Arts

A Vibrant Community

Christian Fine Arts Education

Our primary goals in the Fine Arts are to train students to discern and to love beauty. The Apostle Paul states in Philippians 1:9 that as we develop the ability to discern what is good, true, and beautiful (αἴσθησις), we grow in God’s love. Therefore, as Jesus taught us in Luke 6:43-45, we learn to judge each tree by its fruit objectively, understanding that people produce art from that which fills their hearts. As our students grow in the ability to recognize and understand beauty, we also teach them the skills and techniques necessary to create beautiful and meaningful things, and thus to follow in the footsteps of our creative God whose image we bear.

Classical Fine Arts Education

Classical Education pre-dates the term “Fine Arts.” The disciplines we now place in that category, including music, visual art, architecture, and theater, were originally more intertwined among the core curriculum of the Seven Liberal Arts. Music, one of the seven, is a member of the Quadrivium (the mathematical arts), yet sixth-century Christian philosopher Boethius proclaimed that music is the only mathematical art which is concerned with morality, linking it to the Trivium as well. Visual art and architecture were taught as a part of another discipline from the Quadrivium: geometry. Squarely on the side of the Trivium, theatrical pursuits are an important part of the study of the art of Rhetoric. At SBSUM, our students learn these “Fine Arts” both on their own, and integrated into their original areas of Classical study. We also ascribe to the wisdom of Socrates, when he said that there are two foundational pillars of education: “Athletics for the body, and music for the soul.”

University Model Fine Arts Education

At SBSUM, we offer Fine Arts education during the school day (which we call curricular arts) and outside the school day (which we call co-curricular arts). Most importantly during the school day, each of our students participates in a brief choir class, the primary purpose of which is to train them to be proficient in praise. As Christians, we are commanded to sing praises to the Lord, and to do so with understanding. During the school day, our students also participate in general music, visual art, and art history classes. After school and on satellite days, our students have opportunities to participate in co-curricular arts projects, depending on the development on the campus, including musicals, plays, choirs, orchestras, private instrument lessons, and visual art classes.