaches acquired from previous art education and many personal experiences. The students are very aware of pop culture and tend to incorporate this into their work. Teaching acceptance and appreciation of differences in student work becomes an integral part of the art experience. More refined and probing questions tend to be asked and answered. A study of historical and cultural context gives students insight into the role of visual arts. This contributes to a student’s gain in a clearer understanding of what they themselves value. Throughout middle school the knowledge is cumulative and progresses to a development of a more productive and creative process and product.
In the Middle School music program, our main goal is to teach students to value music in their own lives and as an essential ingredient in the lives of all humans. Student learn the importance of music and to value the music of different cultures. They also begin to understand the development of sound as part of storytelling.
In the Exploratory program, grades 7 – 8 attend 12 weeks duing the school academic calendar. Students use basic language to interact with their peers about familiar topics. They are able to understand contextualized directions, commands, key words and phrases, and they can make inferences from the materials they hear or read. They rely heavily on visual cues and/or props. They are involved in short presentations including poems, songs, and other internalized materials.
They gain some insights into other cultures as well as their own. They are able to apply learning strategies and processes from other disciplines and they can develop their own strategies to help them learn better. Their experience with the language is not limited to the classroom. They are encouraged to take their language outside of the classroom by accessing the Internet, participating in e-mail or regular correspondence, and interacting with their community.