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Goals & Philosophy
From their earliest exposure to color, texture, sound and creative movement, The Academy students are invited to create. As they progress from simple crafts to fine arts, the easel, the stage, the keyboard and the kiln become natural means of expressing the inexpressible. In poetry, drama, dance and the various studio arts, they discover and develop whole new languages for life’s deepest and most sacred conversations.
At the Academy, art is not merely a department. The Academy’s  classical model assumes that there are aesthetic elements within every field of inquiry; hence teaching through the arts is a critical component of sound pedagogy throughout the Academy’s curriculum. At The Academy, Kindergarteners begin to develop a knowledge and awareness of the aesthetic quality within all things. Their entire Lower School experience reinforces the classical confidence that Beauty exists and that the pursuit of it is an essential element of a life well lived.
The Academy’s sequence of art education follows the trivium of grammar, logic & rhetoric. Unlike many American schools that hand children a piece of paper and a crayon and then give them a “gold star” for whatever they scribble, The Academy’s program begins with teaching the most basic competencies in music, dance, drama and studio arts (children actually learn to draw!).
This fundamental pedagogical movement from structure to freedom (rather than the other way around) is one of the hallmarks of a classical approach to teaching and learning. At The Academy, students mature in a unique scholarly setting that encourages artistic reflection and expression in every department of learning. The self-confidence that arises from rudimentary knowledge and positive experiences in the studio and on the stage represents an optimum environment for the cultivation of each student’s gifts.
Collaborative Opportunities and Articulated Relationships
The Academy's commitment to teach through the arts is enhanced as faculty members, working together, create interdisciplinary projects that enable students to approach specific academic units through the lens of imagination and aesthetic possibility. These frequent interdisciplinary experiences are supplemented by articulated relationships with several of the region’s leading cultural institutions including The National Gallery, the National Endowment for the Arts, the Torpedo Factory and the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.
Visiting Artists and Artists-in-Residence
Through the Academy’s Visiting Artist and Artist-in-Residence programs, students have constant access to outstanding poets, painters, sculptures, dancers, actors and musicians from throughout the region and around the world. Studio space is dedicated to artists and performers who spend an academic term working with masters and students.
 A “Singing School”
O, tell me young friends, while the morning's fair and cool,
O where, tell me where, shall I find your singing school.
You'll find it under the tall oak where the leaves do shake and blow,
You'll find a half hundred a singing faw, sol, faw.
--from The Social Harp (1855)
For generations the “Singing School” was a rich tradition in the southern parts of the United States. During the 19th century, Scandinavian immigrants who harmonized with their children at home and in church planted a similar cultural convention of a cappella singing throughout the Upper Midwest. Great choirs like that of St. Olaf College and Bethel University preserve that rich musical heritage today.
At Alexandria Academy—a school “rooted in the faith and virtue of George Washington”—signing finds daily expression in the Morning Meeting in which the entire community, from the newest student to the Head Master, join their voices in hymns and songs that celebrate and inspire. Through a touring A Capella Choir students carry this tradition to the world.
…And music at The Academy is not limited to choristers. Orchestra, Band and various student ensembles provide opportunity for every student for every student to pick up and instrument and find a voice.
Applied Arts & Technology
The Academy embraces the emerging technologies that are transforming the way students look at art with interdisciplinary instruction and project-based tutorials in applied arts. Planned programs include new media, graphic design, architecture, stellar mapping and photography. Typically the Science & Technology faculty will partner with the Visual & Performing Arts faculty to facilitate the ingenuity of students. Special emphasis is placed on artistic endeavors with a significant technological component, including computer aided design (CAD). In some cases, the Academy seeks to pair students with local performers and craftspeople who serve as artisan-mentors.
Creative Aptitude Profile
Each student and parent is periodically given a structured interview during which they answer a series of questions about the student’s artistic talents and interests. The Creative Aptitude Profile that results from this process becomes a part of the student’s overall Student Support Plan. Faculty and parents then glean information from the profile in order to direct the student towards the artistic endeavor(s) best suited for him or her.
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