The Academy is in session 151 days a year. The school day is from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday, with nine 50-minute class periods. Several Academy programs utilize two-hour block classes and some extend beyond 5 p.m.

Students receive accelerated academic instruction along with intensive artistic studies. Courses at Interlochen are neither weighted nor labeled, but should be considered to be rigorous, either meeting or exceeding honors or advanced placement levels.

Interlochen Arts Academy selectively enrolls the most talented and motivated students from around the world. Given our non-traditional population and distinct educational program, comparisons by rank do not adequately describe the superior qualifications of our graduates.

Recommended College Preparatory Program

The Arts Curriculum

Creative Writing
The creative writing division provides the experience necessary for students to continue their development as writers. Recognizing that most students are only beginning their writing careers at this age, the Academy is strongly committed to providing extensive writing experience in conjunction with critiques from peers and faculty.

Dance
The dance program trains dancers to be versatile, well-rounded and prepared to face the rigors and technical demands of today’s dance world. The Academy provides a ballet-based curriculum with additional emphasis in modern and jazz techniques. The faculty create a nurturing, yet demanding environment where dancers are encouraged to explore their potential as technicians, artists and creative thinkers.

Motion Picture Arts
The motion picture arts program provides students with a progressive and interdisciplinary education through a variety of production and theory-based courses in digital film, screenwriting and related arts (theatre, visual arts, dance and music). Production experience is the primary focus of a curriculum also designed to provide practical training, basic and advanced skills, a foundation in film studies and confidence for college-level work in film and media arts.

Music
The Academy is widely recognized as the United States’ foremost pre-professional school for musicians because of its outstanding curriculum and the excellence of the music faculty. Students can specialize in voice or a specific instrument, study additional instruments, investigate jazz history and improvisation, explore their potential as composers and gain a solid background in music theory as they develop their total musicianship. Master classes with visiting guest artists, off-campus programs and tours complement the curriculum.

Theatre Arts
The theatre arts division provides pre-professional training in all aspects of performance, design and production. Students receive a solid background in all areas of theatre, which strengthens their position once they decide to focus on a particular area. To this end, students are exposed to the art from both an actor’s and a designer’s perspective.

Visual Arts
The visual arts program helps young artists develop personal vision and technical abilities through experimentation with a variety of media. Problem solving, critical thinking and experimentation with processes integral to the medium build a foundation for aesthetic and original thinking.

The Academic Curriculum

Math
The mathematics curriculum provides a complete college-preparatory program, from Algebra I through Calculus. Additional advanced work is provided through independent study programs. Graphing calculators and computer labs are used in math classes. Interlochen math instructors have written a textbook on graphing calculator enhanced algebra that was funded by the National Science Foundation and is used in hundreds of high schools in the United States.

Science
Students are offered a challenging curriculum with small classes and well-equipped laboratories. They become well-acquainted with the basic principles, concepts and facts of science in order to better understand nature, human beings and technology. They may select from a core curriculum of courses (Biology, Chemistry and Physics) or more specialized offerings (Chemistry II and Ecology).

English
Employing both traditional and innovative methods of intellectual inquiry, the Interlochen English faculty assist students in the exploration of human experience through the pursuit of literary appreciation, and the development of language skills. English I and II are required and literature-based college-preparatory courses emphasize the study of literary works and the development of formal composition skills. Upper-level elective English courses are academically accelerated, using methods and materials that are comparable to or exceed advanced placement courses. Course offerings may include American, Russian, British and Psychological literature; Short Story; Southern Literature; Modern European Literature; Fairy Tale Literature; Shakespeare; Contemporary Classics; Women in Literature; Biography and Memoirs; and Emerging Voices.

History and Political Science
The department stimulates an awareness of the human condition,
emphasizing the application of rational thinking to an understanding of our historical, economic, political and social development. Course offerings may include Old Republic; Republic on Trial; Reconstruction and Rise of Modern America; America in Transition; American Diplomacy; Political Philosophy; Western Thought and the American Mind; American Political Processes; and World History.

World Language
Course offerings include French, German and Spanish. In an effort to encourage communication, all of the languages are taught exclusively in the target language, and all communication between the teacher and students takes place in the target language, including grammatical explanations and cultural topics. In essence, the language classroom begins to approximate a microcosm of the foreign country. Contextual clues, cognates, gestures and visual aids assist the student in understanding without the need to translate to or from his or her native language. Participation at weekly language tables is required to promote meaningful communication in a less structured environment.

English as a Second Language
The English as a Second Language (ESL) department includes a variety of language and content courses. Faculty address the immediate linguistic and social skills needed to fit into life in an English-speaking society.