The Arts

Our approach to arts integration allows the arts and classroom learning to support each other.

The Arts

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Arts Integration

The arts are critical components of the GCCS curriculum. Instruction in music, visual arts, and creative movement allows students to creatively express their understanding of topics learned in the classroom.

Physical Expedition (Dance & Movement)

Our Physical Expedition program emphasizes dance, creative movement, and collaborative games. Our students learn to use their bodies to express Expedition content learned in the classroom. They are choreograph their own pieces in addition to learning the basics of yoga, capoeira, ballet, tap, and modern dances. They also learn healthy habits of fitness by building strength, balance, endurance, and flexibility. Some attention is given to traditional sports, particularly in the upper grades levels. Sports and games are woven into the curriculum as students explore historic and global traditions of recreation.

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Music

GCCS students are immersed in music, both in the classroom and in their weekly music class. Taught using the Orff-Schulwerk approach, our students sing, play, compose, and dance through their understanding of complex Expedition content. They experience music from many different cultures and are exposed to a wide variety of musical forms, such as opera, jazz, and African drumming. By the time our students leave GCCS, they have learned to create and appreciate music and are equipped with creative tools that will help them succeed in future endeavors.

African Drumming pic

Visual Arts

Our focus on local history allows us to integrate visual arts into classroom Expedition content. Field studies give our students ample opportunities to exercise and improve their skills in observing, narrating, and visually recording what they have learned. Additionally, students create artistic representations of their learning during daily class work and weekly art classes. A series of artworks, for example, might represent several iterations of their thinking and problem solving in the classroom.