Arts Offerings by Level

All Kindergarten through 3^rd grade students in the Scottsdale Unified School District receive general music as part of their well-rounded curriculum.  Throughout the school year, your child will be exploring and creating with several different grade specific musical concepts. Before naming each concept, we prepare it through singing, speaking, moving, and playing in accordance with the Orff Schulwerk process and Kodaly method. After experiencing each concept through a variety of mediums, we present the concept by giving it a name. Finally, we continue practicing the concept, using its labeled name, and intentionally focus on how that fits into the greater picture of our current knowledge at each grade level.  Please refer to the district curriculum pages for more detailed pacing guide. 

In 4^th and 5^th grade students are given the option to continue in general music or choose to participate in Band or Strings for their music education.  Students choosing band or strings will need to rent and instrument from an approved vendor or the school district – priority will be given to students in need for district instruments.  Students will need to purchase a method book and will be responsible for reeds, valve oil and other supplies to support their performance in band and strings. Please refer to the district curriculum pages for more detailed pacing guide.

All students Kindergarten through 5^th grade will receive a visual arts education.  The expectations are arranged into four strands – creative process, elements of art and design, reflection, and appreciation.  The visual arts classes will focus on development of creative skills, verbal and non-verbal expression, and awareness of perspectives.  Please refer to the district curriculum pages for more detailed pacing guide.

Students in Middle School band have many different options for performing.  The ensembles are chosen based on level of ability.  Concert Band if for those students that are still working on learning their basic skills from elementary band and/or might be starting a new instrument or first learning and instrument.  Students that feel that their skills warrant a higher ensemble may want to audition for Intermediate Band and/or Advance Band Ensemble – In general – Intermediate contains more 7th graders and Advanced has 8th graders.  If you are a percussionist and want to work on your skills on all percussion instruments – Percussion Ensemble is for you.  All of these courses can be taken more than one year and are prepping students for success in High School, State competitions individually and as ensembles, and may include a field trip in state or out of state for a competition. 

Did you love performing in elementary school choir or are you interested in learning to sing in a choir?  In middle school students can participate in choirs that perform in local, state and sometimes out of state competitions.  There are two full choir options at Middle School – Beginning Chorus – for students without any choral experience and Concert Choir for students who have had the opportunity to perform in full choirs.  Are you really interested in pushing yourself as a choral artist – there are also men’s and women’s choir and an advanced choir – for these ensembles you will need to communicate with the choral director for audition needs and expectations?  The high ensembles will participate in local and possible out of state competitions.  

This course if for those students interested in music, but maybe did not participate in band or strings or just want to deepen their knowledge of music.  Students in this class will learn basic music theory, music history, how to play an instrument and how to compose.  Students will be exposed to many different avenues of music in this course from the performing to the composing.  

Student in Middle School Orchestra have three different levels of ensembles that they can participate in – Concert Orchestra would be for students who are still working on their basic skills as a musician, or learning a new instrument, or new to playing an instrument – this course will help build on your skills from elementary school and prepare you for the higher-level ensembles.  The students that feel that they would like to audition and be placed in a higher ensemble will need to make sure they connect with their Middle School director – Intermediate Orchestra is usually for 7th graders and Advanced Orchestra is for 8th graders.  These ensembles compete at a state level and higher ensembles may participate in an out or town or out of the state field trip competition.  If you are a student that has interest in guitar – please check to see if your school offers guitar – students would be taught classical guitar to start and then progress as they continue their years of participation.   All these classes can be taken more multiple times.  

Middle School students can build on their acting and performance skills by entering the Middle School Theatre opportunities.  There are two theatre course options in middle school – Theatre Arts – which is for students wishing to explore theatre and learn all the basic concepts of acting.  Middle School students wishing to explore theatre at a deeper level in preparation for middle school performance opportunities and high school opportunities should audition for Advanced Theatre.  Please reach out to your school’s theatre teacher for more information.

Middle School visual arts is organized a little differently that the performing arts.  Students register for an art class that matches their grade level – please note that some schools offer a cluster model with multi age groups.  At each different grade level grouping students are having different levels of experience and depth to their visual artist journey.  Students with a more 2D experience in 6th grade and then in 7th grade add 3D to their mediums and in 8th grade student take their 2D and 3D knowledge to a much deeper level to prepare them for high school.  These students will also be learning how to critique are as it would be done in a museum and working on multiple mediums of 2D and 3D artwork.  

