Student Life

Arts

The arts at BSS are integral to how our students learn about themselves and the world around them.

Students cultivate creativity, critical thinking, resilience and well-being through our curricular and co-curricular arts programs. They find their confidence and learn to express themselves. At every age, they have opportunities to use a variety of media to create personal, meaningful pieces of art. They can learn a musical instrument, join a dance class, sing in a choir or take a role in a stage production.

At BSS, the arts flow through and enrich other areas of the curriculum. We offer arts programming from JK to Grade 12 in a wide range of disciplines, and integrate cutting-edge technology and explicit connections to STEM. This interdisciplinary approach encourages students to innovate and think creatively. And it helps foundational concepts stick. It’s easier to understand how a cell works after drawing a playing card depicting its “super powers.” Design and engineering concepts come alive when students create fantastical props for a theatre production.

The arts at BSS reflect students’ identities and interests. Students drive the creative process and experiment with new modes of expression. Opportunities to create and perform are meaningful and connected to the school and broader community. For example, at the Remembrance Day Chapel, Senior music and dance students bring history into a contemporary context through thoughtful performances expressing themes of loss, courage and resilience. And the long-standing tradition of Nativity links today’s students with generations of alumnae who have performed this classic pantomime for nearly a century.

Our teachers are not only skilled educators but also experienced artists in their own right. They intentionally design learning experiences that support student well-being in a multitude of ways, from the selection of materials to the way rehearsals are structured to ensure balance with other academic pursuits. Guest artists from diverse backgrounds further enrich learning by sharing their professional insights and inspiring our students. Our Director of the Arts is a school leader dedicated to the development of a comprehensive and integrated arts program across the whole school, from JK to Grade 12.

Students also have access to professional quality, state-of-the-art facilities and technology in our theatres, studios, and media and design labs. When they leave BSS, they are well-prepared to use the industry’s most current technology and equipment in their post-secondary studies and careers.

Junior School

Our Reggio-inspired approach sets the stage for creative inquiry throughout students’ entire academic journey. With their teachers, Junior School students engage in investigations and collaborative problem-solving, and express their learning through drawing, painting, sculpting, performance, movement, creative writing and more. The Atelier (inspired by the ateliers in Reggio Emilia, Italy) is a special place in the Junior School where students research, question, wonder, discover and invent using a variety of materials and tools. The hallways of the Junior School are filled with provocative and moving documentation of students’ voices and perspectives.

JK to Grade 5 students learn vocal and percussion skills with a focus on rhythmic movement and songs. Grade 6 introduces instrumental music with ukulele, band, and strings. The Junior Choir and optional Fun Plus program offer opportunities for vocal, musical theatre and dance performances that foster an understanding of musical concepts, technique, composition and performance.

Middle and Senior School

In Grade 7 and 8, instrumental music and visual arts classes continue to be part of the curriculum. The Options program offers various arts, crafts and design activities, such as dance, jewelry making, sewing and game design. In Grades 9 to 12, students can take visual art, dance, drama, guitar, band, strings and vocal classes up to Grade 11, and expand their learning in Grade 12 with music composition, choreography, drama production, and non-traditional and digital arts classes. Our interdisciplinary Innovation and Design course offers a unique fusion of technology, art and design.

Co-curricular opportunities include musical and drama productions, participation in the Conference of Independent Schools Dance, Drama, Music and Art Festivals, student-led clubs about topics ranging from poetry to video production to photography, and Global Learning experiences that expose students to art and performance in a variety of cultures.

What the arts look like at BSS

List of 4 items.

Atelier Explorations

In the Junior School Atelier, Grade 3 students worked in research groups to explore different facets of water.
Read More
Embodying the Absurd

Grade 12 French students learned about biomechanics as part of their study of The Class by Romanian-French playwright Eugène Ionesco.
Read More
Representing Big Ideas

In Senior Visual Arts, students undertake ambitious summative projects as the culmination of their creative process and learning.
Read More
Taking the Stage

Stage productions offer students in the Middle and Senior School a multifaceted opportunity to learn and refine skills in performance, design and production.
Read More