Visual & Performing Arts

Learn how to communicate through graphics and digital photography. In this class, you will “focus” on the basics of camera operation, exposure, image control, picture composition, photo enhancement, and photo manipulation. This course discusses digital and traditional film photography, design, graphic arts, and electronic communication through discussions and mock-ups. You will complete photography projects which demonstrate techniques such as portraiture, composition, landscapes, architecture, wildlife, and nature. It is STRONGLY recommended that you use a digital camera for this course to complete all required assignments. If you choose to use a cell phone for this course, you will also need to access a photo editing application that permits users to apply settings that can generally be applied within menus typical of DSLR cameras. Note: This course does not focus on how to use specific photo editing software, but rather on the characteristics of various forms of photographic art and techniques used to achieve such artwork. Therefore, students should be prepared to use their camera and software editing tools or plan to learn and experiment with their use on their own while completing course activities.

In this course students will “travel back in time” to learn some musical basics and history. In the first three units, students will learn about basics of musical ideas, notation, and instruments. In the remaining 5 units, students will learn about important musical ideas and people from the Ancient Times to the 20th Century. Students will be guided through a series of activities, lessons, and assessments that teach them to identify and think about music in a way they may not have previously thought to do.

Building on the educational outcomes of Visual Arts in elementary and middle school education, high school art prepares students for personal development in the arts, the construction of a body of work that may be instrumental in admission to higher education and professional development. The Visual Arts/Comprehensive I course introduces art history, art criticism, aesthetic judgment and studio production. Emphasizes the ability to understand and use elements and principles of design through a variety of media, processes and visual resources. Explores master artworks for historical and cultural significance.