Academics & Arts

Performing & Visual Arts

The arts are an integral part of the Laurel experience.

Through art history, music theory, dance, drama, drawing, painting, photography, computer design and more, students leave Laurel with an appreciation for the arts and with the skills to enjoy the arts for the rest of their lives.

From the sounds of dancing feet to vocal ensembles to full-stage productions, Laurel students are engaged in the performing arts from Kindergarten through Grade 12. The performing arts faculty encourages every student to discover her artistic passion and to develop her voice with confidence.

The visual arts faculty guide girls through both traditional and contemporary applications of diverse mediums from printmaking to computer art. From a very early age, girls experiment with a variety of materials ranging from metals to ceramics to fabric culminating in an Upper School curriculum rich in creative expression.

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Primary School

List of 2 items.

Visual Arts

In their art classes, Primary Girls explore personal expression through individual choice, self-reflection and exposure to a variety of techniques. Throughout their years in the Primary School, girls will experience drawing, painting, printmaking, collage, stitching on fabric, weaving, clay and glaze, wire sculpture, tinsmithing and more. Girls learn about women artists throughout history and how women have been depicted in art over the years. Each grade level engages in arts immersion experiences and performances combining visual art, drama, music and dance.
Performing Arts

Exploring time, space, body awareness and flexibility are central to the Primary School dance curriculum. As girls move from Kindergarten through Fourth Grade, they expand their spacial and locomotor awareness, and engage in classroom and formal performances. In music, girls internalize and express music in creative ways. They practice vocal range, deepen focus on matching pitch and participate in solo, grade-level and all-school performances. Reading music skills develop as they learn to play the ukulele.

Primary School

Middle School

List of 2 items.

Visual Arts

Art involves discovering ideas and transforming them into visual form; as such, Middle School girls have repeated exposure to diverse examples of art and opportunities to work with a variety of media and techniques to nurture their growing skills. Working in the visual arts engenders Fifth through Eighth Grade girls to the develop of positive habits of mind--including perseverance, taking risks, thinking analytically, willingness to explore options and embrace revision as a part of the process.
Performing Arts

In a classroom community, students learn to take risks as they explore their creativity. They engage in exercises that develop basic skills in dance, drama and music. As girls move through the Middle School performing arts curriculum, they grow from practicing the skills to using the skills in varying forms of self-expression. Choices in classes and performing ensembles allow artists to dive deeper into their interests as musicians and performers.

Middle School

Upper School

List of 2 items.

Visual Arts

In their visual arts courses, students experiment and utilize a variety of materials and techniques in pursuit of an authentic voice. As they create and evaluate art, students become independent thinkers who understand the principles of art, the elements of design, and the vocabulary and language of multiple media. They gain self-confidence from their ability to take an original idea from germination to fruition while they develop a deeper appreciation for the arts as an integral part of their lives and our culture.
Performing Arts

The Upper School performing arts curriculum highlights building technical skills and making informed artistic choices. High-level course work allows students to develop their visual, aural and tactile senses and to communicate both with and without language. Performance, creativity, analysis, research and criticism are vital curricular components. The performing arts program presents a number of concerts and stage productions. Classroom experiences provide students with an appreciation for and the skills necessary to allow them to enjoy the arts for the rest of their lives, as well as pre-professional skills.

Upper School

Arts Faculty

List of 10 members.

Joy Barton

Visual Art Teacher, Middle School
Catherine Butler

Visual Art Teacher, Visual Arts Department Chair
Andrew Cruse

Director College Guidance; Drama Teacher, Upper School
Leighann DeLorenzo

Director of the Upper School
Emily Felderman

Visual Art Teacher, Primary School
Joel McDaniel

Music Teacher, Primary & Upper Schools; Theater Technical Support
Ida Porris

Dance Teacher, Early Childhood & Primary Schools; Chair, Performing Arts
Kristen Sector

Performing Arts Chair, 6-12; Music Teacher; Middle School, Upper School
Eugene Sumlin

Performing Arts Teacher and Theatre Director
Cara Tweed

Music Teacher, Primary School