Meridian Arts

At Meridian, art classes are uniquely student-driven. For nearly every trimester between 6th and 12th grades, students decide whether to pursue visual art, music, or theatre. In addition, students frequently take part in suggesting and designing selections offered from term to term and year to year. Each spring, students rank choices from a list of potential classes in order to determine the schedule of offerings for the following year. Courses vary widely, focusing on distinct themes, styles, or materials, and teachers also offer independent studies for more experienced students. Classes are small, flexible, and individualized to the dynamics of the group.

In Division 1 (6th and 7th grade) and high school, students are able to choose arts classes from the following disciplines:

• Visual Arts

• Music

• Theatre

Division 2 Interdisciplinary Performance

Division 2 (8th grade) students spend their full year in an interdisciplinary arts class designed to help them think about how a variety of art forms can be integrated together to build a final musical, theatrical performance. Co-taught by the music, visual art, and theatre teachers, this collaborative class starts with an existing text. Students learn about script-writing, song-writing, set and character design, as well as other visual possibilities, culminating in a performance created and delivered completely by the students. In recent years, students have worked from children’s books that include The Paper Bag Princess, The Day the Crayons Quit, and It Fell from the Sky.