By: Jack Warren, Dean of Academics
The visual and performing arts wing at Blue Ridge School is often alive with creativity. On my most recent visit, I heard the beginner music class putting on a spirited rendition of “Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye.” Just around the corner, studio art classes were designing custom cardboard guitars inspired by their favorite songs and bands, matching the aesthetics and vibe of artists from Tupac to The White Stripes. Later that weekend, I caught our open mic night, where advanced musicians jammed together with original music, demonstrating talent on the guitar, bass, piano, drums, and through vocals.
These creative acts of expression and our elective offerings are one part of what makes the Blue Ridge School education unique. They are essential forms of human expression, critical in developing the creativity and cultural literacy fundamental to a boys’ education. When a boy graduates from Blue Ridge School, he will do so with a proven artistic literacy.
Our Electives Department Chair and art teacher, Dave Welty, notes, “In my classes, I challenge students with learning both the fundamentals of the art making process and the more essential process of creative problem solving… The students explore various materials and modes of expression including drawing, painting, sculpture, ceramics, and digital media.”
At Blue Ridge, students have several opportunities to choose from a variety of art and music courses. Music students can choose from the beginner, fundamental classes, or advanced courses where they can join a band, jam, and produce music together. Students also have a variety of art classes to choose from, from studio art, to ceramics, to computer art. A popular spring elective, Ornithology, is a hybrid of outdoor and visual arts that teaches careful observation through studying native bird populations on campus, culminating in the creation of an illustrated field journal. There are also options for more advanced students, should they demonstrate a desire to pursue it.
“[In the past, I have run] individual portfolio classes that have sent students on to prestigious art schools around the country (SCAD, School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Pratt in NYC, Rhode Island School of Design, Parson’s in NYC.).” Mr. Welty continued. “My specialty is in diversity and experimentation, often using recycled materials, and focusing on engagement with the beautiful natural environment our campus rests on.”
Each BRS graduate is required to participate in some form of formal artistic study, through an accredited class or our varied after-school offerings, like the winter school play. These programs require students to engage and participate in ways that allow them to create, revise, analyze, connect and respond to a vast variety of artistic endeavors. Throughout the year, students also receive ample exposure to art forms through required and voluntary on and off-campus performances, museum visits, and weekend trips. These ideals produce graduates who are well-rounded, ready for college, and provided with opportunities for lifelong passions.
