Arts

The Arts

Curiosity Meets Creativity

At Hammond, we believe in the power of the arts to liberate minds and spirits to create without limit. We give every student plenty of opportunities to discover what they’re capable of ... whether that be in music, dance, theatre, or visual arts. Our youngest students write plays, design costumes, and produce their own music. Middle Schoolers get serious about visual art with an intense nine-week workshop. Upper School students study sound design, musical theatre, dance, and just about everything in between.

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Lower School

Lower School students engage in developmentally appropriate experiences designed to cultivate an early appreciation for visual arts and music. It's not an uncommon sight to see a group of students writing a play, making costumes and props, and producing their own music. The arts are an integral component of the Hammond experience and help round out our curriculum for even the youngest of students.

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Middle School

Students are engaged in the arts throughout the school year. All students in fifth and sixth grade attend visual art classes and chose one musical component of either instrumental or choral music. Students in seventh and eighth grade elect two of the six semester courses: Drama, Choral Music, Instrumental Music, Dance, Technical Theatre and Visual Art.

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Upper School

Students are encouraged to participate in multiple experiences. Many progress to multiple advanced-level tracks across disciplines. A few students target one area in which to excel. Guided by a dedicated, trusting staff of professionals, the objectives are for each upper school student to be exposed to as many creative experiences as possible and to leave Hammond with an appreciation for the arts.

Let the band play on!

Beginning in fifth grade, students have the opportunity to participate in instrumental music––beginning with traditional band instruments including woodwinds, brass, and percussion. Success is acquired through skills acquisition, individual practice, performances, and competitions. Besides developing proficiency, students learn basic music theory and history. Our state-of-the-art band room includes sound-proof rooms for practice and recording in simulated environments.

A symphonic band rounds out the Upper School student’s experience, including instrument proficiency, music theory and history, as well as musical listening and sound production.

Teaching the World to Sing.

At Hammond, we love to sing, so much so that it begins in pre-kindergarten and finishes with our premier auditioned choir, the Select Ensemble. Middle School students participate in choral education, while upper school students focus on choral performance.

The premier auditioned choral group of Hammond, The Select Ensemble, is a mixed group of 48 singers that shares their gift of music to audiences both nationally and internationally.

Taking a Bow.

Dance promotes coordination, core strength, and flexibility. Students experience movement, develop and nurture respect for theater decorum, and gain appreciation of performance art. Dance is available to students in grades 7-12.

All the world's a stage.

At Hammond, we begin performing in pre-kindergarten, so we don’t even know the meaning of stage fright! Class plays and performances help build confidence and a public speaking tradition that continues after graduation. In the middle and upper grades, students have the opportunity to audition for one of our plays or musicals. It’s often an all-school production!

The performing arts are taught in grades 5-12, as well as technical theatre classes which give students the opportunity to research scripts, draft plans, and build sets.

Every class is a work of art.

Painting and drawing and sketching are everyday occurrences in the Lower School. In the classroom and in weekly art class, we think in technicolor! Lower School students have a dedicated art studio helps them discover and nurture their talents. Middle School students are exposed to a varied palette of visual expression in one of the four art studios on the upper end of campus. With one-to-one art supplies, students are free to explore, create, and express themselves through multiple mediums. Juniors and seniors begin the process of portfolio building and earning college credit through our AP Courses.