Performing Arts

Music

The Middle School music curriculum explores elements of musicianship through listening, history, composition, and performance. Students sing, play instruments, listen to and analyze a wide range of musical genres and traditions, along with working on collaborative and creative projects.

Students also have the opportunity to participate in Middle School Choir, Middle School Orchestra and private Instrumental Music Lessons.

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Grade 5 Music

Students learn music elements: beat, rhythm, melody, dynamics, meter, and tempo. They learn these terms by experiencing each element through singing, moving, playing, reading, arranging, composing, improvising, and writing. The music class develops their music making experience by incorporating movement in creating music and improving their literacy skills.
Grade 6 Music

Students continue to build musical skills, working on rhythmic and melodic improvisations on Orff instruments and handheld rhythm instruments in groups of three and four. Using graphic notation and moving towards translating that into Western classical music notation, composition projects will draw inspiration from books, art and poetry. Projects also include the use of technology for composition and non-traditional music composition.
Grade 7 Music

Students continue to explore music composition and performance with classroom instruments and music technology programs. This year also includes a unit of study of music and musicians from the Western Classical Music History. The emphasis of their projects is inquiry and engagement with the research which they share with the class.
Grade 8 Music

The final year of general music study is focused on student choice and uses New York City as inspiration for their research. Students choose a music venue and explore its history, genre, and notable performances. Students compose in GarageBand on mini-projects that prepare them for their culminating project. This is a collaboration with the Grade 8 drama class to score and write/film/direct/act in a short film.
Middle School Chorus

The Middle School Chorus is open to all students in Grades 5-8 without audition. Unison, two-part and three-part harmonies are sung. Students sing with other Spence choral groups at the Winter and Spring Choral Concerts and the Interschool Choral Festival.
Middle School Orchestra

The Middle School Orchestra is open by audition to students in Grades 5-8 who play violin, viola, cello, double bass, flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, trumpet, trombone, and percussion (other instruments may be considered by petition). In order to continue musical and technical growth, students must participate in ongoing individual instruction on the instrument they play in the orchestra. That instruction can be through private one-on-one lessons, either at Spence or outside of Spence, or through Orchestra Sectionals at Spence. All students must have at least one year of experience on their instrument to participate.

In this ensemble, students focus on perfecting several pieces each semester, learning individual parts and coordination within the larger musical collective. Students learn to collaborate with one another, connecting musically through personal reflection, group expression, deep listening, and musical negotiations as a full ensemble. Repertoire ranges from Baroque through the 21st century. Orchestra students are expected to perform in both Winter and Spring Ensemble concerts in addition to other events each year.

Dance

The Middle School dance curriculum aims to develop students’ dance skills and kinesthetic awareness in terms of dynamic alignment, balance, articulation, isolation, efficiency, weight transfer, and the initiation of movement in the body. Classes are taught in a supportive environment in which students are encouraged to express themselves creatively, take individual initiative and experiment with dance forms. The art of choreography is emphasized as students progress through the program. Students in Grades 6 through 8 can join performance ensembles that participate in the annual Dance Concert.

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Grade 5 Dance

Dance 5 focuses on individual strengths of each student utilizing introductory concepts of modern and creative dance as well as exploring dances from around the world. With an emphasis on composition and choreography, students explore choreographic structure and phrase development through vehicles including space,time, energy and shape. Students are encouraged to improvise, create and perform movement phrases based on their own or assigned ideas. They learn to assess the aesthetic and thematic qualities of a dance and how to communicate them in a constructive, objective manner.
Grade 6 Dance

Dance 6 is a dance technique class with an emphasis on technique and choreography. Along with learning about famous dance artists, students learn to connect movement concepts of the modern, ballet, and jazz vocabulary. The class focuses on the development of a common movement vocabulary in which students can demonstrate technical skill with stylistic nuance. The class reinforces a fundamental dance vocabulary focusing on the individual strengths of each student. More advanced concepts of movement and technique are introduced, allowing students to explore the varying degrees of dynamic movement.
Grade 6 Dance Company

This group is open to all Grade 6 students interested in dance. The dance company meets once a week after school to explore new movement vocabulary and composition. Attention is focused on the development of a choreographic work and the elements of the rehearsal process are established. Students in this group perform the finished choreographic work in the annual Dance Concert.
Middle School Dance Company

This group is open to all Grade 7 and Grade 8 students interested in dance. Students are offered the experience of rehearsing and performing the works of resident and guest choreographers in the annual Dance Concert. Ballet-based modern vocabulary comprises the repertoire of work for the students in these groups. These works explore broad social and cultural themes while continuing to build individual dance and performance skills. Cooperation among students is encouraged and a sense of ensemble is formed.

Drama

The Middle School drama curriculum helps students establish and develop a foundation of techniques in exercises, immersive projects and presentations. It gives students the opportunity to work in a collaborative environment where they can enhance artistic and creative talents, develop problem solving strategies, foster strong communications skills, encourage independence and imagination, broaden understanding of personal growth and self-awareness, and develop a life-long appreciation of Theatre.

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Grade 5 Drama: Beginning Acting Technique

In this course, students are introduced to the fundamental concepts of creative theatrical play. Classwork aims to strengthen each student’s ability to make the imaginative choices that lead to creating character and setting. Basic pantomime and techniques for physical and vocal expression are addressed in improvisational games and exercises. Group cohesion, trust, and respect for one’s peers are emphasized as each student develops their skills in creating characters and scenes that will form the basis for more sophisticated work in theater.
Grade 6 Drama: Creative Collaboration

In this course, students are exposed to ensemble building and collaboration through various drama projects focused on playmaking. Trust and respect for one anothers’ peers are paramount in creating plays together and is essential in all of the work in this course. No one student can create a play, it takes several students to work together for it to be executed. Students will be given a variety of exercises and assignments throughout the semester that will enhance this idea and allow for imaginative choices to be made as original pieces are developed.
Grade 7 Drama: The Theatre Practitioner

In this course, students will be building upon what they have learned from Drama 5 and 6 by delving deeper into the theatrical disciplines that are intrinsic in the construction of a play. First, the Actor: students will be developing strong vocal technique. Second the Storyteller: students will be developing an understanding of Status and how to apply status in scene work. Third and Fourth: The Director and the Designer: students will learn basic skills needed to direct each other and design the costumes and sets for a play.
Grade 8 Drama: Putting it All Together

In this course, each student will be building upon what they have learned in Drama 5-7 and putting their technique together by diving deep into character work. Monologues will be analyzed and memorized as well as physical exercises. During the Historical Project, students are immersed in capturing a character’s look, mannerisms, emotional life and understanding their backstory. The semester culminates with a collaboration with the music class on the writing and filming of a short film. 8th grade drama students also have the opportunity to participate in the Grade 8 Play either as a performer or behind the scenes.
Grade 8 Play

The annual Grade 8 Play is presented during early February and is open to all interested eighth-graders. Being a member of an ensemble and the value of all performers is stressed throughout the production. Interested students are also encouraged to also work as members of the technical crew and to assist with costumes, lighting, sound, and stage management. Examples of recent productions include Still Life with Iris, A Wrinkle in Time, Little Women, and Puffs.