Visual Arts
Art classes at Pine Cobble are designed to expose our students to artists from a wide range of backgrounds around the globe. Students explore ideas and approaches in hands-on studio art-making consisting of drawing, painting, print-making, and sculpture. As students navigate and experiment with a variety of media, the process of creation, production, and presentation allows them to develop their own voices. Through the study of art and artists from different racial, ethnic, and cultural backgrounds across historical periods, our students learn to view art as a reflection of cultural ideas, beliefs, personal expressions, and social conditions.
Pine Cobble’s art program features the following:
- Exploration of the permanent collections and art exhibitions of The Clark, Williams College Museum of Art, and MASS MoCA through field trips, guided tours, special projects, and collaboration with visiting artists.
- Focus and understanding on art as a creative process, method of self expression, and appreciation of diverse perspectives.
- The study of art’s historical context, cultural significance, and societal impact.
- Participation in MASS MoCA’s Annual Teen Invitational.
Theater Arts
Pine Cobble’s commitment to social learning and community engagement is made apparent through our budding Theatre Arts program. Students across grade levels are invited to audition and participate in the Winter Play and Spring Musical. Our theatrical seasons establish an opportunity for students between Grade Four and Grade Eight to learn from each other and collaborate on a shared endeavor to present to the greater community. Throughout the process, students are encouraged to dive deeply into the worlds of the characters and stories that they study for performance while they learn a variety of dramatic storytelling techniques so that they make informed artistic choices and analyze their effects onstage. In addition to performance, students have the freedom to experience the performing arts through technical theatre by involving themselves in set design, costuming, prop creation, stage management, lighting, sound, and even marketing and publicity. Together, Pine Cobble theater students learn what it means to work as a team, to take risks, to challenge themselves, and to exceed their own expectations.
By participating in the Theater Arts program, students become members of The Pine Cobble Players and experience:
- Unifying theater games that build and develop confidence in self expression.
- Coaching from performance, costuming, and set design specialists.
- The opportunity to perform at the Williams College ‘62 Center Adams Memorial Theatre.
- Working with theatre tech devices such as lighting and sound boards.
Click here for information about upcoming productions from The Pine Cobble Players.
Music
A true testament to personal growth and development, our Music program is centered around both individual and full-group expression, offering each student the opportunity to explore new music through academic curation, connection, and play. Music classes are intent on providing students with experiencing and understanding the joys of collaborative composition. Throughout the school year, students sing, dance, and explore diverse modes of the musical art form, striking a balance between the familiar and unfamiliar. Our curriculum delves into the complex history of popular music, seeking to understand the important roles that culture, wealth, opportunity, and societal structures have played in determining which creative voices are heard and recognized. In doing so, students are granted a safe space to use and exercise their own voices.
Music students at Pine Cobble engage in the following:
- Learning and playing instruments such as the guitar, bass, piano, and keyboard
- Songwriting
- Chord progressions
- Song recording
- The opportunity to perform at various school events
- Performing in the Annual Winter Concert at the Williams College ‘62 Center MainStage