Arts

Performing Arts

Welcome

As early as the Primary School, Walker students are encouraged to find their voices - both on and off the stage. Our talented performing arts faculty members instill confidence in students of all ages, frequently encouraging them to try new instruments, show off their acting chops in a school production, or work behind the scenes on the technical crew to ensure the show goes on without a hitch.  This early exposure of being in the spotlight facilitates students' confidence in speaking and performing in front of large crowds from a young age, while diversified musical and theatrical experiences serve to improve artistic fluency across multiple mediums.

Theatre + Dance

List of 4 items.

  • Upper School

    The Upper School Drama Program offers many different classes including: Drama I: Beginning Acting, Drama II: Advanced Acting, Musical Theatre, Company Players, Directing Seminar, and Technical Theatre. The courses are designed to train both the serious and beginning student, while encouraging continued theater participation and appreciation. Acting classes address scene and monologue study, script analysis, voice, movement, introductory stage combat, theatre history, and theater for youth. The musical theatre class produces and performs a one-act musical while the Company Players course production a full-length non-musical play. The Directing Seminar students cast, direct and produce the bi-annual 10-Minute Play Festival. If students have an interest in set design and construction, they can participate in our shop—building sets for Upper School and Middle School plays. Independent studies beyond the curriculum in technical theatre and performance.

    Opportunities also exist outside the classroom to participate in drama. There are three to four major productions a year, and auditions are open to all students in the 9th through 12th grade. There is an annual musical with an average of 80 students participating, both on and off stage or in the pit orchestra. Finally, we have a troupe in The International Thespian Society, a national honor society that recognizes excellence and commitment to the theatrical arts. Membership is offered to students who work more than 100 hours in theatre during a school year.

    Dance classes are semester-length courses designed to introduce the beginner student to the fundamentals of dance as well as strengthen the technique of the experienced dancer. Students spend the first quarter on ballet and the second quarter on jazz/modern fusion. Ballet gives the students a solid foundation in body position, balance, and terminology, while jazz focuses on building strength and stamina using the Horton technique. At the end of each quarter, there is an observation day in which parents, friends, and faculty may come and watch class. Students are also invited to perform each year in the Fine Arts Showcase.
  • Middle School

    Drama I takes students through a broad range of activities to develop presence on stage. Improvisation games develop the performers' ability to act in the moment. Other activities develop effective vocal production and intentional movement on stage. While students will collaborate every day, activities in the first several weeks will emphasize individual storytelling in the forms of speeches, interviews, and monologues. Finally, students will become familiar with conventions of theatrical styles and staging, culminating in their own dramatizations of historical events or published literature.

    Drama II deepens the students' presence on stage with emphasis on dramatic conflict between characters. Improvisation and ensemble-building games will continue to exercise students' cooperation, concentration, and body language. Students will explore character at a deeper level, filling in back story, looking for the arc of a character's story within a script, finding the subtext in dialogue. Students will work both from published scripts and from scenes developed collaboratively within the class.

    Walker Arts "W.arts" Drama Team finds a place for any middle schoolers who can commit their time to drama after school. In a typical year, the W.arts team presents three productions: a play presented in early October, a musical in early February, and a night of short scenes presented in early April.
  • Lower School

    Since 1972, Walker's Lower School students have performd in the annual Lower School Showcase, which highlights their musical learning.  The Spring Showcase is a major production that includes all students in grades one through five and is an illustration of how we work to build confidence from a very early age. Students sing, play instruments, act, and dance in this amazing production. Visitors to Walker often notice the fruits of an early introduction to the stage—they are amazed to see that students stop to welcome them with a friendly and confident greeting.
  • Primary School

    Walker’s Primary School students are involved in a yearly musical where even the youngest early learner is on stage performing. All students sing, dance, and act in these productions, and every Kindergarten student is given a special speaking or singing role. This early exposure of being in the spotlight facilitates their confidence in speaking in front of a large crowd

Instrumental Music

List of 4 items.

  • Upper School

    Upper School Concert Band
    The Walker School Concert Band performs major works of the traditional wind band repertoire as well as new compositions by leading composers. Consisting of ninth through twelfth grade students, this outstanding and award-winning ensemble performs two concerts per semester and rehearses daily as a class in the rotation. Many of the students participate in GMEA All-State, UGA JanFest Honor Band, GISA All-Select, District XII Honor Band and Georgia Youth Symphony Orchestra. Accolades and honors for the band include consistent ‘Excellent’ and ‘Superior’ ratings, many ‘Best in Class’ trophies and several ‘Overall Sweepstakes’ earnings. This ensemble and select members have also performed by invitation at Downtown Disney, The Grand Ole Opry, The Governor’s Mansion and The KSU Concert Band Invitational.

