The Arts
The Arts at Westside: Creating, Understanding, and Appreciating
The arts are essential to the human spirit. Through the arts, students express and develop their unique perspectives in the spirit of curiosity and inquiry. Developing individuality is a vital part of the community: understanding self, others, and our place in the wider world. The creative process fosters confidence, originality, and risk-taking, while promoting equitable outcomes by offering multiple entry points to access knowledge and demonstrate understanding.
At Westside, Arts education is most effective when it:
- Reflects students’ identities while offering windows to diverse perspectives.
- Builds skills and understanding of artistic principles, techniques, and practices, fostering measurable growth.
- Encourages freedom and autonomy within a supportive learning framework.
- Connects across disciplines, giving students space to explore concepts across content areas.
- Promotes a growth mindset, celebrating the joy and connection found in productive struggle.
Visual Arts
Our visual arts curriculum is rooted in the six elements of design—color, line, form, shape, texture, and space—and encourages students to explore materials, techniques, and artistic concepts. Art is often integrated with subjects like science, social studies, and language arts, making it a meaningful part of interdisciplinary learning.
The program emphasizes sharing artwork with the community, including school exhibitions, hallway displays, and two Middle School Arts Showcases each year. Students learn about curation, collaboration, and leadership in presenting their work.
Music, Theater, and Dance Education
Music develops students’ physical, emotional, intellectual, and social skills, fostering confidence, cooperation, and coordination. Students learn concepts like beat, rhythm, pitch, melody, harmony, dynamics, and form—experiencing them before learning their names.
LEARNING AT WESTSIDE
STUDENT EXPERIENCE