There are many opportunities for our band instrumentalist in High School – students can participate in the Marching Band in the Fall semester – competing in and out of the state at competitions, football games, and pep assemblies.  For our students that love digging into the concert literature – there are two ensemble (Symphonic Band and Wind Ensemble Honors) – all students will be placed in Symphonic Band and will later have the opportunity to audition for Wind Ensemble Honors.  Wind Ensemble Honors will have an audition that will require students to prepare state level scales, etudes, and sight-reading.  The concert ensembles perform at state level competition and possible spring trips out of state to compete.  If Jazz is something that you enjoy – Jazz Band happens in the Spring at each of our high schools – students audition for chair placement and have the opportunity to compete in state competition and a possible spring tour for out of state competition.  Are you a percussionist or colorguard member?  There are classes for you too – percussion ensemble is for all our percussionist or those wishing to learn percussion and band auxiliary is for our colorguard members.  Percussion Ensemble and Band Auxiliary generally occur in the Fall, but there are possible Spring opportunities as well.  These two classes usually collaborate with the Marching Band (both percussion and band auxiliary) and with concert ensemble (percussion only) but can also have a course to support any winterguard competitive seasons.  Please reach out to the band director for more information and suggestions for registration.

High School choir is a wonderful opportunity to take your choral skills to the next level.  Student entering High School should register for Concert Choir but can request the opportunity to audition for a higher ensemble – Varsity Choir.  Advanced Vocal Ensemble is for the top choral performers and the audition will have requirements that align with the state audition process – to include a solo, sight-reading and more.  There are also opportunities for students to participate in Women’s Choir, Men’s Choir, and Jazz Choir.  Reach out to your school’s choral director to determine the best placement for your students.  These ensembles to compete in local and possible out of state competition. 

High School students have their first opportunity to participate in dance as a performing ensemble.  There are multi-level dance opportunities for all student’s ability levels.  There are 4 levels of dance courses – Dance 1 is for students first introduction to dance – no prior experience expected.  After the preliminary Dance 1 course students will learn more in-depth techniques and dance knowledge in level 2 and 3 (if your child has dance experience – please connect with school dance instructor to audition into a higher dance class).  Dance IV Honors and Honor Performance Dance Ensemble – students will need to audition into these classes as the highest level of performance ability and knowledge is needed for these classes.   The higher-level classes may also participate in out of the state field trips for performance clinics and competitions. 

Many opportunities for our String performers from the beginning level to the highest level of performance.  If you are just entering high school, learning a new strings instrument, or just wanting to work on your technique – Concert Orchestra is the class for you.  If you feel that you have built a strong foundation in your playing, then please reach out to the orchestra teacher at your school and ask to audition for Advanced Concert Orchestra and Symphonic Orchestra Honors.  These courses will require you to prepare scales (major and melodic minor), etude/solo and sight reading.  After your audition you will be placed in the ensemble that best matches your technical skill at that moment.  Higher level ensemble will be competing at state and possible out of state competitions.  In some of our high school we also offer guitar class (beginning and advanced) – this course will focus on classical guitar; advanced courses will explore possible electric opportunities. 

Theatre course offered at the High School allow for students at every level of skill.  Theatre I is the starting course for Theatre, then students can move to Theatre II or Technical Theatre I – in Theatre I the students learn all the basics of theatre (including staging and design) – in the Theatre II those actors take their skill to the next level, but if you are interested in the set building, lighting, and sounds – Technical Theatre I is the place for you.  Theatre also moves onto Theatre III and IV for the acting students and Technical Theatre II and III for the CTE students.  Please reach out to the Theatre Director at you school to help connect you to the right path for you.  The Theatre II, II, and IV students and the Technical Theatre student can compete at state level competitions and a possibly out of state performance/clinic opportunity

Our Visual Artist have every possible avenue available to them when they hit High School.  All artists begin with Studio Art – this class is the foundational class for all other visual art pathways.  If you are a person who like to sculpt – then Sculpture/3D Design II is for you.  It could be thought that you found that drawing and painting was your calling – so Drawing and Painting II – is the next step for you. Is photography your dream – then Photo/Digital Media II is your next step in your artistic journey. If fashion is your calling, we have one High School that offers fashion design.  If graphic art is more your path – you can join the CTE path of Graphic Design.  The option is unlimited for any path that interest your visual arts journey. 

Are you interested in the arts but are not sure what is possible for someone who has not pursued the arts or maybe the offerings in a traditional setting are not speaking to you.  We also offer Piano for beginners and intermediate students.  This course is self-paced and much of the class will be preparing for performances based on the level of your current ability.  Mariachi is another possibility – not all schools offer Mariachi now, but a conversation with the band, strings or guitar teacher could lead to a growth of that program and the possible full class.  The first year would probably start as an after-school club.  Do you just want to learn more about music – then Music Appreciation and History of Rock and Roll Music Industry, an Introduction are probably the course for you.  It is a more traditional setting classroom experience – lecture format with listening exercises and group projects, but the course offers a historical approach to music.