Art, Design and Technology

The Department of Art, Design and Technology is committed to furthering students’ artistic potential and guiding them through a process of artistic exploration that encourages cultural awareness and builds intellectual and personal characteristics. The goal of this multifaceted approach is to create an environment of innovative and critical thinking where both Middle School and Upper School students become conscious of their integrated role and their membership in global and local communities, spread their artistic messages and acquire a life-long appreciation of the arts.

Central to the philosophy of the department is the belief that artistic sensibility is a vital part of a well-rounded education. The arts curriculum places a dual emphasis on the development of artistic skills through dedicated practice, and a rigorous approach to creative exploration, individual discovery and purposeful play. The arts faculty seeks to teach through structured classroom instruction, performance and exhibitions, community outreach projects, interdepartmental collaborations and extracurricular activities.

The school’s ambitious arts program is not limited to the classroom. Co-curricular opportunities abound, with performance groups, gallery exhibitions, concerts and theatrical presentations. Accordingly, there is co-curricular time set aside in the afternoons and evenings for artistic activity.

Students interested in private instruction in vocal and instrumental music are also able to arrange lessons through the department.

The Arts, Design and Technology department in the Middle School scaffolds students artistically, through exposing them to a variety of different mediums and disciplines of art, engraining in them the elements and principles of art, and helping them develop in a steady progression as they continue to explore the arts at King’s Academy. Students are expected to enroll in Music or Visual Arts in each semester of their 7th and 8th grade years. Throughout their course work, students are introduced to elements of Dance through pre-defined modules within the structure of the Arts courses.

The Middle School students’ artistic exploration is not limited to class time, as they continue to imagine, play, problem solve and create through the Middle School Workshop and Engage programs, where students get the chance to interact with visiting artists, experiment with mixed-media arts, produce and perform in a Spring Play and Improv Theater.

2024-2025 Course Descriptions