Arts

Summit understands that creativity leads to innovation, and our arts program prepares students to be innovators in whatever filed they ultimately enter. Our arts facilities include the state of the art Arts and Technology Building, Loma Hopkins Theatre, and Music Wing-in these spaces and with the guidance of our experienced and professional staff, Summit students are able to explore the visual and performing arts, develop their talents for experimentation and discovery, build independence and confidence, and find and pursue their passions.

Performing Arts
Our performing arts program includes performance opportunities in both music and drama in our two main performance spaces-the 300-seat Loma Hopkins Theatre and the 75-seat black box theatre.

Students participate in musical performance beginning in Junior Kindergarten. Band instruction is available beginning in the 3rd grade. Students have a chance to compose and record original songs in our digital music studio.

Drama education begins in 2nd grade, with major main-stage performances in 3rd, 6th, and 8th-9th grades. Drama productions run the gamut from original plays by Summit's Writer-in-Residence, nationally known children's playwright Charlie Lovett, to Broadway style musicals, readings of Greek tragedies, and adaptations of classic literature.

Music, Dance, and Drama are also incorporated into the curriculum through the study of cultures such as Native Americans, Pioneers, Ancient Greeks, and medieval Europeans. Performance is also part of our audio and video production program, which includes writing, filming, and editing original films; recording radio dramas; and writing and presenting news broadcasts.

Visual Arts
The Visual Arts program at Summit School offers students, at their own personal level, a safe environment to pioneer their artistic expression. The children also enhance their academic performance through:
• Fostering originality and creativity
• Bolstering confidence in their own ideas and improving self-esteem
• Encouraging independence and problem solving skills
• Encouraging community collaboration
• Improving fine motor skills and hand/eye coordination
• Encouraging creativity through memory, observation, and imagination

Visual Arts facilities at Summit include two art studios, a pottery studio, a digital media studio, a design center, and a photography classroom and darkroom. In studio art, students from all divisions explore a variety of media. Digital and darkroom photography are offered to upper school students.