Thinking About Arts Classes for Next Year?

To all the II Formers who chose their arts electives with no real idea what they are getting into or what they want: do not despair! Your four years at Lawrenceville offer plenty of opportunities for explorations in artistic fields beyond the one you selected as a naive Lawrentian-to-be. If your II Form course isn’t exactly what you’re looking for, you can easily try something new next year. Lawrenceville’s clever system provides two options for rising III Formers: If you like your II Form year’s two-term Foundations course, you can take anAdvanced term on the same subject; however, if you find yourself interested in a course a friend of yours is taking, III Form year offers a one-term Explorations course, which acts as a condensed primer for each of the II Form Foundation courses. To all the new III Formers: Sorry, but you’re stuck with what you chose. Still, for both new and returning students, your time in the Arts Department does not have to end after the Spring Term of III Form year! Once your baseline art requirements have been fulfilled, you’ll find a plethora of available, specialized artistic courses —from filmmaking and mythological theatre to the traditional AP art courses, the world is your oyster. 

Obviously, you could drop the department entirely, but that’s not necessarily the best option for everyone. Even someone with no interest in pursuing art as a career, or someone who has had little to no experience prior to their II Form or III Form year, should consider their options before abandoning the field entirely. Many other departments’ graduation requirements, such as those of Science or History, only require three years, so their courses can easily be pushed back to accommodate more creative exploration. For instance, once you’ve finished all your graduation requirements, you can opt to choose 500-level arts electives, such as Jazz: An American Art Form in the Spring, or 400-level electives, such as Ceramics, which is available all three terms. IV Formers, if you have yet to complete your interdisciplinary requirements, consider an array of electives that combine the arts with various other subjects, ranging from courses like Playwriting to American Popular Music from Bessie Smith to Beyonce. Lawrenceville’s extensive arts program leaves no excuse for the uninspired artist. 

To those passionate about the arts who have college requirements for an intended major, dropping your arts courses entirely could seem like the only feasible option for the rest of your Lawrenceville career. The dilemma of “dropping” art in pursuit of another (perhaps more practical) passion is very real and experienced by many. However, high school isn’t college. There is still time for experimentation and pursuits of other talents or hobbies. Even if you truly can’t fit art into your schedule, you don’t have to give it up. Lawrenceville has an abundance of artistic extracurriculars and other student-led options available for artists swamped by academics. For one, Lifetime Tech Crew and Lifetime Art allow students to get creative in backstage theatre and visual arts through directed assignments and passion-project options; music enthusiasts can get involved in The Lawrentians, Lawrenceville Singers, the Lawrenceville Philharmonic and Collegium Orchestras, as well as various other music ensembles. Additionally, student groups such as the MUSE Council, the Allegro Council, the Periwig Council, L10 News, as well as the arts section of The Lawrence enable multi-talented students to channel their passions into the community.

 If art is something you enjoy at all, there are always ways to pursue it at Lawrenceville and beyond. Don’t lose your creativity, folks!