VERITAS SCHOOL ARTS
The Bible teaches that God is the source of all beauty, which, in turn, reflects God’s character. He has created this amazing world for his people to enjoy and, in response, to praise him. At Veritas, we strongly believe that a vital part of true education is the appreciation of and participation in the arts.
Classical Christian education values and embraces the arts along with all subjects in the academic program. Veritas students in kindergarten through eighth grade participate in weekly visual arts studio classes, and at the secondary level, Art History students have hands-on project labs in 9th through 11th grade.
We think highly of visual art in education for several reasons. It's well proven that the arts contribute greatly to stronger literacy, cognition, and social development. There is also a direct correlation between visual art and both history and our Christian faith. In our school, we believe that God maintains high standards for goodness, truth, and beauty, and that art is for his glory. Students are trained to strive for quality craftsmanship while creating aesthetically pleasing works of art. This is accomplished through a steady exposure to the works of master artists, students’ own handmade projects, and occasionally some field trips to museums, galleries, and various historical sites.
PURPOSE OF STUDYING THE ARTS
The purpose of the studying the arts can be categorized into four primary objectives:
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Beholding God’s Glory: Art is used as a tool to help students see and enjoy the intricate complexity and harmony of creation.
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Imitating the Divine Creator: Because humans are made in the Imago Dei (Image of God), the act of creating art is a form of worship and an imitation of God’s own creative nature.
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Integrating Knowledge: The study of the arts at Veritas reinforces the "unity of knowledge" by connecting art to other studies and disciplines.
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Cultivating Spiritual Discipline: Artistic training fosters both solitary contemplation (through studio art) and communal cooperation (through choir or performance), preparing students to serve both as individual believers and as members of the Body of Christ.
GRAMMAR SCHOOL ARTS & MUSIC
Kindergarten through 6th-grade students learn basic art techniques, vocabulary, and color theory. They receive a simple introduction to numerous master artists and their works. With an emphasis on the elements of art and the principles of design, they learn to draw, paint, sculpt, and do printmaking using a variety of media. We add more complex techniques and uses of media each year. At the 3rd through 6th grade stage, students delve a little deeper in the study of artists as they copy master works, or create their own designs as they are inspired by viewing teacher demonstrations and master works.
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Students have music classes twice a week, where they learn various rhythmic elements, Sol-fa, major and minor scales, chords, and more. All students perform with their class at our Christmas and Spring concerts. 3rd-5th-grade students can also participate in our Treble Choir.
UPPER SCHOOL MUSIC & CHOIR
Choir is an important part of our Logic & Rhetoric curriculum. All students participate in choir and perform at Veritas' annual Christmas and Spring Concerts. Grades 6-8th make up Veritas' Middle School Choir, and grades 9-12th make up Veritas' Rhetoric Choir.
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Veritas students may also participate in Chamber Choir (6-8th) and Concert Choir (9-12th), which meets outside of school hours. Both choirs perform locally throughout the year as part of the school's service and community outreach efforts.
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Veritas' concert choir regularly competes at the State level through OSAA, as the Division 2 level, and has secured 5 state championships. Every few years, the Concert Choir travels to Hawaii to tour.
UPPER SCHOOL ART & ART HISTORY
During 7th – 8th grade, students are given advanced drawing lessons with pencil, pen and ink, soft pastels and oil pastels. They review and incorporate the foundational Elements of Art (Line, Shape, Form, Color, Texture, Space, and Value) that they learned in the grammar stage into their own projects with more complex techniques, so that by the end of their 8th grade course they are able to recognize the Elements in other examples of visual art.
In high school, 9th – 11th grade students take Art History that is taught in a chronological sequence, staying abreast with the same period of history taught in their Humane Letters courses. Periodically through each semester, they participate in art labs where projects tied to their history lessons are given. Some examples of this are paper mosaic designs paired to ancient art history studied during 9th grade; actual stained glass crosses made while studying gothic architecture in 10th grade; and hands-on printmaking combined with bookbinding during 11th grade art history lessons covering the Northern Renaissance.