Interdisciplinary Arts Core Curriculum

This class examines contemporary art movements, their historical underpinnings, and the cultural and social movements that shaped them. Students study art, performance, literature, and film from today and, through research and analysis, connect these artistic expressions to the history of aesthetics and culture. Performances, installations, and literature being made at Interlochen will also be used to illustrate discoveries made by student scholars.

This class examines the organizational and personnel structure of arts organizations. Positions and work of individual functions within an arts organization are studied utilizing Interlochen Center for the Arts as a model. Academy instructors and staff bring their perspective and expertise to the classroom as students explore the processes and individuals that make an arts organization run and grow. In addition, this class produces the Interdisciplinary Arts Division performance series Academy Café, an open mic performance series held throughout each semester, which is open to students from all divisions.

In this course, students engage in the supervised development of materials for writing, mixed media, and management portfolios and resumes. Students participate in workshops in presentation and interview techniques, and learn standard industry business practices, including the basics of unions and contracts. Students also receive arts career mentorship and assistance with college application preparation.

The Interdisciplinary Art Making class creates all elements required for the making of a devised, original presentation. This is a two-semester class open to all majors. In the first semester, students collaborate around a central, guiding idea, bringing their individual artistic skills to the process of creative development and exploration, with the goal of devising content and the presentational style best suited to revealing it. In the second semester, ideas are refined, organized and rehearsed, and production elements are built for a presentation in the spring.

Students participate in mentored studies in creative work, focusing on their chosen discipline(s). Each self-directed creative project culminates in a workshop for an in-house presentation each December. In the second semester, projects are developed and refined for presentation in the Interdisciplinary Arts Showcase.

The Creative Work Project is the culminating experience and final project for Interdisciplinary Arts seniors and post-graduates. In consultation with the Interdisciplinary Arts Division Director, each senior or post-graduate proposes a Creative Work Project that reflects their artistic emphasis and studies while at Interlochen. This is a year-long class. In the fall semester, students develop their proposal in consultation with the Interdisciplinary Arts Division Director and other Interdisciplinary Arts faculty as appropriate. Spring semester is spent executing the proposal. There will be a final presentation in May during the Interdisciplinary Arts Showcase. Students may also be required to present their project as part of the Interlochen Festival. These projects may or may not have a performance component. This course replaces Individual and Collaborative Studio for a student's senior year.

Elements of Poetry
Elements of Fiction
Introduction to Screenwriting
Writing About Music
Sense of Place
Hybrid Genres
Experiments in Poetry

General Dance
General Dance II

Story
Great Directors

Orchestra
Band
Choir
Class Piano
Music Theory
Jazz History
Composition
Private Lessons

Fundamentals of Design
World Theatre
Stage Management
Acting Foundations
Dance for Musical Theatre (Beg/Int)
Dance for Musical Theatre (Int/Adv)

Art History

Semester I

Elements of Poetry (Creative Writing Elective) / CRW301
Leadership and Management in the Arts / INT053
Individual and Collaborative Studio / INT101

Sample academic courses
Algebra I; Biology; English I; French I

Semester II

Jazz History (Music Elective) / MUS210
Interdisciplinary Performance Collaboration / INT057
Contemporary Arts Performance and Culture / INT052
Individual and Collaborative Studio / INT102

Sample academic courses
Algebra I; Biology; English I; French I

Semester III

Story (Film and New Media Elective) / MPA101
Class Piano (Music Elective) / MUS203
Leadership and Management in the Arts / INT053
Individual and Collaborative Studio / INT101

Sample academic courses
Geometry; World History; English II; French II

Semester IV

Music Theory (Music Elective) / MUS102
General Dance (Dance Elective) / DAN102
Contemporary Arts Performance and Culture / INT052
Individual and Collaborative Studio / INT102

Sample academic courses
Geometry; World History; English II; French II

Semester V

Theatre History (Theatre Elective) / THA303
Art History: Ancient Greek (Visual Arts Elective) / VA351
Leadership and Management in the Arts / INT053
Portfolio and Resume Development / INT055
Individual and Collaborative Studio / INT101

Sample academic courses
Algebra II; U.S. History; English III; Chemistry

Semester VI

Great Directors (Film and New Media Elective) / FIL316
Choir (Music Elective) / MUS056
Contemporary Arts Performance and Culture / INT052
Individual and Collaborative Studio / INT102

Sample academic courses
Algebra II; U.S. History; English III; Chemistry

Semester VII

Drawing and Painting Intensive (Visual Arts Elective) / VA211
Introduction to Screenwriting (Creative Writing Elective) / CRW306
Leadership and Management in the Arts / INT053
Portfolio and Resume Development / INT055
Creative Work Project / INT501

Sample academic courses 
Precalculus; Ecology; English IV

Semester VIII

Required Courses
Fundamentals of Design (Theatre Elective) / THA310
Citizen Artistry (Visual Arts Elective) / VA235
Contemporary Arts Performance and Culture / INT052
Creative Work Project / INT501

Sample academic courses
Precalculus; Ecology; English IV