Health & Fitness
Arts Are Vibrant and Vital in Darien Schools
Darien Schools' art programs support creative thinking, an appreciation for music, art work, and acting, and are an important part of a well-rounded education.
I had the pleasure of seeing Darien High School's Theater 308's production of "Dracula" this past Friday night and I was incredibly impressed by the overall presentation. Not only was the acting superb but the stage sets and special effects were fantastic. The whole production was so professionally done, it is hard to believe that it was accomplished by high school age students.
I have always thought the art programs in the Darien schools are great. They provide a much needed creative outlet for our children as part of their formal education. They support imaginative thinking and an appreciation for music, art work, and acting. The arts programs also help develop confidence in kids as evidenced by the Dracula cast members' highly animated performances. Music and theater groups, such as Theater 308, give our kids the opportunity to be part of a team and work together towards a common goal that is not sports related.
I very much appreciate that our kids have the opportunity to start learning a musical instrument in elementary school and can read music by the time they enter middle school. The schools teach them the art classics (my fourth grader is currently practicing Minuet on his bass and drawing still life pictures of his sneaker), but also keep the curriculum up-to-date with technology (my eighth grader is composing music on Garage Band in his Music Exploration class and will be doing digital computer artwork in art class).
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I also love to hear from my children how their art classes are challenging and make them work hard to successfully accomplish their project assignments. My middle school children have asked me to drive them in early on more than one occasion to finish an art project that required considerable effort on their part. I believe that including arts as part of their school curriculum helps develop both the analytical and creative sides of their brain thereby giving them a well-rounded education that will hopefully enable them to become well-balanced, more interesting adults.