    Camarata
    Camarata is a class designed for students with a high level of proficiency on their stringed instrument. The class focus on a variety of advanced level topics and techniques related to string playing and chamber music repertoire. Students will study through performance and research the master composers and performers of this genre.

    Upper School Concert Orchestra
    Upper School Concert Orchestra is an ensemble comprised of ninth through twelfth grade students wishing to continue their string studies and take advantage of performance opportunities. Students participate in multiple concerts on campus and in the community, master classes with guest artists, and school productions and assemblies throughout the year. Music in Concert Orchestra comes from a wide range of genres and styles (Bach to Rock) and focuses on improving technique and music fluency.

    Upper School Jazz Band
    This is one of the most dynamic and exciting ensembles on campus! Musical performances span the music of the big bands to contemporary jazz bands. We even have some Pop and Funk thrown in as well. This ensemble performs at the same concerts as the Concert Band, but will also perform in the community and for special occasions on campus. The Jazz Band will compete at a music festival this spring along with the Concert Band.

    Wolverine Attack Pep Band & Drumline
    The Wolverine Attack Pep Band and Drumline is perhaps the most visible musical ensemble on campus! This high-energy group incorporates elements of a show band with top level musicianship. With performance both on and off campus, The Wolverine Attack performs more than twenty times a year! Performances include pre-game festivities and half-time entertainment for home football games, select home basketball games, festivals on Marietta Square, the annual Santa Parade at Town Center Mall and invitational performances at Phillips Arena for the Atlanta Hawks. Repertoire includes pop songs from the 70 ' s , 80’s, Disco , R&B , Motown and hits of today!

    Pit Orchestra
    The Pit Orchestra is comprised of students and faculty members for the sole purpose of providing quality and live accompaniment for the annual Upper School musical production. Musicians who perform in the pit orchestra are required to often play multiple instruments and they must also be familiar with and be able to perform in multiple keys, styles, and tempos and make changes instantaneously. Experience in the Walker Pit Orchestra simulates the professional experience found in community theatre and on Broadway. The Walker Pit Orchestra is consistently recognized by the Shuler Hensley Awards (Georgia High School Musical Awards) as a top performer.
     
    Tri-M Music Honor Society
    The Tri-M (Modern Music Masters) Music Honor Society is the international music honor society designed to recognize students for their academic and musical achievements, reward them for their accomplishments and service activities, and to inspire other students to excel at music performance and leadership. Tri-M has helped thousands of young people provide years of service through music in schools throughout the world. Tri-M is sponsored by the National Association for Music Education. Members perform recitals, collaborate on off-campus performances and enjoy group outings to events at The Fabulous Fox Theater and The Cobb Energy Center. Membership into Tri-M is determined by a series of applications, interviews, an essay and service both inside and outside the music community.
  • Middle School

    Middle School Band
    The Middle School band program is a participation-based opportunity for students to learn to play a traditional band instrument while developing concentration, teamwork, problem solving, and time management skills. The 6th grade is our beginning band, where students pick their choice of instruments and first learn to create music as a group. We focus on instrumental training as well as the basics of musical literacy, including note reading, rhythm, and musical terms. In the 7th and 8th grade bands we further their instrumental skills and look deeper into the structure and context of music. As students progress by year, we encourage them to develop more individuality in their roles in the band. There are opportunities to play more specialized instruments, and the musical parts become more diversified, which requires greater responsibility. In all classes we spend time listening, both to musical masters and our peers, and developing critical analysis and writing skills.

    Middle School Orchestra
    The Middle School Orchestra program is a participation-based opportunity for students to learn to play violin, viola, cello or double while developing concentration, teamwork, problem solving, and time management skills. The 6th grade is our beginning orchestra where students pick their choice of instruments and first learn to create and read music as a group. We focus on instrumental training as well as the basics of musical literacy, including note reading, rhythm, and musical terms. After one year of beginning orchestra students advance to Sinfonietta, our intermediate orchestra. In this ensemble students will have the chance to further develop their musical skills and training which were introduced in beginning orchestra. Students who have played for several years may audition for Chamber Orchestra, which is comprised of mostly 8th grade students. Chamber Orchestra is an advanced orchestra for students who can demonstrate advanced level ability and musical knowledge. As students progress by year, we encourage them to develop more individuality in their roles in the orchestra. Over the course of their study the musical parts become more diversified, which requires greater responsibility. Students develop critical analysis listening to their peers and musical masters and learn effective ways of communication both verbally and musically to enhance their performance.

