Fine Arts

Students in our choral ensembles develop good vocal technique and learn the work ethic necessary to produce excellent choral performances. The traditional choral ensembles perform in a winter and a spring concert each school year. Students in these ensembles may be selected to perform in small chamber settings and/or solo settings as well. Students earn one credit for attending rehearsals five days a week.

Otto-Eldred Show Choir is an auditioned travel ensemble that begins practicing in mid-October. A prerequisite for this ensemble is current participation in the traditional choir ensemble.

Choral Opportunities

• Junior Choir (7th–8th grade)
• Senior Choir (9th–12th grade)
• Show Choir (8th–12th grade)

Festival Opportunities

• PMEA District 2 Chorus
• PMEA Region 2 Chorus (pending a successful audition at the district level)
• PMEA All-State Band (pending a successful audition at the regional level)
• PMEA All-East Band (pending a successful audition at the state level)

Junior Band

Junior Band enhances the instrumental techniques learned in Elementary Band and explores a wide range of musical genres, including pop, jazz, classical, and 20th century. The band presents two concerts per year and also offers opportunities to participate in special festivals and performances. We suggest (but do not require) previous participation in Elementary Band.

Senior Band

Senior Band refines the instrumental techniques learned in Junior Band and explores a wide range of musical genres, including pop, jazz, classical, and 20th century. The band presents two concerts per year and offers opportunities to participate in special festivals and performances. We suggest (but do not require) previous participation in Junior Band.

History of Rock

This course is geared toward the music enthusiast. History of Rock will cover the roots of rock and roll and will journey through the 50s, 60s, 70s, 80s, 90s, 2000s, and today. Our goal is not to influence the students’ listening choices but to help them gain exposure to other genres and make connections to the music on their own playlists.

O-E Jazz

O-E Jazz showcases the talents of instrumentalists at Otto-Eldred through performance of music from the jazz, funk, and rock persuasion. O-E Jazz performs several times throughout the spring semester. Students may participate if they have performed successfully in the other ensembles and if they are in grades 8–12 (unless otherwise invited).

Guitar

This course is for those who are interested in learning beginning guitar. Students do not need to have prior experience. In this course, students learn skills, techniques, and different styles to become successful guitarists. Areas of concentration include posture, chordal study, reading of standard notation, aural skills, finger-picking styles, and performance experiences.

Music Explorations

This course is for students who want to expand their music knowledge using technology and modern instruments and techniques. While it is not a prerequisite to have prior music knowledge, students who take this class should have an interest in exploring what music has to offer.

We have broken this course into two nine-week sessions. In the first session, students use iPads and other sources of technology to explore introductory concepts used in music sequencing, notation, and recording. They learn about virtual instruments. The unit culminates with an iPad ensemble performance. The second nine-week session focuses on transitioning to real instruments, where students perform, improvise, and compose using popular styles such as rock, pop, reggae, hip hop, R&B, and more. Students participate in several informal performances.

Voice

We offer the voice class to those who wish to expand their knowledge of vocal technique and vocal production. Students study a range of repertoire, including selections of art songs, folk songs, and musical theater. Students gain exposure to public performances and learn how to effectively prepare and present themselves. We encourage current membership in the Senior Choir.

Keyboarding

Keyboarding is for students looking to develop basic piano-playing skills. Students in this class get a lot of one-on-one instruction. They have time to rehearse and refine using digital pianos, where they may practice with headphones. Areas of concentration include basic sight-reading skills, standard notation, simple melodic, harmonic rhythmic composition, and performance experiences.

Students in theatre arts explore theatrical experiences through comedy and drama, stretching their abilities in the performing arts. They perform both a winter and a spring play.

As part of our theatre arts curriculum, students have the opportunity to take part in a writer’s workshop and take full responsibility for the creation of a play. The class works together to write the script and design both the set and the costumes.

Through our art program, students broaden their artistic skills using a variety of creative tools and media. We encourage our students to share their artwork at various art shows and events throughout the year, such as the High School Art Show and High School Fine Arts Night, IU9 Art Night, and the St. Bonaventure High School Art Show.

Since 2007, we have been using Artsonia as a digital art gallery, and we now have over 1,000 Otto-Eldred student projects on our page. Parents can visit the website to place orders for student artwork, and the art department earns 20% of all orders placed through our Otto-Eldred gift shop on this site.