Arts
Offerings in the arts stimulate expressions of creativity and the cultivation of an aesthetic sense. At Nightingale the arts are an essential means of developing imagination, resourcefulness, self-discipline, and self-esteem. Theater, dance, studio art, and music are integral to the curriculum at all levels, and students are encouraged to pursue their passions in these areas.
Whether actresses or stage technicians, all students in drama learn by doing. The Nightingale auditorium has a 350-seat theater, professional stage, dance floor, dressing rooms, space for set construction and storage, props, and costume shop, allowing students to learn about all aspects of the theater, from performing to working behind the scenes.
In visual art, girls are encouraged to be open to challenge and change. Highlights of the Lower School art program are woodworking and in-depth mixed media projects. In the Middle School, students are introduced to the individual disciplines of painting, drawing, sculpture, ceramics, photography, animation, and video. Upper School students may continue to work in many areas of art or narrow their focus to one; throughout the Upper School art program there is an emphasis on critical thinking, problem solving, and visual literacy.
Our music program develops each student’s inherent musical ability through singing, performing, and playing musical instruments. In teaching music, the aim is to balance the academic and technical with the aesthetic and emotional—the discipline with the joy.
“There are no limits to what Nightingale students will see; all of the city's museums become an integral part of the Nightingale classroom. The girls develop a familiarity with the collections over the years; the experience is like reading a good book for the second or third time.”
April Tonin, director of the Visual Education Program