    Middle School Jazz Band
    The MS Jazz Band is an extracurricular group that meets before school on Wednesdays to explore jazz and rock styles of music. The Jazz Band is a chance for students to acquire additional musical experiences and confidence. We listen and talk about the history of jazz music and use those examples to encourage creativity and spontaneity. The Jazz Band also provides the opportunity for motivated students to apply their knowledge of secondary instruments, including drum set, bass, piano, and guitar.
  • Lower School

    Musical instruction is an essential part of a child’s education. It develops higher order thinking skills, collaborative teamwork, self-discipline, and an aesthetic sense of culture. The elements of music which the students are learning are: rhythm, melody, harmony, dynamics, form, tempo, meter, and timbre. The music curriculum is spiral from EL through 5th grade and utilizes various strategies to create a well-rounded curriculum that includes solfegé with Kodály hands signs for singing and the Orff-Schulwerk methodology for instrument instruction. Students in the Lower School refine their music reading skills by learning standard musical notation. Students in the third & fourth grade learn to play the soprano recorder. They use higher order thinking skills by composing their own music for the soprano recorder, and students in the 5th grade begin basic classical guitar skills. All students construct grade appropriate timelines where famous composers are placed in context with historical events of an era. Technology is also highly integrated into the curriculum with the use of the Promethean Activboard and other music software. Today’s music student needs the technological skills to thrive in an ever changing society.
  • Primary School

    Musical instruction is an essential part of a child’s education. It develops higher order thinking skills, collaborative teamwork, self-discipline, and an aesthetic sense of culture. The elements of music of which the students are learning are rhythm, melody, harmony, dynamics, form, tempo, meter, and timbre. The music curriculum is spiral from EL through 5th grade and utilizes various strategies to create a well-rounded curriculum that includes solfegé with Kodály hands signs for singing and the Orff-Schulwerk methodology for instrument instruction. Students in the Primary School begin their musical reading skills using the Laurie Zentz Heart Chart, which is an iconic version of musical notation. Students are able to sight-read simple quarter note, quarter rest, and eighth note patterns and then apply the pattern to pitched and un-pitched percussion instruments.

Vocal Arts

List of 4 items.

  • Upper School

    Harmonix: In this acapella mixed Upper School ensemble, students focus on four to six part harmony.  Students also learn how to maintain key and intonation through acapella music. The genres range from traditional choral literature to contemporary and pop music.  Harmonix is an ensemble that can be taken as a class or membership can be granted through an audition process. This ensemble performs throughout the school year.

    Show Choir:
      This Upper School performance group incorporates choreography along with vocal performance. This group performs music that ranges from Pop Culture to Musical Theatre with four to six part harmony. They perform in the Jazz and Show Choir Concert in the Spring as well as festival.
  • Middle School

    Treblemakers:  This is the beginning Middle School choral group that focuses on music theory, vocal technique, and performance. The genres range from traditional choral literature to contemporary. This course focuses on scales, performing unison and two-part vocal pieces, and performing in an ensemble.

    Mixed Voices:
      In this intermediate Middle School choral group, students learn to sing in two to three part harmony as well as discovering their changes voices. The genres range from traditional choral literature to contemporary. These ensembles perform in concerts throughout the school year.

    Bella Voce:
      This is the advanced Middle School choral group that focuses on three to four part harmony, music theory, and performance. The genres range from traditional choral literature to contemporary.  This ensemble performs in concerts throughout the year as well as competes in festival in the Spring.
  • Lower School

    Students learn basic vocal technique in their regular music classes, but for students who want additional singing and performing opportunities, the after-school Lower School Chorus is great way to enhance their vocal skills. The group is comprised of first through fifth graders, and the students work on their sight-singing, vocal technique, breath control, and ensemble skills as well as learning how to follow a conductor. They learn a wide variety of age appropriate repertoire from standard choral classics to American Folk songs, and modern style pop. These students learn the importance of working together as a team to create beautiful music.
  • Primary School

    Primary School students sing in every music class period. They utilize traditional solfegé with Kodály hands signs for learning how to match pitch and proper vocal technique. All students learn to utilize their voice in different ways including how to speak or sing in front of group with expression, which provides an avenue to help build self-esteem.
  • Main Campus

    700 Cobb Parkway North
    Marietta, GA 30062
    770.427.2689
  • Primary School

    830 Damar Road
    Marietta, GA 30062
    770.427.2689
The Walker School is a private, co-ed day school offering opportunities in academics, arts, and athletics for preschool, elementary, middle, and high school students in Metro Atlanta.