Arts

Our extensive and varied UHS Music Program allows students to explore both instrumental and vocal music. We offer classes that cater to students with all levels of experience, from those who are just beginning to those who are already quite advanced. Students have the opportunity to perform at the four school concerts we host, as well as other venues throughout the region. Field trips allow students to experience live performances of a variety of styles of music in the Bay Area.

In the UHS Music Program, You Can:

• Learn a new musical instrument (such as sax, flute, trumpet, trombone, drums, piano, and electric bass)
• Learn to sing and read music and perform in ensemble groups designed for all ability levels
• Conduct a musical group
• Compose, arrange, and digitially record an original piece, and post it on the school website
• Take an Advanced Placement Music Theory class
• Develop your unique musical voice through the Independent Study Program

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Music Beyond UHS:
In addition to performing regularly on campus, our musical groups play in outside venues:

• The Jazz Ensemble has been featured on KQED’s West Coast Weekend, and has performed in the Santa Cruz, San Mateo, C.S.U. East Bay, and Reno Jazz Festivals
• The group recorded the album "In Full Swing," at the world famous Fantasy Studios in Berkeley
• Camerata has performed in the Chanticleer Choral Festival, Junior Bach Festival, and at local service agencies
• Small student-led groups of advanced musicians regularly perform in a variety of venues in San Francisco, including Davies Hall and the Church of John Coltrane

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Facilities and Resources:
Our music facilities are regularly updated. Some features include:

• Two new soundproof music classrooms: specifically designed spaces to house our larger ensembles, as well as our more intimate chamber groups
• A midi lab/recording studio that houses powerhouse digital audio work stations that are loaded with state-of-the-art software
• Ample storage for our collection of instruments that include: five pianos; two synthesizers; three digital keyboards; a harpsichord; and a variety of woodwind, brass, string, and percussion instruments
• A music library that houses our expansive collection of sheet music

We offer students a wide variety of experiences in acting, technical theatre, and theatre-making. Students learn from theatre professionals of all kinds and are given the opportunity to learn to act, dance, and sing on stage; write, direct, and produce their own short play; design lights, sound, sets, props, or costumes for a show; and stage manage a mainstage production. We produce three major shows each year: a classic play, a contemporary play, and a musical. Our annual Student Drama Series highlights advanced student work. We regularly attend professional productions in the Bay Area and at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival in Ashland, Oregon.

Theatre Beyond UHS:

Students regularly attend summer theatre programs including: Northwestern University’s High School Institute in Theatre, the Oregon Shakespeare Festival’s Summer Seminar for High School Juniors, CSSSA’s acting program, and the Walnut Hill School for the Arts. Students participate in summer internships throughout the Bay Area, including San Francisco Shakespeare Festival, San Francisco Mime Troupe, and Shotgun Players.

Facilities and Resources:
Our theater is a state-of-the-art facility. Some features include:

• Raked seating with an audience capacity of 400
• A technical mezzanine with professional lighting and catwalks
• A “Juliet” balcony
• Optimum acoustical designs
• Cutting-edge audio and visual technologies
• Digital and computer capabilities

Our UHS Visual Arts Program offers both breadth and depth in the disciplines of 2D design: painting and drawing; 3D design: ceramics and sculpture; and photography. The Visual Arts faculty hosts six art exhibits a year, with student artwork highlighted at the winter and spring arts shows.

In the Visual Arts, You Can:

• Learn fundamental skills in drawing, painting, ceramics, and photography
• Mature into a creative and conceptual thinker
• Refine your skills in media and visual literacy
• Explore different media and create multi-media works
• Curate an art show or host a film screening

Visual Arts Beyond UHS:
Our Visual Arts faculty has a commitment to the professional art world. In addition to working as professionals in their respective fields, the faculty curate a professional gallery that showcases Bay Area artists.

• We bring in guest artists and live models to work with our students
• Our classes regularly visit Bay Area museums and galleries
• Many of our arts students are named California Arts Scholars, through their attendance at the California State Summer School for the Arts (CSSSA)

Facilities and Resources:
Our “South Campus” is a three-story building largely dedicated to the Visual Arts. Some highlights include:

• A spacious painting and drawing studio with plenty of natural light
• A ceramics studio with 10 pottery wheels, three outdoor kilns, and a large indoor work area
• In the photography studio, a wet darkroom equipped with 14 enlargers
• A digital photography computer lab with 14 work stations
• Classrooms outfitted for slide and digital projector use
• An image library with thousands of digital and slide images
• A collection of 35-mm cameras, digital cameras, and lighting equipment for student use
• Additional gallery space, with potential for a rooftop sculpture garden

The UHS Arts Program urges students to think about the arts outside of the traditional context of the studio or stage. We have several courses that investigate the creative process through a variety of lenses:

Civilization and The Arts : A Transcultural History of The West and The World (Civ) is a landmark class of University High School. Since the founding of UHS, it has served as the cornerstone of the Humanities program.  Required in the sophomore year, Civ has evolved over time into an interdisciplinary course that investigates the relationship among art, music and history and is taught by a team of teachers in each of the three disciplines. Civ surveys cultural developments from the Ancient Middle East to the globalized 21^st century and examines the transcultural relationship between the west and the world.

AP Art History examines the history of art and material culture from the prehistoric through the contemporary era. Painting, sculpture, architecture, performance, photography, and works of mixed media from a variety of global traditions are considered. This course studies the major styles of each period while tracking and understanding the reasons for changes. The objects and works of study within this class discussed within their historical and social context by investigating critical issues that surround the works, such as patronage, identity, transculturation, and function.