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PERFORMING ARTS

Dance, music and theater at Flint Hill embrace the direct joy of performing but also pay special attention to the process and the journey of acquiring technical skills and embodied knowledge.

Our music students are known for their success in sight-reading; our dancers are trained in ballet, modern and jazz techniques; and, our actors perform in classical, contemporary and musical theater genres. The teaching artists of Flint Hill are role models with their own ongoing professional work as performers. All of our student performers learn to balance their individual practices within the deeply creative form of collaboration demanded by working with an ensemble— resulting in developing skills in leadership, innovation and problem-solving.

DANCE

Lower, Middle and Upper School students can take after-school courses in ballet, modern dance and jazz from our own Dance Academy. Dancers in the program also qualify to participate in our annual production of "The Nutcracker," featuring a resident guest artist dancer and over 100 performers.

Upper School students are offered a full progression of dance classes in our dance studio with a curriculum that includes ballet, jazz, and modern dance and Topics in Dance Technique Honors. Advanced students have the opportunity to be selected as choreographers for our annual concert at George Mason University’s Concert Hall.

MUSIC

Flint Hill’s Music program begins in the Lower School, where students establish a strong foundation for music literacy. Music classes are taught using the Orff Schulwerk Approach, involving listening, movement, singing and other creative activities. Students develop skills in music theory and instrumental music, playing instruments such as the xylophone and other percussion instruments. Students perform during weekly Inspiration and the winter and spring concerts.

Fifth grade is the time to select an ensemble. Students may choose from band, concert choir, orchestra or percussion groups and perform in fall and spring concerts; regional and state festivals and more. Master musician teachers continuously work with students in grades 5-12, mentoring student progress across the years.

In the Upper School, students take their music studies to the next level. Students can choose from six advanced ensembles offered as curricular classes: Symphonic Band, Jazz Band, Symphonic Choir, Concert Choir, Percussion Ensemble or String Orchestra. In addition, students have the opportunity to further their studies with AP Music Theory or to audition for the nationally-recognized Flint Hill Major Minors a cappella group. Student clubs, student bands, open mic events and more make Flint Hill a campus filled with musical opportunity.

THEATER

Middle School is when our students begin to explore the theater arts in class. Flint Hill offers curricular classes in theater art for seventh and eighth graders in addition to a theatrical production each year. Students have the opportunity to perform comedy, tragedy, drama and musical theater over the course of their school careers, with an emphasis on the processes of developing actor preparation skills and rehearsal best practices. Participants study acting, directing, playwriting, improvisation and more.

In the Upper School, there are two productions each year. Students interested in crew work and technical theater have the opportunity to work both on school productions and on the crew of our annual concert at George Mason University’s Concert Hall, interacting with the university’s professional crew.

Upper School students may also participate in our Cappies Team or in the Student Theater Advisory Group, which is dedicated to student-led initiatives in the theater — helping to select plays, student directors, publicity, improv teams and more.

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