The arts have always been a core component of curricular and co-curricular life at Beaver. From classrooms and performance spaces within the Visual and Performing Arts Center to the light-filled McElwain Art Studio, the school boasts state-of-the-art facilities that further this important tradition.
The visual and performing arts play a pivotal role in our curriculum as well as in the co-curricular lives of students. At Beaver, we recognize that participation in the arts cultivates creativity, self-expression, and self-discipline. For that reason, we have designed our schedule to ensure that students have the opportunity to take arts courses in each grade.
Studying the arts supports students as they move from concrete to more abstract ways of thinking and communicating, and encourages essential habits of mind that prepare them for the future. In the Middle School, students take a semester of theater arts and a semester of visual arts. Students take a full year of music working in both smaller ensembles and larger orchestra setting.
In the Upper School, our three-term system gives students the flexibility to take arts courses during all four years. All 9th and 10th graders are required to take an arts course during two of the three terms. In the 11th and 12th grades, students may continue to take arts electives while pursuing a full spectrum of other subjects.
Beyond the Curriculum
Performing Arts
The Performing Arts Afternoon Program complements the Performing Arts curriculum, allowing students to participate in productions, performances, concerts, and exhibits.
Visual Arts
In addition to using our entire campus as a student art gallery, the Visual Arts department also has several shows throughout the year in the Victoria Griffin Gallery—located in the center of our campus.
Arts Facilities
Performing Arts
From the Black Box Theater to the Costume Design Shop to the Tech Workshops, we have the space, tools, and technologies to put on a high-caliber level of performances and productions.
Visual Arts
We have multiple spaces on campus for our visual arts students, including a sculpture studio, a photography studio, and the stunning third-floor McElwain Art Studio.