The Arts

This course is centered around producing a full-length play, the annual Upper School drama production. All students will be assigned roles in the play at the beginning of the year. Students will build on their acting and performance skills, develop their characters, collaborate on smaller performance projects, forge a close ensemble, conduct dramaturgical research, and rehearse, rehearse, rehearse. In late January, the class will uncover its hard work in a final production for the school community. Some after-school and Saturday rehearsals are required. During the spring, the class will perform smaller outdoor plays.

AP Studio Art is an Advanced Placement art class and the final course in the Studio Art series. Advanced-level students from the sculpture, photography, or design tracks at LJCDS are also eligible to join. AP Studio is one class that allows students to focus on 2D design, drawing, or 3D design. Students will choose which track they prefer and then develop a portfolio of several artworks within a year-long sustained investigation. All the works in the portfolio will explore a similar theme, which will be chosen by the student. This course is unique because it allows students of different art mediums to work alongside each other to develop an individualized series of artwork. Additionally, students will have the freedom to choose which mediums (within their track) they would like to use to create their portfolio. Projects and discussions are set up to help students decide on their theme, and critiques are in place to empower students to make their best artwork. All AP Studio students are required to submit an AP portfolio.

This class is offered to all students with previous experience with a traditional band instrument, piano, or guitar. Continued emphasis is given to developing musicianship and basic skills through a large repertoire of level-appropriate band literature. Class activities emphasize the development of instrument technique, tone production, tuning, fundamentals of music theory, music reading, and listening skills. Music theory competency is also reinforced using the online platform Breezin’ Thru Music Theory. Students will participate in several marching band activities in the fall, performing for several home football games and the La Jolla Holiday Parade. They learn and perform various techniques and styles of jazz, world, and pop music. A wide variety of percussion instruments, piano, and guitar are incorporated, in addition to traditional wind instruments. Involvement in this course will acquaint students with many of the life skills necessary to be successful in life and the workplace, including personal relationship skills, problem-solving, and teamwork.

Prerequisite: Band and/or teacher approval with audition

This class is an upper-level performance opportunity for accomplished wind, percussion, and rhythm-section players. While offering the same ensemble and style experience as concert/jazz/marching band, the emphasis is on the advancement of instrument techniques and the further development of ensemble performance skills. Participation in solo and ensemble festivals, state honor groups, private lessons, and/or community and youth ensembles is encouraged. Grades 10–12 students in this ensemble are eligible for LJCDS honors credit.

Students are expected to participate in all concert/jazz/marching band honors activities during or outside the normal school day, including participation in the marching band, jazz band, and Rhythm in Blue performances. Students work toward mastering the concepts and skills in rich tone quality and group and individual intonation, expressing appropriate style for various time periods, advanced articulations, and fluid technique. Precision in music reading and sight-reading is expected. Advanced music theory competency is also reinforced using the online platform Breezin’ Thru Music Theory. Involvement in this course acquaints students with many of the life skills necessary to be successful in life and the workplace, including personal relationship skills, problem-solving, and teamwork. This class offers students a wide variety of challenges in musical performance, including experiences in chamber music, analysis, theory, and history.

2 semesters, 1 credit 
Prerequisite: By audition with 2 semesters of Concert Choir (Grades 10–12)

This class is an advanced choral ensemble that builds upon the vocal and ensemble techniques introduced in Concert Choir. Students selected for this ensemble must complete all prerequisites, audition, and attain the director’s recommendation. The course emphasizes sight-singing, tone production, breath control, and other aspects of vocal technique. Performance repertoire will be selected from a variety of genres and time periods and will reflect state and national standards. The Madrigals ensemble performs regularly on campus and in the community and participates in a choir tour/choral festival each year.

This course is centered around producing a full-length play, the annual Upper School drama production. All students will be assigned roles in the play at the beginning of the year. Students will build on their acting and performance skills, develop their characters, collaborate on smaller performance projects, forge a close ensemble, conduct dramaturgical research, and rehearse, rehearse, rehearse. In late January, the class will uncover its hard work in a final production for the school community. Some after-school and Saturday rehearsals are required. During the spring, the class will perform smaller outdoor plays. 

This class focuses on the design and leadership skills necessary for an advanced technical theater student, particularly one who is looking at continuing their training at the college level. Production responsibilities are offered to students based on their resumes, portfolios, and interviews with theater department staff. The positions offered in this class are production stage manager, assistant technical director, lighting designer, sound designer, and video designer. Students are taught time management, crew leadership, how to maintain their department, how to improve their department (networking, grant writing, negotiating), how to shop quotes, and design within their area of focus.

Additionally, they learn about the different opportunities available within the technical theater umbrella and are required to work both Upper School main-stage productions which allow them to experience jobs more advanced than what is offered in the entry Technical Theater course. Students are required to prepare for and run the Arts Department’s production meetings/design meetings to ensure that their requirements for the show needs and timeline expectations are being met to the expectation level of the director and artistic director. 

This project-based class focuses on the collaborative process of making theater while building each student’s performance skills. Students expand their acting abilities, script-analysis know-how, character-building tools, and physical and vocal techniques to tell big, bold stories onstage. They also explore playwriting, directing, and design strategies. Projects include character studies, monologue work, scene studies, full-ensemble plays, and plays created entirely by students from the ground up. Our showings will be primarily in class for invited audiences.

This class is an integral part of the theatrical program, providing students an opportunity to participate in the areas of lighting, sound, props, costume design, scenic design, and construction. These five basic design areas of theater allow students to develop their skills in planning, communication, technical execution, and problem-solving. Students have an opportunity to develop these skills on a measured basis throughout the semester so that they can participate in drama performances and musicals with a solid foundation in design. While the course covers all five areas of design, students have an opportunity to pick one main area of interest for further study.