THE ECOLE ARTS PROGRAM
An Education in the Arts
Creativity flourishes at the Ecole d’Humanité. Artistic expression is a central tenet of progressive education, and we support the development of every student's individual artistic voice. Our arts program encompasses music, fine arts, and performing arts. With a thriving theater program, a variety of dance classes, and an abundance of traditional and digital art offerings, there’s truly something to inspire every artistic mind.
The Arts + Progressive Education
Arts instruction is essential to the well-rounded development of a young person. A rich education in the arts not only satisfies a learner’s sense of artistic fulfillment but also has a host of positive effects measurable across disciplines. Study of the arts has been shown to positively impact young people’s academic performance in math, language, analytical thinking, and problem solving skills.
Each student at the Ecole d’Humanité is invited to select from our broad array of artistic offerings: painting, ceramics, drawing, digital design, analog photography, and many more. Through our arts program, students might refine an existing artistic talent, or discover a yet unknown aptitude that will inspire a lifetime of creativity and fulfillment.
Graduates from the Ecole have followed their artistic passions in post-secondary education, studying art, theater or design at Zurich University of the Arts (ZHdK), Parsons School of Design, and the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Building on the creative foundations laid at our school, Ecolianers have pursued careers as wildlife photographers, furniture makers, filmmakers, or professional musicians.
The Performing Arts
The Ecole has a long-standing tradition of celebrating the performing arts. Each year, an elaborate Shakespeare production comes to the stage, where students are the players, the stage hands, producers, set designers, and the audience. Experimental dance productions draw on the beauty of our natural setting, marrying landscape and movement. Music floats across campus as pianists practice classical pieces and friends come together to jam in our band room. The Ecole performing arts program nurtures creativity, confidence, experimentation and mindfulness.
The Theater Program
Theater Arts set the stage for a lifetime of confidence and self expression. Every year we mount several theatrical performances which are absolute highlights of the Ecole experience.
With each Shakespeare production or staging of a student-produced play, our students inhabit the experience of a character, learning to stand before an audience, bravely conquering the butterflies of stage fright. On the stage, they discover first hand the delight, the confidence, and the power to be found in bringing a character from the page to the stage.
For more on our theater program, check out this short documentary on French Theater at the Ecole.
“The sheer physical beauty of the place, together with an atmosphere fostering cooperation and curiosity, make the Ecole d’Humanité an oasis in an aggressive world. My time at the Ecole better taught me how to play with others and work on my own.”
The Music Program
Music permeates everyday life at the Ecole d’Humanité. From our weekly all-school sing-alongs to impromptu jam sessions and regular musical performances, the Ecole campus is an ideal venue for young musicians to explore the musical arts.
The Ecole offers both group and one-on-one music lessons on a variety of instruments. Instruction on some more obscure instruments can be arranged off campus. Students are free to practice and create in our dedicated music room and a number of practice rooms across the campus. They compose, record and produce digital masterpieces, or play with their friends in our guitar, drum and electronic music space.
Check out this video showing our students as they bring a digital composition from idea to the dance floor.
The Dance Program
Passionate dancers find the Ecole an ideal home. Students develop their dance practice, exploring a variety of genres, from international folk dance to experimental contemporary dance. Taking ownership of the creative process, students conceptualize, choreograph and bring their own pieces to the stage.
The dance program goes beyond teaching technical skills. Rather, dance at the Ecole is viewed holistically, both as a form of self-expression and as a grounding practice. Dance is an opportunity for students to learn presence and mindfulness through movement. Collaborating with their classmates, students explore new patterns of movement, while bringing ideas, emotion and stories to the stage.
Visual Arts at the Ecole
The visual arts program at the Ecole d’Humanité nurtures unabashed creativity. Students freely explore a wide range of mediums and dive into a deep well of inspiration. From studies in the classical fine arts to experiments in digital arts, students are encouraged to develop their artistic skills and hone in on their aesthetic vision. Working alongside professional artists and passionate educators, Ecolianers are encouraged to experiment, exploring their artistic impulses with intention and openness.
The Fine Arts Program
The Ecole d’Humanité holds courses in the intensive study of the classical fine arts. In our AP™ art classes and Matura arts instruction, students can sharpen their skills in drawing, painting, sculpture and ceramics.
Together with their art teachers and peers, students work through a finely-tuned process of experimentation, feedback, revisions, improvements and more feedback, and are propelled forward on their creative journey.
Ecole students enjoy limitless creativity - their works are not judged by letter grades, rather they are measured against each individual artist’s own personal yardstick of progress.
The Digital Arts
Creativity and expression is encouraged no matter the medium. Our students gather in our graphic lab to explore digital drawing, digital editing, documentary filmmaking, podcasting, and a wide array of other forms of technological creations.
Students are also encouraged to innovate and combine mediums. They might develop a photography concept, shoot their work on film, and bring it to life in the darkroom. Then they may head to the graphic lab to manipulate their work in Photoshop™ and create a stunning layout in InDesign™.
Other Art Forms
The arts are well-represented in our co-curricular program. Students follow their creative muses using Gouache paint and colored pencils in our experimental painting class. In our ceramics lab they learn to throw clay, experiment with glaze, and fire their works in our own kiln. We offer classes in printmaking, fashion design, sewing, weaving, and many more!
When students have reached a level of mastery in their artistic discipline, they have the opportunity to share their skills with their peers. The Ecole supports seasoned artists in creating student-lead classes where student teachers are able to share their passions with others while developing their leadership skills.
