Arts
At SJBA, a key component of the classical education is to inspire students to love what is true, good, and beautiful through the study of the arts. Both lower and high school students are offered classes in performing arts, choral music, and visual arts as a means of developing their God-given talents and elevating their souls to Heaven.
Performing Arts
In Pope St. John Paul II’s Letter to Artists, he writes:
“Through his ‘artistic creativity’ man appears more than ever in the ‘image of God.’”
Performing Arts is an integral part of our Bosco curriculum, because it offers our students the opportunity to conduct an in-depth study of meaningful stories and characters and allows them the opportunity to develop their creativity. Our students may participate in Performing Arts through sewing, technical theater (stage management, lighting design, sound design, set construction, scenic design and props construction), and acting. It is an ideal way to unite our student body and community. We train our students in the theatrical arts because it gives them an experience of empathy and a greater understanding of what it means to be human and made in the image and likeness of God. Students who participate in the arts develop meaningful social and work skills that can be applied to their lives outside of the classroom.
Courses Offered
Musical Theater I-IV
Technical Theater I-IV
Fall Electives
Sewing
Stagecraft
Drama
Choir
“The musical tradition of the universal Church is a treasure of inestimable value, greater even than that of any other art.”
-Sacrosanctum Concilium 112
The primary goal of the St. John Bosco Academy Choral Program is to train students to use their voices to glorify God by singing and listening to beautiful music. As an integral part of a Classical education, choral singing directs the soul towards the True, Good, and Beautiful, while uniting the students both to each other and to their Creator. SJBA choir students sing the earliest form of choral music, Gregorian chant, in addition to sacred polyphony, spirituals, and more modern works. They also learn the Latin responses for Mass and Benediction, and the Church’s four Marian antiphons (on a four-year cycle). In addition, essential music vocabulary is taught at all levels of SJBA choir, through a memory song program, beginning in the 1st grade. As a culmination of all of their hard work and intense study, the SJBA choir students perform in a formal Advent Choral Concert for our community in December.
SJBA High School Choir
The high school choir courses are a compulsory piece of the curriculum, offered during the first semester only. These courses include:
Beginning Chorus (9th grade)
Intermediate Chorus (10th grade)
Advanced Chorus I (11th grade)
Advanced Chorus II (12th grade)
The Advanced Choral Ensemble (ACE) is an optional high school, elective choir course offered in the first semester. Students are required to audition for this more select choir and have additional opportunities to perform throughout the school year. ACE students serve as our Mass choir on First Fridays and other feast day celebrations. They also participate in an annual sacred music workshop with Floriani, an internationally recognized men’s quartet, whose mission is to revitalize sacred choral music in the Church. Additionally, ACE students have the opportunity to audition for the Georgia All State Chorus, with SJBA students being chosen each year for this prestigious opportunity.
SJBA Lower School Choir/ Musical Theater Enrichment
The lower school choir/ musical theater enrichment program is an optional program for students in grades 1-8. Students from both M/W and T/TH sessions are invited to come together to participate in a one-hour, weekly course on Friday afternoons with choir in the first semester and musical theater in the second semester. All lower school choir students, split into two choirs (1st-4th and 5th-8th) sing alongside the high school students in the Advent Concert in December, making it truly a family event. In May, the lower school musical theater students perform in a musical revue, which features numbers from Broadway musicals, short drama scenes, choreography, and simple costumes.
Visual Arts
SJBA Lower School Friday Art Enrichment for Grades 1st-8th
Students of all skill levels are encouraged to take part. We explore various styles, cultures and periods of art. We create our own masterpieces inspired by the elements of art and principles of design. The goal of this program is to teach students to see God’s beauty as it is all around us!
Classes begin with a brief Art History lesson followed by instruction in applied art. The elements of art, design and composition are continuously referred to. Students work with a variety of media which include, but are not limited to paint,pencil, pastel and ink. At the end of each semester, the student artwork is displayed for all to see! The Art Show has become a delight for the community and a crowning moment for our student artists!
High School Drawing I
Drawing I students enjoy an exploration of drawing techniques and concepts. Students develop expression and discipline in drawing with an emphasis on space, volume, linear and free hand perspective. Students develop disciplined work habits and an understanding of the visual artist’s formal language. Students develop their skills in close observation, discipline, visual sensitivity, patience, eye-hand coordination and a rigorous work ethic that is necessary to master the skills of drawing. Once students have learned the basic skills of drawing, they have a skill for life!
High School Drawing II
Drawing II expands upon the basic skills taught in Drawing I and introduces new materials and avenues of expression with a special emphasis on color and design. The majority of their work still focuses on direct observation, though more experimental techniques and concepts are explored. Students concentrate on creating complex, sustained artworks by utilizing design principles and self-analysis. Students have a greater opportunity to explore and develop their own personal artistic style.
High School Drawing III
As advancing artists, students begin to understand that the more you put into the study of drawing, the more you’re likely to get out. The more students work on areas that are difficult for them, the more they will advance well beyond what they assumed were their own limitations. We explore various materials, styles and masterworks. Students focus on the exploration of advanced technique, portfolio development and personal style. Students are further exposed to a number of traditional skills and ideas which have occupied artists throughout history. Students also develop expression and discipline in drawing with an emphasis on space, volume, linear and free hand perspective.