Fine and Performing Arts (cont'd)
The Department of Fine and Performing Arts at Greenhills School consists of nine teachers in the disciplines of visual arts, music, dramatic arts, and forensics. 
At Greenhills, we produce several events each year that involve all of our artistic disciplines. The annual Halloween Concert and Haunted House in October is an example of one of our collaborative events. This event involves students from almost every arts course, from the masks hanging on stage from the middle school art students to the performance of the upper school orchestra and the technical theater students' haunted house. Students in music groups perform several times each year for parents and friends and compete at MSBOA and MSVA festivals during the year.
Clear evidence of the high degree of student interest in arts courses is seen in the high percentage of students involved in arts courses each semester. All middle school students are required to participate in arts courses, but upper school students have an expectation of only two semesters of arts (one year) during their upper school years. The great majority of students take more than the minimum required during their upper school years. This year, more than 70% of upper school students are taking at least one arts course in the first semester. Further evidence of interest is seen in the high number of students participating in optional music festivals, art shows, and forensics events. Our dramatic productions have good student participation as well, often forcing directors to hold selective auditions.
The arts faculty, aware of the many different learning styles of our students, uses a variety of methods to teach concepts and techniques, including imitation, visual imagery, sensory imagery, written notes, aural cues, and emotional ties. Our facility is excellent, including two dedicated visual arts rooms, two music classrooms, a multi-purpose studio, and state-of-the-art theatre with dressing room and scene shop. We have each tried to put our personal "stamp" on our teaching spaces, making them inviting, warm, and inspiring for our students.
Scope and sequence in the arts is evident in the design of courses offered in the middle school versus those offered in the upper school. Middle school, a time of exploration, is met with an overview of all arts in the 6th grade. Sixth graders all perform music in the band, orchestra, or choir; study visual arts in four 2-week units; and drama once a week throughout the year. Seventh and eighth graders continue their artistic study in the same way, with musical performance for everyone, and art and drama taught in units to all students. Upper school students study more focused offerings in greater depth. Music students, while still performing in ensembles, will move to more sophisticated music and techniques of performance.
Courses offered in the visual arts expose students to and instruct them in the techniques of painting, drawing, sculpture, textile arts, calligraphy, jewelry making, ceramics, printmaking, computer graphics, mosaic, and photography. 
Students study the elements of artistic expression through active creation of a variety of art projects. Specific emphasis is given to the use of perspective, right-brain techniques, composition, measurement, proportion, color use, textural use, proper equipment choice and use, shadow manipulation, film manipulation, and presentation. The curriculum is designed to offer students a broad overview of many different artistic mediums and techniques in the middle school. Upper School courses specialize in one or more mediums and explore them in greater depth. For students especially able and interested in the visual arts, independent study arrangements can be made with our art faculty when the art curriculum has been exhausted.
Courses offered in music are designed to teach students through active participation in performing groups. Groups in the middle school include choir, bands, and orchestras. Upper School students can perform in the choir, orchestra, or jazz combos. These groups range in size from six to nine (jazz combos) to thirty or more. Students study the elements of music and improve their personal playing or singing skills in ensembles. Specific elements studied include pitch, aural skills, rhythmic performance and notation, music reading, composition, and instrument or voice-specific techniques. Although the emphasis at all levels is on performance, students study different techniques at the 6th, 7th, 8th, and upper school level courses. Students especially able are offered opportunities to perform in small groups, lead groups, or have solo experiences. Students with less experience and skill are incorporated into all groups and given individual help to ensure their success in the context of the group and their continued progress. Music students are offered the opportunity to participate in the MSBOA solo and ensemble festivals and the Michigan Youth Arts Festival. Musical outreach to the community is achieved through performances at retirement homes, bar or bat mitzvahs, festivals, other schools, and in stores.
Courses offered in the dramatic arts expose students to techniques in improvisational theater, characterization, and presentation through the study and execution
of improvising, theater games, script adaptation, vocal inflection, mime, and dramatic characterization. Courses offered include 6th grade drama, MS drama, US theatre workshop, and US technical theatre workshop. Beyond the study and performance of varied theatrical productions, the technical theatre class offers students a chance to learn about all the aspects of the backstage production: lights, sound, set construction, stage managing, prop selection, and costumes. All courses are designed to give students active, hands-on experiences both on the stage and behind the scenes.
Greenhills middle school students also have the opportunity to audition for and participate in the annual spring play and in the forensics program. Extra-curricular opportunities for upper school students include the Fall Play, the Spring Musical, the VooDoo Theatre Company (a student-run theatre group), the VooDoo Improv Club, and the forensics team.
