Fine & Performing Arts Department

Charlottesville City Schools recognizes the arts as an intellectual and aesthetic discipline essential for the complete education of every child. They are aware that the school is the public institution most able to bring the arts to children. The arts have never been viewed as "frills" but as an indispensable part of our culture and history, a heritage to be shared by all. This philosophy is embraced by the school board, the administration, and the community at large.

Charlottesville students and staff are excited about the emphasis placed on the Fine and Performing Arts in the schools. Students at every level are exposed to the arts and have numerous opportunities to participate in the arts. Employees of the Charlottesville City Schools enthusiastically participate in an Annual Staff Art Exhibit. This effort models to children the fact that appreciation for and enjoyment in the arts does not end after graduation!

Children Served

All students in the Charlottesville City Schools

Services Offered

The Basic Fine Arts Program:

Elementary (K-4)

one 30-minute music class per week for grades K-1
two 30-minute music classes per week for grades 2-4
one hour of 4th grade chorus per week
one 45-minute art class per week
extensive fine and performing arts recruitment program in 4th grade by upper grade teachers and students

Upper Elementary (grades 5 and 6)

year-long classes in art, band, chorus, and orchestra (alternating days)

Middle School (grades 7 and 8)

year-long classes in art, band, chorus, and orchestra, plus semester classes offered in art

High School (grades 9 through 12)

year-long classes in art, band, chorus, orchestra, theater, dance, piano, and photography (each area of study has several levels)

ArtQuest

ArtQuest, a component of the Quest program, offers differentiated instruction and experiences for students gifted in the visual arts and opportunities for students to interact with peers of similar talents. Exposure to a variety of activities in the arts allows students to discover and deepen their interests, develop their abilities, and demonstrate their gifts.

Annual Divisionwide Art Exhibit - 2 weeks every spring
Central Office Art Exhibit - divisionwide art work framed and displayed all year
On-going City Hall and Department of Social Services Art Exhibits and other community exhibits as requested
"The Unfinished Jigsaw" - divisionwide anthology of student literary and art work

Reflections

Reflections is a Summer Regional Governor's School Program, funded in part by the Virginia Department of Education with local financial and in-kind support. The Reflections Program is a 10-day summer program for middle school students gifted in the visual arts, competitively selected from Charlottesville City, Albemarle, Greene, and Nelson Counties, and the Private and Home-School students i the region. Reflections provides conceptual and visual art experiences for artistically gifted students and visual art education in association with their gifted peers.

Other Programs:

All-City Chorus Concert - divisionwide team effort
Fine Arts Assembly Programs - a well-planned schedule of professional music, theater, and dance assembly programs geared to each grade level
Artists-in-residence programs in all arts disciplines, that brings working artists and professional people into the schools
Many elementary schools participate in "Catch-a-Star" - a Kennedy Center incentive/certificate program that encourages student attendance at live performances
Charlottesville City Schools Faculty and Staff Art Exhibit

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Departmental Information

The Arts, in Charlottesville schools, cover a broad spectrum of curricula and activities. It includes a solid foundation in arts education at the elementary level as well as in-depth learning and performing opportunities at the secondary level. It also includes a well-planned schedule of professional music, theater, and dance assembly programs geared to each grade level; a carefully chosen artist-in-residence program that brings working artists and professional people into the schools; field trips to local museums and concerts; an annual, divisionwide two-week art exhibit each spring; the publication of a divisionwide anthology of student literary and art work; and a wide array of offerings for students gifted in the visual arts. Student concerts, plays, and art exhibits are of the highest caliber and are consistently attended by large, enthusiastic audiences throughout the year. A concentrated effort is made to integrate the arts into other areas of the curriculum and other areas of the curriculum into the arts. While competition is not the emphasis in any of the fine and performing arts programs, numerous honors have been received by individual students and performing groups in each area, as well as teachers and administrators, who have often been recognized locally, by state organizations, and nationally.

The fine and performing arts program in Charlottesville is an example of excellence achieved in public education today. The equation for this success includes the highest quality teaching staff and the strong support of the administration and school board. The program is supported by the divisionwide Fine Arts Coordinator. It is further enhanced by the support of many local organizations such as Ash Lawn Opera Festival, Charlottesville Chamber Music Festival, Community Children's Theater, McGuffey Art Center, Piedmont Council of the Arts, The Oratorio Society of Charlottesville/Albemarle, Tuesday Evening Concert Series, University and Community Symphony Orchestra, University of Virginia Art Museum, Virginia Commission for the Arts, and others.

Facilities

The programs presented by the music, theater, dance, and visual arts departments are greatly enhanced by the 1276-seat Performing Arts Center and Art Gallery. A professional theater manager and assistant are employed to maintain and coordinate the use of the theater. A smaller Black Box Theater is also used for productions and serves as the theater classroom. In addition, there are two art rooms, a dance studio, and rehearsal halls, complete with practice rooms, for the three musical programs.

Awards

Charlottesville has received several national accolades for the strength and depth of their fine arts programs. Charlottesville City Schools was included along with ninety other school divisions across the country in "Gaining The Arts Advantage - Lessons From School Districts That Value Arts Education," a publication developed by the President's Committee on the Arts and the Humanities and Arts Education Partnership. Also, a national survey identified Charlottesville as one of the "Best 100 Communities for Music Education in America." Charlottesville was ranked 31st in the nation and #1 in Virginia! Along the same lines, Charlottesville High School was recognized as a "Grammy Signature School," one of the 250 most successful high school music programs in the United States.