The Fine Arts

Equal emphasis is given to the arts so that every student learns to draw and paint, sing in the choir, act on the stage, give speeches, and engage in debate.

Music

Music appeals to the ear and the mind, the emotions and the intellect, the senses and the spirit. Chesterton Academy students are exposed to a wide variety of music that they perform chorally several times a year. An education at Chesterton includes music theory, performance, ear training, note reading, and musical analysis. Music history is taught according to the grade level with an emphasis on music development within the Church, and corresponds to the historical period in which the students are immersed. Students perform in grade-level choirs and in the all-school choir at choir concerts and Masses.

Visual Art

Chesterton Academy believes that a complete education should include the development of the creative nature of the human person and provides students with the tools and techniques to express their ideas, feelings and love through visual art. We also seek to provide students with the analytical skills needed to consider a work of art. The mechanical skills and the aesthetic aptitude is put into the proper context of eternal Truth. A good artist is a complete thinker and vice versa. The influence of the arts in today’s society cannot be overstated, and this is why art is mandatory at Chesterton Academy all four years.

Art History & Studio Art Sequence

Grade 9: Ancient Art History | Drawing and Calligraphy
Grade 10: Late Roman and Early European Art History | Pastels and Colors
Grade 11: Late Gothic, Renaissance, and Baroque Art History | Oils
Grade 12: Classical, Romantic, and Modern Art History | Oils

Drama

The dramatic arts are particularly powerful in our present culture where movies and the media are often the primary source of knowledge and ideas for many young people. Drama involves the study of how words are brought to life, and in order to successfully do this on stage the actor must learn to see the work as a whole, to understand the author’s vision and the time in which it was written. In other words, the actor must learn to be a good literary critic, philosopher, and historian. Drama ties together the information students learn in the classroom and asks them to actively participate in its performance.

Performance Sequence

Grade 10: Comedy
Grade 11: Drama
Grade 12: Shakespeare