From the Music Department…

Middle School Music

Grade 7 musicians are exploring various band instruments (drums, electric bass, electric guitar, keyboards, electric piano and other string instruments). Some students are also practicing their vocal skills by singing while other class members play the instruments.  All of the musicians are preparing for the secondary music concert that will be held at the end of April.

High School Music

Grade 9 musicians continue to build upon the vocal and instrumental skills learned in middle school band classes.  After a semester of learning band instruments grade 10 musicians are learning to play the violin and other string instruments this semester.  Musicians in grades 11 and 12 are learning classical guitar. All high school musicians, including Pak Priyadi’s after school band, are busy preparing various ensembles for the secondary music concert that will be held at the end of April.

From the Theater Arts Department…

Middle School Theater Arts

The Middle School Theater Arts classes are preparing for their end of unit in-class presentations.  After performing at the Secondary FON Expo in February grade 6 students have been working on a voice unit that focuses on expression, clarity, rate, and projection. They will perform a Readers’ Theater focusing on these four vocal skills next week.  Grade 8 students are finishing up a pantomime unit focusing on non-verbal acting skills such as facial expressions, body postures, hand gestures, and movement. They have completed a slow-motion pantomime, and their final performance will be a solo pantomime next week.   This will be the first solo performance for the grade 8 performers.

High School Theater Arts

The High School Theater Arts class has been working on a comedic adaptation from one of Louis Sachar’s Wayside School Stories. The story takes place in a vertically built school with thirty classrooms stacked towards the sky. Nothing in the school seems “normal.” The students on the top floor class are rather unusual, and have a teacher, Ms. Gorf, who is known for turning students into apples. The students find comfort in a new teacher after Ms. Gorf accidently turns herself into an apple until their new teacher turns evil as well. The school is filled with many unexplainable things from a mooing cow in the school, a mysterious teacher on the missing 19th floor to the Russian principal whose voice is heard, but never seen. The cast continues to focus on building self-confidence and character development with a focus on expression, voice projection and improvisation.  The ensemble put on a dress rehearsal of the first Act during the Festival of Nations student exhibition, and looks forward to inviting the student body to more dress rehearsals in late spring.

See also: Secondary Scoop: MS Bahasa and SS Theatre Arts

From the Visual Arts Department…

Middle school visual arts

Grade 7 artists have recently finished their projects inspired by the book Anna’s Art Adventure by Bjorn Sortland.  The book tells the story of Anna, an elementary student, who must accompany her Uncle to the art museum where he works.  She quickly finds herself bored and, after putting on a magical red dress, finds herself mixed up in the world of art. Anna meets various famous artists along her journey to find Duchamp’s fountain.  Each artist had to research and investigate one of the famous artists that Anna met on her adventure. Using the famous artist as inspiration, grade 7 artists created their own work in the famous artist’s style.  Jackson Pollock was a favorite among many students.

High school visual arts

Art I artists have recently begun to paint a mural outside of the Little Theater.   After a class vote, a student’s design was chosen to be collaboratively drawn and painted on the hallway wall.  The mural pays tribute to performances directed by former SIS Theater Arts Teacher, Mr. Sheldon, as well as incorporates newer theater productions, such as The Pied Piper of Hamelin.  Art II artists are beginning a drawing unit that focuses on drawing from observation. AP Artists are busy creating a new and well-developed piece of art every 2 weeks to add to their AP Studio Art Portfolio that will be submitted to the College Board in the beginning of May.  

Animation artists have been learning about animations through Khan Academy Pixar in a Box program. Animators will soon begin an independent project that incorporates the skills and techniques learned throughout the year as well as giving the animators the opportunity to explore animation programs and apps that have not been used in class.  

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