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VAPA Electives
The Visual and Performing Arts Program at Hale Charter Academy encompasses an extensive, collaborative, and innovative curriculum. Within the VAPA Program, students have the opportunity to create and explore different art forms in their first year at Hale. During their 7th and 8th grade years, students will choose a particular strand of art to develop, practice, and create. Six art strands are offered at Hale as part of the visual and performing art experience: Art, choral, instrumental, drama, dance, and creative writing.
Art
“Art enables us to find ourselves and lose ourselves at the same time.”
-Thomas Merton |
Students learn a variety of art skills teaching self-expression, focus, discipline, inventiveness, social skills, problem solving, and critical thinking.
General Art introduces the basic art elements and principles as they are applied within various art projects. General art is open to all grades and is a beginning level course. Advanced classes are primarily hands-on drawing, painting, pastels, and more. Classes include art history and discussing and viewing art from master artists. Students will be encouraged to use their creativity and own ideas while creating their art. This class may also work on special projects for the school. Advanced Art is available to 7th and 8th graders by submission only. Submissions take place in the Spring for the following year. Contact Mr. Sonderling for more information |
Dance
“Dance is the hidden language of the soul.”
-Martha Graham |
Dancers make connections to, with and through dance to the world around them and finally—to themselves. It is a celebration of humanity and those who have come before, dancing down through the ages. Learning to create, observe, and communicate through dance, students use a variety of skills including: Ballet, tap, hip hop, and world dance to create expression.
Hale offers Beginning Dance, Intermediate Dance, and Advanced Dance classes. All dances classes are by audition only. Auditions take place in the Spring for placement for the following year. Contact Mrs. Ball for more information . |
Choral
"The only thing better than singing is more singing." -Ella Fitzgerald
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Choral Music introduces students to many concepts including reading, writing, and composing music. Students learn a rich and vast music repertoire from many time periods and cultures all over the world. They learn to work together, critically think, problem solve, comprehensively listen, actively engage, and create beautiful music as individuals and as a whole. Singing is also known to improve immune function, lower stress, improve mental alertness, boost confidence, broaden communication skills, and much more. Hale offers three choirs: Beginning Choir is available to 6th grade without audition, and two advanced groups are also offered for 7th and 8th grade by audition only.
Contact Mrs. Karagianis for more information |
Drama
"Nothing in theatre has any meaning before or after. Meaning is now." -Peter Brook
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Intro to drama is a beginning class covering theatre fundamentals that requires daily participation in pantomime, character study, projection and public speaking. Students also learn improvisation techniques.
Advanced Drama is an intermediate class covering theatre fundamentals that requires daily participation in pantomime, character study, projection and public speaking. Students taking Advanced Drama must have already taken Intro to Drama as a prerequisite. Contact Mrs. Ball for more information |
Instrumental
“Without music, life would be a mistake.” – Friedrich Nietzsche
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Instrumental music students will learn the fundamentals of operating their instrument, and creating and performing music alone and with others. Instrumental music students learn how to read music and most importantly learn the importance of active listening. In addition to the most obvious performance practices of music performance, all instrumental students will be critical thinkers, careful listeners, responsible, and reflective. Students participating in instrumental music learn how to become college and career ready integrating the principles of the performing arts, the fundamentals of teamwork, as well as speaking, reading, writing, science, math, and history. This combination of interdisciplinary practices and fundamentals through performing music teaches our students and our community how to appreciate the universal language, music.
Instrumental classes include: Beginning and Advanced Orchestra, Beginning, Intermediate, and Advanced Band, and a zero period Jazz Band. Advanced and Intermediate classes are available by audition only. Contact Mr. Cruz for more information |
Photography
“Photography is the story I fail to put into words.” -Destin Sparks
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Photography is a semester long class at Hale available to 7th and 8th graders. No submissions are necessary to take photography, talk to your counselors for placement.
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Piano
“Life is like a piano; the white keys represent happiness and the black show sadness. But as you go through life’s journey, remember that the black keys also create music.” -Unknown
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Piano is a semester long class available to 7th & 8th graders. It is an introduction to piano and no audition is required. This course includes learning to read, write, and play both classical and popular music.
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Creative Writing
“Start writing, no matter what. The water does not flow until the faucet is turned on.”
— Louis L’Amour |
