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The Arts
Study of the arts is an essential element of every student's experience at Foothills School. As educators, we know that the study of the arts enhances student learning in every domain and will not relegate our arts experiences to rare electives programs or after-school experiences. The arts are relevant and critical to student achievement and every Foothills student receives instruction several times a week in fine art and music. Both of these core curricular areas are further enhanced by formal dance instruction, creative writing, handcraft and culturally-diverse folk art instruction, and film-making, all offered by guest instructors and experts in their fields in our CHOICE Electives Program.
What Distinguishes our Art Program
Every student at Foothills learns about movements in art history, and methodologies and material in fine art creation. But at Foothills, art experiences are tied directly to the inquiry-based "big questions" that students are asking in the academic classroom. Students learning about the body dissect it through figure drawing and exploring Cubism. As children explore the animal world, photography and line-drawing become a new way of seeing. Pottery, glazing, fiber art, batik, print making -- and so much more -- are all part of the art curriculum.
What Distinguishes our Music Program
The presence of performance experts who are also trained in education marks the Foothills Music Program as exceptional. While the early grades focus on the building blocks of music (rhythm, musical styles and forms, the basics of "reading" music), the demands for music education increase for students at the Intermediate level. By creating an opportunity for every student to explore vocal performance and instrumental work, each student can explore what is possible in his or her musical future. By the time students reach their Senior level of studies, they elect to follow their passions -- vocal performance, band and orchestra, strings, or even independent studies in music and technology.
After School Musical Theatre Program
Added in 2009-10, an after school program available to any school-aged student in the Treasure Valley develops stage skills among performers from Kindergarten through 9th grade. The semester-long program includes exposure and rehearsal experiences, culminating in a live theatre performance for everyone involved.
The Arts
Does art help with long division?
The short answer: YES!
It may be difficult to find statistics that definitively provide an answer to this question. As a qualitative and highly personal subject, art doesn’t lend itself well to quantitative studies. However, there is much evidence to support the benefits of arts education!
Art is a universal language, accessible to people from a variety of cultures and backgrounds. The visual structure and symbolism in fine art speaks without words. It tells the story of the culture, time, place and circumstances in which it is created, and thus is a way for people to learn about culture and history. The language of music and dance become universal explorations of the human experience - wherever we are from, we can listen with empathy or watch with anticipation as musicians and dancers express their realities. The creation of art works by students provides a way to express the values, beliefs, and feelings of their culture, allowing for the enrichment of life and the development of a sense of community. As our country becomes increasingly multicultural, the arts become a force to combat ethnic and cultural prejudices, and helps students and families view the world with an open mind.
While the arts are historically and culturally rich, they also supply cognitive challenges and require a high level of abstract reasoning. Students in the arts learn to analyze, interpret, and create.
Ellen Winner and Lois Hetland of Project Zero -- an arts-education program at the Harvard Graduate School of Education -- paraphrase their findings on the impact of a fine arts education: “Students who study the arts seriously are taught to see better, to envision, to persist, to be playful and learn from mistakes, to make critical judgments and justify such judgments.”
While such statements may not provide much sway in a high stakes testing environment, more and more of America’s citizens continue to recognize the value of an arts education. A 2007 study by the U.S. Department of Education included feedback from school superintendents (98 percent) and corporate leaders (96 percent) that creativity is of growing importance to the U.S workforce. A Lake Research poll of 1,000 likely voters showed that 83 percent of voters believe that a greater emphasis on the arts, along with math, science, and technology, would better prepare students for the demands of our society. “Not everything has a practical utility, but maybe it’s experientially valuable,” said Elliot Eisner, a professor emeritus of education at Stanford University. “Learning through the arts promotes the idea that there is more than one solution to a problem, or more than one answer to a question.”
The arts bring academic rigor, creativity, cognitive growth, and social and personal development. Study of the arts assures that students develop their intellectual capabilities and allows them to express their thoughts and feelings. The arts create and communicate culture and history.
Art -- in all of its forms -- is a language meant for all people.
Tara Kennedy,
Foothills Faculty of Fine Arts
The Only School to Experience the Artists of Gee's Bend...
Foothills School's unique electives program offered a quilt making class that culiminated in a visit to the school by the internationally-known Gee's Bend Quilters. The work of these outstanding artists has been featured at the Boise Art Museum throughout the Fall 2009.
A vibrant arts program makes it possible for 2nd and 3rd graders to produce this stop animation film!
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A comprehensive arts program offers a wide variety of experiences to every Foothills student.
