The arts are thriving at Roland Park Elementary/Middle School! Children are exposed to visual, musical, theatrical and language arts through a spectrum of vehicles, including dedicated classes, arts-integrated academics,  assemblies, field trips, and after-school programming.   A dedicated parent group of the PTA called Advocates of the Arts leads fund-raising and advocacy efforts to continue to expand arts opportunities at Roland Park. 

Music

Elementary students have music instruction once a week.  Through both vocal and instrumental exercises, students learn musical form, styles, and appreciation.

The elementary school chorus is open to fourth and fifth graders by audition.  The chorus meets once a week after school. Special performances include school-wide concerts and spirited holiday programs at Lexington Market and area retirement communities.

Instrumental music instruction begins in third grade.  Students can select from a variety of string and wind instruments for group lessons during the school day. Instruction is free, as is participation in the after-school orchestra. 

For middle school students, chorus is also open by audition and students perform at school-wide concerts and in the community.  Instrument instruction classes are held during the school day, and students can choose to participate in the school band or orchestra.

Students also enjoy throughout the year excursions to nearby venues for music and dance, including performances of the Nutcracker at Goucher University and special children’s performances at the Baltimore Symphony. In addition, an eclectic mix of musicians and singers also perform at the school at both school-wide and grade-specific assemblies.

Theater

Each fall a lively and professional elementary school play is produced by Karen Saar, the theater teacher in the middle school, with Amanda Barnes, a third grade teacher with a theater background.  Students are selected by audition. In 2005, the show was Rumpelstiltskin and the show for 2006 is Stone Soup. Each year, the elementary school play performances are attended by hundreds of students, parents and community members.  The play’s cast is comprised from students from all five grades of the elementary school, and students try out by auditioning. 

In middle school, theater classes are taught by Ms. Saar.  Students who select theater as an elective attend for a full semester.  The middle school also partners in drama education with the Baltimore Shakespeare Festival, which provides a drama program at the school each fall for approximately one hundred students.  Each spring, Ms. Saar produces a middle school musical. In 2006, Aladdin played to enthusiastic audiences of family, friends, and community supporters.  The 2007 show is Seussical. Students participate as actors or production crew members, who manage such elements as costumes, sets and lighting.

Visual Arts

Elementary students have art class once a week.  The middle school offers semester-long arts classes for all students. Lessons often are related to a grade’s current academic themes. Students work in a variety of media. In addition to participating in weekly art classes, students are exposed to art by visiting the Walter’s Art Museum in Baltimore’s historic Mount Vernon.

In past years, through the Maryland Art’s Council’s Arts in Education Program, Roland Park has been the recipient of grants establishing a yearly artists-in-residency program at the school.  In 2007, Molly Ross will serve an artist-in-residence at Roland Park and work with third through fifth grades in creating “Magic Lanterns” made from simple paper cutouts and overhead projectors.  These lanterns, which blend elements of sculpture, drawing, and performance, are then exhibited in a school parade.  For the middle school, Gayle Danley, a poet, will serve as an artist in residence in the spring of 2007and will introduce students to the art of “slam poetry” through intensive poetry workshops culminating in an assembly showcasing students’ work.

After School Clubs

In addition to the in-school offerings, various after school arts clubs are offered including an art appreciation club, a primary music club, a folk and blues club, photography and creative writing.  A school newspaper, The Rampage, is published quarterly and students in all grades can participate in writing feature articles, music and film reviews, and the elementary students’ favorite “Kids-in the Hall,” which interviews faculty and staff about a particular topic.