Upper School
Upper School Arts
Integrating arts as an essential part of our upper school curriculum
We nurture the talents of our incredibly creative and passionate young people in our upper school arts program. Our arts curriculum provides all students the opportunity to explore different art forms and offers deeper study for those who are on a more advanced level.
Students choose from a wide array of arts courses to satisfy our two-year graduation requirement and they may elect to take courses for all four years. If a student has an interest in or a passion for a particular art, they can continue in that specific discipline for all four years and coursework will be tailored to the student’s individual level.
Visual Arts
Our talented arts instructors provide intensive training and portfolio development for students who wish to apply to competitive college arts programs.
With many visual arts course options, our upper school continues our rich tradition of masterful artwork in studio art classes such as Advanced Painting, Advanced Photography, Ceramics, Digital Art, Drawing and Painting, Photography, and Sculpture. Students also create digital media projects including posters and animated and live-action short films. Our spacious studios offer a variety of tools from the traditional (printing press, pottery wheels, and kiln) to the most up to date (Adobe multimedia suite).
Almost every year our talented students enter their work in the prestigious New York City Regional Scholastic Art & Writing Awards, garnering multiple Gold Keys, Silver Keys, and Honorable Mentions. Two of those students had their Gold Key-winning work exhibited in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and one student received a National Best in Grade Award.
The whole school looks forward to Arts Night every spring, when students share their art with friends and family. Students from lower, middle, and upper schools showcase their creativity and hard work with displays of paintings, drawings, sculptures, and multimedia projects.
Theater Arts
Students study the art of theater and performance techniques in beginning, advanced, and on-camera (tv/film/commercial) acting classes.
There are two main stage productions every year that showcase the considerable talents of our student actors. The fall production is a contemporary drama, comedy, or Shakespearean play. The spring focuses on a work from the American musical theatre canon. These productions take place at The Mark O’Donnell Theater, a professional theater space in downtown Brooklyn.
Students also have multiple opportunities throughout the year to perform for faculty, students, and parents in MMFS’s Showcase Series, held in our intimate black box class space.
In addition, all upper school students have the opportunity to participate in the annual Lightning Poetry Competition, where they rehearse and perform published or original poems of their choice in front of a juried panel.
Music Arts
Our students’ enthusiasm for music is contagious. Students develop their musicianship in performance-based classes in which they strengthen their instrumental and vocal skills as members of small ensembles, such as our Jazz Band.
Music classes include: Band, Piano Workshop, Singing, TIMARA (Technology in Music and Related Arts), and World Music. Music Night is a highlight for students, giving them the opportunity to put on a concert and showcase their musical selections for friends and family.
To read more about all of the courses offered this year please refer to the Upper School Course Descriptions.