Jerry Loewen, 2009, upon accepting position of Emerson Head of School
Students at Emerson experience art as painters and potters, jewelry makers and photographers, musicians and singers, set designers and production assistants, actors and audience. Sounds of music and student performances resound. Emerson is an exuberant, art-filled experience.
- Fosters individual creative expression.
- Lays groundwork for a lifelong appreciation of the arts.
- Introduces and explores a wide range of media.
- Links with other areas of the curriculum, offering expressive ways to explore other cultures, other times, and oneself.
Visual Arts at Emerson
At Emerson, art lines the hallways and fills the display cases. In the classrooms, art broadens the study of cultures, history, language, and science.
An ancient Egyptian sarcophagus almost life-sized and brushed gleaming golden . . . The turquoise water world of the coral reef teeming with crayoned outlandish fish . . . A handsome sun face beaming in pounded copper . . . A Russian balalaika hand-built and ready for strumming
At Emerson, visual arts are explored in a sequenced K-8 program of wide-ranging media. The annual Art Shows are an all-school celebration and many students earn recognition from the Michigan Art Education Association.
ABC's of Architectural Letters |
Music at Emerson
"Ah music. A magic beyond all that we do here!"
J.K. Rowling. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. 1997
Emerson rings, sings, hums and thrums with music.
It's the sound of creative expression, love of learning, and community spirit. It's an essential Emerson experience.
Early Years
Music classes are fun and friendly settings to develop rhythm, voice and a love and enjoyment of music.
4th through 8th grade
There are ever-widening opportunities to learn and explore, to make a larger commitment and take a more personal approach. Going beyond Emerson's classrooms and numerous performance opportunities, many students perform in the Ann Arbor community, attend alumni concerts and form their own bands.
Emerson's music community
From the youngest student singing sotto voce at a first Art/Music Night to the most accomplished older musician taking bows at All That Pizzazz, Emerson's Music Program forms an inclusive community. Younger students are inspired by older. More experienced musicians are mindful of a responsibility to the group. And all are bound by a strong sense of excellence and tradition.
| Performing Groups 2nd & 3rd Grade Chorus 4th & 5th Grade Chorus 4th and 5th Grade Beginning Band 4th and 5th Grade Continuing Band Lower School Beginning Strings Lower School Continuing String Ensembles Middle School Band Middle School Orchestra Middle School Show Choir Chamber Orchestra Jazz Band | Before an Audience
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Theatre at Emerson offers a performance art class for all Middle School students. This class develops imagination, intellect, physical and vocal capabilities, and improvisational skills. In addition, the theatre program offers a class with two full-length productions each year. The 2010-11 performances are Grease and 12 Angry Jurors.