The Visual and Performing Arts Academy
at Salem High School

View a brief video overview of the Visual and Performing Arts Academy Program.

The Visual and Performing Arts Academy offers the opportunity for students who have an interest in the arts to select courses that prepare them for postsecondary advanced studies or for a faster entry into arts-related occupations. The balance between artistic development and academic preparation is at the heart of the Academy program. Students are exposed to the humanities and have the opportunity to select a course of study that will best meet their needs and interests.

The Academy is organized into five strands: art, instrumental music, vocal music, dance, and theater. Students will view each strand through the lens of four components: aesthetic perspectives, creative expression, culture and history, and analysis and criticism. The curriculum is integrated across the arts and the core subject areas. While students will select one strand on which to focus, they will be encouraged to explore more than one area of the arts. All strands emphasize performance and exhibition. Literacy is stressed across the curriculum, and all aspects of art are incorporated throughout. In addition, students enrolled in the program explore the cultural influences within the arts and the impact of the arts on history.

The instrumental music strand focuses on developing a student’s understanding of music concepts that serve as the foundation for future development of aesthetic judgment. Students apply knowledge and understanding of the elements of style, form, and cultural heritage to listen to, perform, create, and defend their musical choices. In the vocal music strand, the student’s understanding of musical concepts is developed. Students focus on their own special interests and compare and contrast social, ethnic, and cultural influences on music. As students learn about the individuals who contributed to the area and time period of music studied, they form personal choices of musical performances from all historic periods. In both musical strands, students explore career possibilities in music education, music composition, the music business, and music therapy.

Visual and Performing Arts Academy
Typical Course of Study|
Sample Student Schedule
For detailed course descriptions, please refer to the 2007-2008 Secondary School Curriculum Guide.

The visual arts strand provides consistent instructional opportunities for students to examine a wide range of forms that are natural and man-made and to create art work using the elements and principles of design. Students’ interests in individual artists and their art forms are encouraged, and they study careers in graphic design, commercial art, art history, preservation of art, art education, art therapy, and arts management.

Students taking classes in the dance strand develop an awareness of the body as an instrument of expression. They refine their skills in dance technique and choreography and increase their ability to move creatively and spontaneously. Exposure to great works of art allows students to analyze the special characteristics of noted performers, choreographers, critics, and impresarios, as well as understand how these individuals have shaped the history of dance.

In the theater strand, students learn to create, perform, analyze, and critique dramatic performances. Class work becomes formalized with the students participating in theatre, film, television, and electronic media productions. As careers and performers are studied, students develop a broad worldview.

Students involved in the music strand develop an understanding of music composition, theory, and production. Through the refinement of their technique, students increase their ability to identify the components of musical sound which enhance their capabilities for composing and performing.

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