OVERVIEW OF THE WALDEN ARTS
Arts education is an integral component of academic achievement and of Walden’s curriculum. Walden School recognizes the potential for each student to excel in the fine arts: visual arts, music, and drama. The developmentally-appropriate curriculum is designed to provide students with the fundamental skills, techniques, and knowledge to participate in the arts. Our K-12 program encourages creativity as well as aesthetic appreciation.
School-Wide Participation
School-wide activities that feature the arts include rotating artwork displays, two Lower School musical performances a year, at least three Middle School drama productions a year, two High School theatre productions a year, and the ultimate, culminating drama production: the annual K-12 musical.
Family members are involved in these events as audience members and by assisting with props and costumes. Although a number of Walden graduates have gone on to college to pursue advanced art education, the overarching goal of Walden’s art program is to educate each student to be a lifelong participant in and supporter of the arts.
K-12 Outdoor Musicals
Wonderland (2022) and Wizard of oz (2021)
DRAMATIC ARTS
Every year, Walden assembles an extracurricular K-12 drama cast that culminates in a grand spring production: the annual K-12 musical. The all-school musical is an outstanding identity of our school culture, embodying the celebration of community and the fine arts.
The dramatic arts are also offered in the curriculum to students in Middle and High School. Middle School drama is a required semester course for students in Grades 6-8. The Middle School drama program seeks to advance the student from the basics of acting (6th Grade) to an intermediate performance level with a small-scale production (7th Grade), to a full-scale performance preparation (8th Grade). High School drama is offered as an elective for credit. High school drama tailors productions to complement the abilities of the students enrolled in the class. (Lower School students are occasionally recruited for both middle and high school productions).
VISUAL ARTS
LOWER SCHOOL
The Lower School visual arts program focuses on exploration and fosters enthusiasm for creative thinking. Walden community spaces are utilized to demonstrate and celebrate student work. Lower school students take art twice weekly.
MIDDLE SCHOOL
The Middle School visual arts program offers instruction in both 2-D and 3-D formats. Projects include design elements such as color, line, shape, value, texture, and form, as well as design principles such as repetition, contrast, balance, and proportion. Individuality and creativity are valued. Art history is incorporated into the project presentation. The art classroom allows students to work in different media at the same time in a studio setting. Fifth Grade students take art twice weekly. Students in Grades 6-8 take art daily for one semester each year.
Middle and High school artwork from Walden is entered each year into the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards Competition, the oldest and most prestigious art competition in the United States. With over 2,000 entries per year, Walden students steadfastly perform well both regionally and nationally.
2017 MIDDLE SCHOOL SCHOLASTIC ART AWARDS
One Gold Key - Regional
Two Silver Keys - Regional
One Honorable Mention - Regional
2018 MIDDLE SCHOOL SCHOLASTIC ART AWARDS
One Silver Key - Regional
Two Honorable Mentions - Regional
HIGH SCHOOL
The High School program furthers the study of the elements and principles of design, with a push toward students’ production of conceptual work. The art history component in the high school includes weekly art journal reflections. Students study artists or art genres, and then respond to their chosen works in written or drawn format. Advanced Placement classes are offered in both Drawing and 2-D Design. The average AP score in art over the past five years is 4.5. High school students take art classes as an elective.
Middle and High school artwork from Walden is entered each year into the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards Competition, the oldest and most prestigious art competition in the United States. With over 2,000 entries per year, Walden students steadfastly perform well both regionally and nationally.
High School
Scholastic Art and Writing Awards
2017 HIGH SCHOOL SCHOLASTIC ART & WRITING AWARDS
One Silver Key Medal Award - National
One Gold Key - Regional
Two Silver Keys - Regional
Two Honorable Mentions - Regional
2018 HIGH SCHOOL SCHOLASTIC ART & WRITING AWARDS
One Gold Key - Regional
Two Silver Keys - Regional
Nine Honorable Mentions - Regional
2019 HIGH SCHOOL SCHOLASTIC ART & WRITING AWARDS
One Gold Key Medal Award - National
One Gold Key - Regional
One Silver Key - Regional
One Honorable Mention - Regional
2020 HIGH SCHOOL SCHOLASTIC ART & WRITING AWARDS
One Gold Key Medal Award - National
One Gold Key Portfolio - Regional
One Gold Key - Regional
One Silver Key Portfolio - Regional
Three Silver Keys - Regional
Three Honorable Mentions - Regional
2021 HIGH SCHOOL SCHOLASTIC ART & WRITING AWARDS
One Gold Key - Regional
One Silver Key - Regional
Three Honorable Mentions - Regional
2022 HIGH SCHOOL SCHOLASTIC ART & WRITING AWARDS
Two Gold Keys (Art) - Regional
Three Gold Keys (Writing) - Regional
One Gold Key Portfolio (Art) - Regional
Two Silver Keys (Art) - Regional
One Silver Key (Writing) - Regional
One Honorable Mention Portfolio (Art) - Regional
Three Honorable Mentions (Art) - Regional
One Honorable Mention (Writing) - Regional
2023 HIGH SCHOOL SCHOLASTIC ART & WRITING AWARDS
One Honorable Mention (Art) - Regional
One Silver Key (Writing) - Regional
MUSICAL ARTS
General music education is part of the curriculum in Lower School and students take music twice weekly. It is primarily a participation-based class, in which students actively engage in creative movement, listening to and describing different genres of music, playing different types of percussion instruments, playing the recorder, improvisation, melodic and rhythmic composition, and performance. There are two major musical/dramatic performances, as well as a variety of smaller seasonal performances that students participate in throughout the school year. Students also study music appreciation as they gain a better understanding of the relationship between music, history, and culture, and participate in various projects that relate music to other forms of art and disciplines outside of the arts.
Band and Choir
Music participation (band or choir) is a requirement for all Middle School students, and 9th–12th Grade students are offered the opportunity to continue band instruction. Middle Schoolers in Grades 6-8 are required to take a music class and have the opportunity to choose between band or choir. Participation in a music program seeks to develop competency by developing and honing students’ skills and love of music through performance. Band students acquire knowledge in both music theory and history as they become proficient on their instruments, regularly engage in reading and notating music, performing a varied repertoire of music, evaluating musical performances, and working together towards a common performance goal.
School band members actively engage in performing in large and small ensemble settings, both within our school and in the Louisville community. These performances include two concerts, a Kentucky Music Education Association (KMEA) Solo and Ensemble Assessment, and a full band KMEA-sponsored District Assessment.