Experiences

Arts

The ARTS at Annie Wright Schools are about Skills, Stories, and People. Across the disciplines of visual arts, media arts, music performance, music production, technical theatre, theatre performance, and film, we cultivate the skills of each discipline so that we can more skillfully and powerfully uphold the stories, sounds, and images of our knowledge, perspectives, and identities.

We Give Arts Space

Our practice and performance venues include:

List of 8 items.

  • a historic chapel, where music is made daily with our Lower, Middle, and Upper School orchestra programming

  • a recording studio for music production and sound engineering/design

  • a textile lab for costume/fashion design and construction

  • a formal Great Hall, perfect for readings, concerts, and intimate showcases

  • a full-proscenium theater facility, seating ~350 audience, with a functional fly system, technical booth, scenic shop, and dressing room

  • 3 private music studios, each with two pianos, for private instruction or individual practice

  • 4 light and lofty visual art/design studios, where acts of drawing, painting, sculpting, designing, and building take flight

  • 2 large performing arts studios for music, dance and/or theatre rehearsals (one a fully mirrored dance studio)

We Give Arts Time

Gators participate in The Arts within and beyond their academic school day.

Like all academic subject areas at AWS, the “school day” or curricular arts are driven by the IB philosophy. Students spend ~2-3 hours each week in each arts-based special/elective in visual art, digital art/design, music, and/or theatre-based arts, depending on the divisional offerings.

Becoming a skilled artist also requires discipline-specific study over sustained periods of time.  Accordingly, conservatory-style arts-based programming is offered before and after school for those students wanting to accelerate in a specific field, medium, or discipline.  

List of 4 items.

  • AM Orchestra

    (Beginning, Middle School, Upper School)
  • PM After School Arts Classes

    (grades K-8, seasonal offerings in theatre, dance, visual arts, and music production)
  • PM Mainstage Theatre Production

    (Grades 6-12, seasonal productions for theater performers, designers, and technicians)
  • PM Varsity Arts

    (Grades 9-12, deep-dive practices in Visual Arts Portfolio, Music Production, and Film)

We Give Arts Expertise

By facilitating access to top-tier experts/coaches in each disciplinary study, Gator Creators are supported, stretched, and inspired to become versatile and skilled artists. Our team of full-time and guest instructors are active artists and educators with a range of backgrounds and skills.

List of 2 items.

  • 8 full-time curricular arts specialists

  • approx. 25 guest artists each year to coach and lead in before & after school arts programming