SCHOOL LIFE

Fine Arts

Developing and Established Aesthetic

At The Ambrose School, we believe that true education inspires a love for beauty, excellence, and creativity. One of the Goals for our Graduates is that students develop “an established aesthetic” that is cultivated by experiencing great artistic masterpieces, especially from a young age.

 

From the youngest grades, students are introduced to the world of artistic expression through weekly art and music classes. As they progress, they refine their skills in choir, orchestra, and drama, participating in special events like our annual Christmas Program and Spring Music and Arts Festival. By developing both an eye for beauty and the skills to create it, our students learn to honor God with their artistic gifts, embracing the rich traditions of classical Christian education.

Grammar School

  • Music: Our K – 6 music instruction follows the Kodaly method, in which children are taught foundational concepts of music through folk song, rhythm, listening, games, and movement.
  • Art: Students learn art fundamentals that stretch their skills from year to year through weekly or bi-weekly instruction.

School of Logic

  • Music: All Ambrose students are required to take either choir or orchestra during their junior high years. In junior high choir, students learn to sing parts and read music, laying a foundation for life-long enjoyment of and participation in music. Junior high orchestra is focused on reading music and learning in an ensemble. 
  • Art: Students continue to practice and expand their essential skills in preparation for the specialized art classes offered in high school.
  • Drama: Junior high students from Locust Grove and Bridge Campuses may audition for the annual spring play, which is typically a Shakespeare production.

School of Rhetoric

  • Music: High school students may participate in honors choir or orchestra. Honors choir focuses on aural skills, sight singing, and ear training. Through the study of the classical repertoire, students learn features of rhythm, harmony, tuning, and the basics of strong vocal production. Students who have participated satisfactorily in junior high orchestra, or new students by audition, may join the high school orchestra, which introduces them to the performance of a broad range of music from masterworks of the Baroque to original arrangements of contemporary film scores.
  • Art: Students have the opportunity to refine their artistic skills in art courses focussed on different media, including acrylic, pastels, pottery, and watercolor. 
  • Drama: High school students from Locust Grove and Bridge Campuses may audition for the annual fall play. Recent productions have included You’re A Good Man Charlie Brown, A Christmas Carol, Fiddler on the Roof, and Clue.
  • Yearbook & Graphic Design: Students have the opportunity to refine their technical and story-telling abilities through our graphic design and yearbook courses.
  • Mock Trial: Our students’ dramatic, rhetorical, and persuasive abilities come together on our Mock Trial teams, who have qualified for state for the past ten years and made multiple appearances at the national competition.