FINE ARTS AT DENVER CHRISTIAN SCHOOL

ARTISTICALLY SPEAKING

At Denver Christian School, we encourage our students to use their God-given gifts in the fine arts to glorify Christ as Lord and Savior. Well-known for our programs in the visual, literary and performing arts, Denver Christian School challenges and enables students to pursue excellence.  By exploring many different artistic mediums and theories in art classes, students preschool through twelfth grade gain a complete background in visual art expression.  In creative writing exercises and presentation projects tied to every subject in the curriculum, student develop a knowledge of the written word and gain confidence in their ability to express themselves.  Performance opportunities in band, drama and music abound both in the classroom and in after-school activities which allow students to learn and grow in performance arts.

VISUAL ARTS

Our elementary art teacher sees God in everything and often engages students to use recycled materials to create new things.  We understand that each child will produce art in his or her own way, and therefore we celebrate their works as inspired by their creator. In these early years, they are also being equipped, learning art theory and concepts.

 

 

Middle school and high school teachers continue to build on the early concepts, working in a variety of mediums that will culminate in a high school senior synthesis project. Students have opportunity to showcase and display their work.

 

CREATIVE WRITING

Creative writing skills are explored beginning in preschool with simple poetry expression.  In kindergarten, our students are writing personal narratives.  As they grow, they learn to express themselves through the written and spoken word. By high school, writing skills are fine tuned, while faith continues to be integrated, as they explore biblical and other world views.

We equip our students in High School to develop a response to what they hear in the world around them.  We inspire them to think for themselves, and to support that thinking with critical insight expressed in their writing assignments.  Students of all ages have a multitude of opportunities to share creative writing with others through publishing in house, entering competitions, poetry readings, and art festivals.

PERFORMING ARTS

Students at Denver Christian are inspired to perform from their earliest years.  Standing up and presenting their written work in class, performing in reader’s theater, leading chapel, and engaging in poetry readings are just some of the ways elementary students experience the performing arts.  Our middle school and high school students have performing arts built into their daily curriculum through the band and choir programs with school-wide performances scheduled several times a year.

Students can also explore the performing arts at a deeper level through the drama program with theatrical performances, including dramas and musicals, that are presented in the fall and spring for the entire community.

BAND

All students in grades fifth through eighth have the opportunity to participate in our band program during their regular school day.  They have daily practice in our custom-designed band room and perform in community band concerts three times a year.  The fifth grade program includes instrument exploration, lessons on reading music, and rehearsing and performing simple songs.  The sixth grade program works on more advanced instrument instruction and provides opportunities to learn and perform musical scores.  The seventh and eighth graders have a combined band program where they can focus on gaining skills on a specific instrument and learning and performing longer, more complex musical scores.

At the high school level, students in the band program start with symphonic band which not only performs extensive musical pieces, but also explores musical composition.  Symphonic band students also have the opportunity to engage at a deeper level with a smaller, more select jazz band. This smaller ensemble performs regularly throughout the year in community band concerts as well as for other church and community venues.  All symphonic band students have the option to participate in a performance-oriented trip every other year and are also encouraged to try out for All State Band, All State Orchestra, All State Jazz Band, and other college honor bands.