The Fine Arts / Elective Department

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The mission of SGMS’s Elective Department,

which consists of Visual and Performing Arts,

is to provide quality standards-based Arts instruction,

with equal access to all our students, 

and by competent, qualified teachers

who are trained Artists in their respective disciplines.

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Because the Arts contribute to the total development of the individual and serve an important purpose in society and in our community, the Elective Department is dedicated to:

·     Expanding the role the Arts play within our schools and lives.

·     Creating and maintaining a network of community that supports all teachers and students in a standards-based Arts curriculum. 

·     Addressing multiple intelligences, creative thinking, cultural diversity, and special needs. 

The teachers of SGMS's Elective Department follow a curriculum based on the California State Standards, which are divided by the disciplines, including Visual & Media Arts, Dance, Music, and Theater, and are further broken down by grade levels.

The State defines a balanced, comprehensive Arts program as one in which the Arts are studied as discrete disciplines related to each other and, when appropriate, to other subject areas in the curriculum. Students will be expected to master the content of the individual Arts disciplines as outlined in the respective Content Standards. For each of the Arts disciplines, the standards are further grouped by strands as follows:

· Artistic Perception

        Processing, analyzing, and responding to sensory information through language and skills unique to the discipline.

· Creative Expression

        Creation, performance and participation in the discipline.

· Historical and Cultural Context

        Understanding historical contributions and cultural dimensions of the discipline.

· Aesthetic Valuing

        Responding to, analyzing, and making judgments about works of Art.

· Connections, Relationships, Applications

        Connecting and applying what is learned in the discipline to other art forms and subject areas and to careers.