Whether in a music and movement class, theater club, or participating in the all-school play, all Janus students are encouraged to participate in our performing arts program. Students interpret dialogue, memorize lines, learn patterns of choreography, work collaboratively, design and build sets, and demonstrate time management skills to creatively apply the very skills they work so hard to remediate.
Students are encouraged to explore music, dance and theatre through annual events such as the Winter Concert and the All-School Play. The low student-teacher ratio provides a supportive environment in which students feel comfortable to try something new.
A meaningful, comprehensive art program accomplishes much more than providing students with an alternative to traditional academics. Curriculum and instructional techniques are designed to help students acquire and strengthen these specific skills (at the appropriate level of development):
Art instruction begins with a student's current level of artistic development. A student's learning style, age, interests, and potential difficulties should also be considered. A combination of step-by-step instruction, concrete examples, and modeling of specific skills are vital to helping students acquire new types of skills. Allowing students time to practice and then apply those skills to their projects builds their confidence, and allows them to better communicate their ideas. Herein lies the fundamental difference in The Janus School art program in comparison to a traditional school setting.
The skills needed to be successful in art parallel the cognitive abilities needed to be successful in the classroom. Weaknesses in these skills have a greater impact on performance in traditional academic tasks than on determining "artistic success or failure." That is why art instruction is important for all students, not just those who may demonstrate potential or achievement in the arts.