Each August and December, you and your child have the opportunity to select courses in the arts program.  Your child will sign up for arts classes on a computer at school. Prior to this, we will send an email to families advising them of the arts class selections. We encourage you to work with your student to determine what arts classes your student should sign up for at school. Understanding this collaboration, ensures that your child gets the maximum benefit from the arts program.  Please, consider these things:

• Your child will take two (2) arts classes each semester.  One class meets on Mondays and Thursdays; the other meets on Tuesdays and Fridays.  Therefore, please come prepared to enter 1^st, 2^nd, & 3^rd choices for each set of days.
• We cannot guarantee enrollment in any arts class as we consider many dynamics to ensure the classes are balanced, but we do our best to honor one of the three (3) choices for each set of days.

We strongly believe in exposing our students to a variety of arts classes and ask our families to support this. To this end, over the course of 2nd and 3rd grades (4 semesters), students are encouraged not to repeat arts classes (with the exception of piano and choir). We are asking our families to choose classes from both Visual and Performing Arts categories for their children and from Core Fine Arts classes (at least one per semester).

• Students who are interested in a class that they have not yet taken will get preference over students who have already taken that class.
• Students who have already taken classes and are attempting to repeat classes will be able to do so only if there is space and with the consent of the instructor. 
• If there is no space, students will receive one of their other choices. 

All 4th and 5^th graders who are enrolled in one of these band sections will remain in that class for the entire year. The exception is that some students may move to Advanced Band upon instructor recommendation.

Band -  Brass, Percussion, Woodwinds
Advanced Band - for students with at least 1 year of band experience and/or demonstration of proficiency

Students in brass, woodwinds, intermediate percussion and advanced band will remain in those classes for the entire school year (fall and spring terms) with no exceptions.

Although we make every effort to honor your class requests, we cannot guarantee enrollment in any class. This is due to the fact that some classes receive a larger number of enrollment requests than we can accommodate. When this occurs, children may be placed in an alternate class as space permits.

Some have asked why classes are offered on one day and not another. We develop our schedule based on the availability of our fine arts instructors, our grade-level teams, available instruction space, and the balance of classes between Monday/Thursday & Tuesday/Friday.

Most Core Fine Arts Classes (except Visual Arts), are performance classes. These classes require your child to participate in scheduled performances: Dance, Showtime, Band, Drumming, Ukuleles, Piano, Choir (Singers), Handchimes, and Dulcimers. Students in these classes are expected and counted upon to attend scheduled performances in December and May.

Please make certain your child will be able to attend performances if s/he signs up for a performance class.

Please see Upcoming Arts Performances for performance dates and times.