Fine Arts

The performing arts allow us to participate in the telling of great stories. We strive to create theater experiences at the highest standard of excellence, not merely for the audience, but for the students in the production. Through classical and contemporary plays and musicals, students have the opportunity to participate in great stories that echo the greatest story of all.

Heritage places great importance on music appreciation and literacy. Each weekly music class focuses on literacy, hymn study, and the study of Western Art music through the ages.

Heritage teaches music from the Enrichment program through Class 10. This process begins with teaching students to listen and hear discriminately in order to understand musical ideas, to sing correctly and as accurately as possible, and to have a working understanding of musical notation. Students also become familiar with the traditional and classical music of our culture. This includes folk songs, classical music composed in the sixteenth through the twentieth centuries, and the historical hymnody of our Christian heritage. Activities include “Hymn of the Month” for each grade level, Listening Journals for each quarter of the year, sight-singing, rhythm dictation, singing games, movement activities, and a variety of classwork that reinforces musical concepts they learn through their years at Heritage.

As they grow in musicianship, they are brought together in a choral setting to put into practice the skills they have learned, performing in several different concerts throughout the year. Choir focuses on a deepening application of proper singing and choral techniques. Students learn correct vowel production, consonant production, breathing technique, expressiveness, and 2 to 4-part choral repertoire as they grow in understanding and skill.

Parents of Heritage students are encouraged to expose children at home to classical music (for instance, Heritage encourages parents to play classical music in carpool as a backdrop for healthy discussions). Playlists for each grade level quarterly composer are available for families to listen throughout the year to encourage a deeper understanding and appreciation of each era of music and the masters that they study in class. 

Art encompasses both aesthetic appreciation and creative expression. As Christians, we acknowledge God as the Ultimate Artist. Humans, being in Imago Dei (image of God), are innately creative. These creative skills need focusing and refining by steady exposure to great works that reflect the true, good, and beautiful.

Unlike many schools where art is simply a place for self-expression, Heritage introduces students to great works of art and filters it through a Christian perspective. Such exploration enables students to experience the intellectual and emotional power of artistic genius while cultivating their own creative potential and aesthetic discernment. Students additionally study artistic methods in various media to learn how to create artistic works of their own.