Art Department Overview
The Art Department offers all students the opportunity to develop their artistic skills. Students learn to be open and respectful as they take an experimental and creative approach to a variety of materials and develop a sense of the discipline and effort required to achieve results. Students discover the importance of careful organization, clear analytical thinking, and well-focused goals as well as an awareness of the joy of learning, thinking, and creating.
- Introduction to Art: In this one semester course, students learn the basic methods of drawing. They use perspective, negative space, contour, shading, diagramming, and graphing to transform three dimensional objects into two dimensional drawings. Students are also introduced to different mediums and genres in art. They create paper mache sculptures, mosaic collages and “Inner Self Portraits” which allow them to express themselves through concept and technique. Students complete the course with knowledge of a range of drawing methods giving a foundation for future art courses.
- Advanced Art: In this course students build on their basic drawing skills and begin to develop a personal vision or portfolio. They learn a variety of genres and mediums, and they make choices about their own artistic style as they apply those genres and mediums in their own work. Students also learn more advanced drawing techniques such as figure drawing and two-point perspective in order to build up to college level drawing skills. The emphasis of the course is on developing a portfolio and building a strong foundation for students interested in taking Advanced Placement Drawing during their senior year.
- AP Drawing: In this course students demonstrate mastery of concept, composition, and execution of personal ideas and themes. Using what they have learned about technique, genre, and medium, students produce a portfolio showcasing quality, concentration, and breadth. Through research, critical thinking, verbal critiques, and goal setting, each student identifies the elements of quality work in order to evaluate others’ work and produce their own completed pieces.
Music Department Overview
Cristo Rey Boston is pleased to offer a Music Program starting in the 2022-2023 academic year. This exciting new program has been generously funded by Elizabeth and Phill Gross.
The Music Department offers multiple ways for students to get involved and express themselves through music. This new program will consist of a Concert Choir, Chamber Choir, and music electives. We believe that the performance and study of music contributes to the well-rounded education at Cristo Rey Boston. It is through music that students can learn to express themselves, build community, collaborate with their peers, and take creative risks.
- Music Appreciation: In this course students will develop an appreciation for various musical styles and genres that have been present throughout history. Students will gain an understanding of music theory, history, and culture significance through a project-based curriculum that relies heavily on peer collaboration. Beginning in the Baroque Period and culminating with the music of today, we will explore the vast and diverse world of music. Not only will we study key composers and musicians, we will analyze their cultural impact and discuss the importance of preserving the music of the past while looking ahead to new musical ideas and contemporary practice.
- Introduction to Musicology: In this course students will have the opportunity to learn various musical skills through a project-based curriculum. This course consists of many rotating topics that can be tailored to the students’ interests within the realm of music. We will tackle complex topics and discover the impactful and influential role that music plays in our society. Students will begin this course by learning the fundamentals of music which will later be applied throughout the following units: keyboard skills, guitar/ukulele, singing, songwriting, beat making, music technology and more!