Upper School Arts
Fine Arts
We believe that a robust arts curriculum is essential. Opportunities to develop personal expression, creative thinking, imaginative communication, and artistic insight are foundational to the arts disciplines in choir, band, drama, and visual art. Students are encouraged to explore a variety of courses or specialize in a sequence that offers greater depth. Thoughtful exposure to the arts develops an understanding of arts in our world and enhances the ability to make deeper connections between the arts, life, meaning, and culture.
Performing Arts
Bear Creek offers performance classes in drama, concert choir, concert band, and jazz band as well as additional smaller musical ensemble performing groups. Each year Upper School produces two dramatic productions in our state-of-the-art Performing Arts Center. The fall semester class performs in November, and the spring semester production is in April or May. Typically, a play by William Shakespeare is produced once each year. Our Shakespeare Immersion Program aims to cultivate in students an understanding of human virtue and frailty by examining the great works of William Shakespeare through stage performance and curricular parallels. The alternate production varies; in recent years we have seen Charles Dickens’ Oliver Twist (2012), Fiddler on the Roof (2013), Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice (2014), and Disney's Beauty and the Beast (2018). See a more complete list.
Bear Creek’s Upper School Concert Choir and Concert Band perform throughout the year at school and for adjudication. Annually, the groups perform a Christmas concert, a spring concert, and at our Commencement ceremony. Additionally, groups perform each year at the Northlake Music Region Choral and Band Festivals. Concert choir, concert band, and jazz band members are eligible to compete in the Northlake Music Region Solo and Ensemble Contest as well as to submit auditions for the WIAA/WMEA All-State and NAfME All-Northwest honor groups. Traditionally, once every four years vocalists and instrumentalists team up with drama players to produce a full scale musical production.
Bear Creek students also have the opportunity to perform in smaller vocal ensembles: including mixed ensemble or student-led womens ensemble and mens ensemble; as well as additional instrumental groups: jazz band and pep band. Pep band performs at most home and postseason basketball games.
Visual Arts
Bear Creek offers a robust and comprehensive series of visual arts courses in graphic design, photography, and studio art. Photography students learn darkroom and digital techniques. Studio art students study drawing, painting, collage, sculpture, and mixed media. An advanced class is available to help students develop a portfolio and plan a gallery show. Students enter many art contests throughout the year and receive recognition for their submissions.