Philosophy
Browning has long sought to provide boys with a balanced and culturally enriched educational experience, and the arts play a major role in that endeavor. Academic courses, which assure a certain level of competence in the history and critical analysis of art and music, are a required part of the curriculum. However, it is equally important to foster a deeper appreciation for the arts. To this end, students set their hands to drawing, painting, sculpture, and related media, and display their works in school exhibits and publications. Browning choirs sing at various assemblies and concerts, and individual student musicians are encouraged to perform. Larger groups receive instruction on Orff instruments. Theatrical performances by all age groups are mounted for assemblies and evening productions, and often the energies and talents of school artists, musicians, and thespians are pulled together into one, unifying effort.
The Visual Arts Program
Grades Five and Six
These courses are devoted to enhancing each student’s creativity and technical ability, while at the same time teaching the elements of good design and composition. Students are provided with a variety of media for both two and three-dimensional exploration. Activities include drawing, painting, printmaking, construction, ceramics, and papier maché. Throughout the year, various artists and styles are studied with field trips to local museums included to enhance the program.
Forms I and II
The Form I and II art course is designed to be more sophisticated as boys have more room for exploration and development of individual ideas. A wide variety of materials are available for use as boys in Form I focus on sculpture. In groups, the class constructs buildings for their architecture unit, placing them together to form a cityscape. Functional clocks are another project, encouraging students to define their own concept of time. Boys in Form II begin the year refining their drawing techniques as they learn skills to perfect properly proportioned enlargements of photographs. Expressionism and impressionism serve as inspiration during these units.
