Performing Arts at AIS
	The Department of Visual and Performing Arts at The Agnes Irwin School is the home for Studio Arts, Media Arts, Photography, Theatre, Music (vocal and instrumental) and Dance. Each discipline has built a rich and cohesive program through which students discover their abilities, hone their talents and perfect their skills. As one of the three A’s – Academics, Athletics and Arts – at AIS, the Visual and Performing Arts are as integral to a student’s daily schedule as the arts are to daily life. Led by a faculty of juried visual artists, published playwrights, professional musicians, dancers, actors and technicians, the Visual and Performing Arts Department strives to identify and nurture the artist in each and every student. Why The Arts? The arts are fundamental to our humanity. They foster creativity, build bridges between cultures and unite us regardless of ethnicity, religion or age. Universally, the arts are a source of comfort in times of stress and sorrow. Additionally, the arts foster the skills sought by employers in the 21st Century workplace, including creativity, problem-solving and conceptual and critical thinking. Those strengthening their connection to the arts often have a competitive advantage in all professional fields.

	Theater
	The Theatre Program at AIS gives students the opportunity to explore all areas of the arts, allowing them to realize and learn its collaborative nature. As the program advances through the curriculum, so do the opportunities to deepen and refine technique and skills utilized in all aspects of this art.

	Dance
	The Dance Program at AIS focuses both on the artistic values and physical benefits of this kinesthetic art form, including but not limited to non-locomotor/axial movements; locomotor movements; relationship to a musical beat and changing tempos; kinesthetic awareness; creating sequences; and working effectively individually and collectively.

	Music
	Music is an integral part of the lives of every student at AIS, whether in PreKindergarten or in Upper School. Most visitors to Agnes Irwin's school assemblies and gatherings are consistently impressed by the high quality of singing by the student body. “Music is the mortar that holds together the bricks of the school’s spirit,” says Murray Savar, Music Coordinator and teacher at AIS for 35 years.