Involvement in the arts is a hallmark of an MKA education. Integral to
the Primary School curriculum, the fine and performing arts program
provides many avenues for self-expression as well as opportunities to
work with and understand one another. Starting in Pre-K, students
attend weekly dance, music and art classes, and also spend time
preparing for class plays, seasonal concerts and exhibitions.
As students progress through the Middle School, the fine and performing
arts program continues to encourage self-expression, self-discipline
and creative risk-taking. Quarterly courses in art, music, dance and
drama continue through the seventh grade, and students combine all of
their related skills to stage major theatrical productions, be it the
sixth grade musical, the seventh grade Shakespeare play, or the eighth
grade original drama, that are highlights of the Middle School
experience. Eighth grade students have the opportunity to select
quarterly arts electives, including offerings that incorporate
technology, such as Arts and Technology and Graphic Design. All Middle
School students have the opportunity to practice and perform in the
choral, band or strings program as well.
Upper School students must have a minimum of nine fine and performing
arts credits to graduate, and the department encourages students to
take a variety of courses and to explore disciplines in the arts that
are outside of their previous experience. Based in the Upper School's
new three million dollar Arts Wing, the range of fine arts offerings
includes Fundamentals of Art, sculpture and photography courses; and
the performing arts offer opportunities to participate in Band, Jazz
Band, String Orchestra, Chorale and Mastersingers as well as theatre,
dance and communication courses, which often combine study of design
and performance. Students may also choose to participate on stage or in
the production of one of the major Upper School performances-a fall
play, a winter musical and a spring play or movie- the latter which
consistently wins professional awards.
