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Arts for All Ages

Fine and performing arts instruction at Pinewood takes place in a student-centered environment. Students explore the arts in small class settings that offer individualized attention. Pinewood’s arts faculty members, who graduated from leading university arts programs, have years of experience in their field as artists and instructors. 

Curriculum, in addition to class size and faculty, sets apart the Pinewood arts experience. Students will develop into artists using the top curriculum in the field, for example, Game Plan (Lower School Music), the Austin Classical Guitar Society model, and Teaching for Artistic Behaviors (High School Visual Art).

Faculty members go beyond teaching facts - instead, they teach processes and ways of thinking to create autonomous artists. Music Technology students write and record their own songs on campus. Students in choirs and instrumental ensembles learn how to read music independently. Beginning in Lower School, theatre students are taught skills that are then put into practice in production. Student artists of all levels display their work at art shows throughout the school year.

Arts Highlights

  • Average class size: 16 students, with class sizes ranging between three and 20 students, depending on the discipline. 
  • Pinewood arts graduates are accepted to some of the nation’s top collegiate arts programs - including NYU Tisch (Musical Theatre), the University of North Carolina at Greensboro (Opera), and SCAD (Fashion Design).
  • Many students who opt to major in other fields continue their art studies in college, where they place in the top ensembles.

Arts Alumni Testimonials

"Going into college as a STEM major, I wasn’t sure how much time I would be able to dedicate to extracurricular activities. I knew I wanted to do well in my classes and I just thought my time would be spent in the library or with study groups. It wasn’t very long until I realized that I was going to need an escape from my studies every so often. I decided to audition for CU Singers, our mixed-voice choral group, just a few days before my first day of class. On the first day, I wasn’t sure what to expect. I thought a group of college choir kids would all be performing arts majors and so much more experienced than me. I found that I was very wrong on the first day of class. Close to 80% of the CU Singers are not in a fine arts-related field of study and about 50% are all in a STEM-related major. Something I’ve learned over the past year is this: Engineering fields are difficult, you will put in long hours in the library, in tutoring, and in the classroom. But nothing compares to that 3-4 hours a week that you’re able to dedicate yourself to something that you loved in your youth, and still love today. I truly believe I have met some of my lifelong friends by participating in the arts. We all share a common love for the arts and have grown a very strong bond from this. You don’t have to decide how you’re planning on spending your whole college career from the first day of your freshman year. But one thing is for sure; you should always continue to participate in activities that you love because when you look back on your time at college, those will be the good times you remember."
- Anna Rook '18, alumna of the Pinewood arts program; current student at Clemson University

Virginia Cunningham
Head of Fine & Performing Arts
vcunningham@pinewoodprep.com
Boy playing guitar.