Arts at The Masters School

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WELCOME TO M AST E RS The Masters School is a coed day and boarding school that engages fifth through twelfth grade students in a rigorous college preparatory curriculum. Founded in 1877, Masters is located on a majestic 96-acre campus in historic Dobbs Ferry.

The a rts ar e ali ve he r e The arts play a vital role at The Masters School. Fully integrated into the curriculum and the life of the school, they also appear prominently in cocurriculars and clubs. Opportunities to study them— both during the day and after school—abound. Dance C O - C UR R I C U L AR & A F T E R S C H O O L arts :

and drama, painting and photography, music in its

Fall Play Winter Musical Spring One-Acts Studio Composition Open Art Dance Company

students to explore.

S tu d e nt - ru n clu b s : Dohters (a cappella) The Naturals (a cappella) Muse (modern dance) Urban Connection (hip-hop dance) Honorary Photo Society Art Guild Improv Club Phoenix Honorary Drama Society Touring Talent (community service)

countless forms—we offer it all and encourage our

In the School’s sunlight-filled two-story art studio, students work at drawing, painting, sculpture, and printmaking, and they put the professional ceramics studio to good use. The performing arts flourish here too: dance ensembles, a cappella singing groups, a swing band, jazz band, and orchestra. Ballet, modern dance, jazz, tap, ethnic dance, and theater are all available.

New York, New y or k Masters’s proximity to New York City is an inestimable advantage. Students frequently attend plays, musicals, symphony concerts, and other performances. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Museum of Modern Art, and the Whitney Museum of American Art are just a few of the world-class institutions awaiting a visit.

Many students receive instruction at New York City conservatories and art studios from accomplished artists, dancers, and musicians. Some of our performing artists even get the opportunity to take the stage in the city’s venues—including Radio City

FUN FACT S :

Music Hall and Carnegie Hall.

A r ts f or all Masters doesn’t wait until high school to encourage participation in the arts. Our Middle School offers many curricular and co-curricular arts opportunities.

Arts classes are taught four times per week, with instruction in piano, music theory, composition, world music, drawing, painting, puppetry, photography, and more. Middle school co-curricular groups include a dance ensemble, a rock band, musical theater, and choral ensembles.

Once in our Upper School, a ninth-grade Humanities course includes a sequence of dance, drama, visual art, and music studies. Students can also enroll in intensive private lessons and master classes—there is really no limit to the breadth and depth of artistic instruction Masters students can receive.

Number of music practice rooms in Strayer Hall: 10 Number of grand pianos on campus: 15 Number of students who take private music lessons during the school day: 285 Days per week “Open Art” studio time allows students to work on projects: 7 Number of student musical, theatrical, and dance preformances per year: over 40

R ece n t theater p rod uctio n s

AcRos s the sp ectr u m Masters’s art offerings are rich and comprehensive.

skills are incorporated within technique classes. Our

39 Steps Beauty and the Beast Almost, Maine Babes in Arms Amadeus God of Carnage Pippin

Here is a brief overview of the various disciplines.

proximity to New York City enables us to bring guest

Visual arts The goal is to have students develop the creativity, imagination, and technical skill to practice art as a vital means of self-expression. The faculty are professional artists, and our students take full advantage of New York City cultural resources to complement their classroom work.

teachers and choreographers to campus on a regular basis. Students are placed in the technique level based on ability and past training, not by grade. Independent study courses are available in senior year with permission of the instructor, department chair, and academic dean.

A d van ceme n t O p p o r t un it e s Advanced students are able to stretch themselves at

Music

Masters and excel at their art. We offer opportunities

Masters students have the opportunity to make

to write and direct plays, compose and produce

music, to learn about music, and to share their

music, create art portfolios and gallery shows, and

musical experiences with others. Private instruction

choreograph dances.

by professional musicians is available on a variety of instruments. Performances by groups and individuals are encouraged and frequent.

Drama We view theater arts as the ideal place for students to experience the collaborative nature of performance.

Students study acting, directing, stage-managing, set and lighting design, costume, and makeup as they learn to interpret dramatic literature. Students have three performance opportunities in all-school productions, two to three student-directed plays, and monthly coffee house presentations.

Dance We offer three levels of technique classes for studying ballet, modern, tap, and musical theater dance. Dance history and the study of improvisation and choreographic

P r e - p r ofess io n a l p r o g r a m s In addition to the myriad arts opportunities at Masters, students frequently take advantage of intensive pre-professional programs in New York City and beyond. Currently, Masters students train with several prestigious programs, including: Steffi Nossen School of Dance, Broadway Training Center of Westchester, Juilliard Pre-College, Manhattan School of Music Pre-College, Mannes College Preparatory Division. After training at Masters and these programs, Masters graduates have gone on to pursue the arts at conservatories and as professional artists, dancers, musicians, and actors.

student awar ds Masters students have earned many accolades and awards in the arts, including: Selection for the New York Youth Symphony Selection for the New York All-State Symphonic Orchestra Columbia Scholastic Press Association Gold Medal Scholastic Art & Writing Gold Key Awards Downbeat Magazine Student Music Awards

facil itie s A visit to our campus will give you a good idea of the importance Masters places on the arts. Facilities include:

C laudia B oettcher Theatre Students put on all manner of performances in this spectacular 500-seat theatre. It’s also where the entire Masters community assembles most mornings to begin the academic day.

M usic C enter This features practice facilities with grand pianos, guitars, drum kits, and other instruments, a soundproof studio, a digital music Pro Tools recording studio, and the Glee Club and Orchestra room.

A r t Studio

questions with real-world examples, projected instantly for the class to see.

Adjacent to the Claudia Boettcher Theatre is an open, sunny two-story art studio. Here students fashion their visual art in a full spectrum of media, including drawing, painting, sculpture, ceramics, and printmaking.

COMIN G SOON: COMMUN ITY ARTS AND ATHLE TI C CENTER To be completed in 2014-2015, this new facility will

Dance Studio

offer arts students and faculty expanded rehearsal space, a new theater, art galleries, and a dance studio.

Located in the lower level of Strayer Hall is a

It will also feature a new gymnasium, squash courts,

professional dance studio that features wood floors,

fencing strips, a swimming pool, a café, and a student

barres, and floor-to-ceiling mirrors.

center, uniting all aspects of student and community life into a state-of-the-art complex.

D igita l M e dia Lab This lab includes sixteen Macintosh computers with a teaching station and projection setup. Students use iWeb, iMovie, and iPhoto, and they develop podcasts. A web gallery gives each student a place to display work.

The teaching station enables the instructor to answer

The Masters School: A coed day and boarding college preparatory school for grades 5 –12, located in historic Dobbs Ferry, New York, 35 minutes from New York City.

O ffice of A d m issio n The Masters School 49 Clinton Avenue Dobbs Ferry, NY 10522 admission@mastersny.org Tel: +1-914-479-6420 Fax: +1-914-693-7295 www.mastersny.org

the masters school | 49 Clinton Avenue, Dobbs Ferry, NY 10522 | mastersny.org p: 914.479.6420 | F: 914.693.7295 | admission@mastersny.org