Upper School Arts

The Upper School Theatre Season is so unique in many ways. First, it is year-round for both cast and crew. Second, we give the experience of three different kinds of theaters, all different genres, and the opportunity to work with different directors as well as technical theatre professionals.

The fall production is always a comedy in our black box theatre, which usually plays to a sold-out five-performance run and garners several award nominations.

The winter production is a musical in our 500-seat proscenium theatre, complete with fabulous costumes, sets, and extraordinary talent. Recent productions have included Cinderella, The Addams Family, Chicago, Annie, and How to Succeed in Business.

The spring production takes us back to our black box theatre for a classic drama, which again usually plays to a sold-out five-performance run, again garnering several award nominations.

Backstage, students can work on set construction, scenic painting, props, costume, lighting, and sound, and over time, may be given the opportunity to design. Even students with other after-school commitments can get involved by helping out as ushers, box office staff, or part of the business crew. All of our productions are run solely by a student crew. There is no adult backstage calling the show - it is all trained students.

Playwriting - This series is offered as a one-semester course that meets one evening per week in our spring semester. Students are taught the basics of playwriting in Level One, where by the end they finish with a wonderful portfolio of original work of varying lengths.

There is also a Level Two course, where by the end students finish with a full play. These courses are taught by an outside playwright, helping students achieve a real-world feel and make a great professional connection.

The Upper School Vocal Music Program has four performance ensembles: Concert Choir, Chamber Singers, Jazz Choir, and an extra-curricular ensemble, Remix A Cappella. Students begin in Concert Choir without auditioning and may join Chamber Singers by audition or recommendation. Many of these courses are across four grade levels nine through twelve and may be repeated since the repertoire changes. Chamber Singers members have multiple invitations to perform for various events throughout the year, while both choirs are featured in the Winter and Spring Choral Concerts.

Jazz Choir is for upperclassmen and is by audition only. Jazz Choir performs for multiple events and competitions and also participates in the two school concerts. Students have the opportunity to learn music of all different styles and time periods and the option to audition for solos throughout the year. Visiting artists throughout the year and an educational music trip to New York City are momentous occurrences in Jazz Choir.

Remix A Cappella is a group of talented young singers who rehearse once or twice a week in the evenings and perform for school and community events throughout the year. Highlights each year include participation in the All-School Gathering, Arts Under the Stars, school concerts and assemblies, an international competition, and multiple workshops. Remix holds auditions each year in the late spring prior to the upcoming school year.  Remix has many exciting performances and opportunities to meet professionals in the music industry who they learn from and make connections with throughout the year.

Concert Band is the core of the MKA Band Program. At each rehearsal, students create moments of beauty together while working on rhythm, intonation, tone, phrasing, ensemble unity, style, technique, and more. Throughout their years at the Upper School, students will develop listening skills to develop a sensitive and balanced ensemble sound. Musical genres will vary widely to include traditional military marches, world music, music from films and Broadway, avant-garde music, and music written specifically for the Concert Band. Students will study composers from around the world and of varying genders. Concert Band students will have the opportunity to perform with the MKA Pep Band and MKA Jazz Band to further their breadth of skills and understanding. An elected Band Council will serve as leaders and organizers throughout the year. In all of the ensembles, there will be a marriage of high musical standards and the enjoyment of playing music.  

Concert Band does not include vocals or strings except for string bass. Participation in all performances and dress rehearsals is a course requirement. In addition, students create monthly assessments ranging from short videos to short written quizzes, to independent projects. Students are encouraged to take this course throughout their years at MKA. Seniors are given opportunities to solo, conduct, arrange, or compose for the bands.

The MKA Jazz Band is an audition-based ensemble that is pulled from the Concert Band classes.  Combined Jazz Band is held during two CWP sections per cycle. Performances include school concerts, festivals, the PAMKA gala, and community concerts. Auditions are held in late September/early October after school. Jazz Band is composed of students who play saxophone, trombone, trumpet, tuba, french horn, and rhythm section instruments (guitar, bass, piano, and drums). In addition, we have a featured vocalist for select pieces. While the title is “Jazz” Band, we play music from many genres including rock, pop, Latin, jazz, Broadway, and more.  The MKA Jazz Band is a proud participant in the “Essentially Ellington” program based at Lincoln Center.

The MKA Pep Band plays music to provide inspiration and energy to the football team, cheerleaders, and spectators at our home football games. The band plays music including college fight songs, pop and rock classics, and our National Anthem. Instrumentation ranges from traditional brass, woodwind, and percussion instruments to electric bass and keyboard. Finally, the Pep Band performs at some school events that are not related to athletics to provide entertainment, spirit, and fun.

We offer three levels of Strings at the Upper School. Beginning Strings is designed for students who never played a string instrument and would like to learn in a group lesson setting. 

String Orchestra is a performance ensemble for stringed instruments (violin, viola, cello, and bass), this course includes various aspects of string playing, such as bowing styles (e.g., legato, marcato, detache, martele, staccato, spiccato, col legno, ponticello, and sul tasto) and left-hand techniques (e.g., shifting, vibrato, harmonics, and double stops). Students develop technique, intonation, rhythmic accuracy, ear-training, sight-singing, and ensemble skills. Literature includes music of diverse styles from the Renaissance period to the present. Participation in all performances is a course requirement.

Advanced Strings is by audition only with strictly set requirements of skills and repertoire. Students auditioning must have completed Suzuki Level 4 or equivalent repertoire in order to be considered for this section. Students must be proficient and fluent in advanced bowing techniques, vibrato, three three-octave scales, and arpeggios.

Students working on Suzuki Level Seven or above will be considered for the First Violin Section. Students auditioning for first violin must have completed Concerti such as Haydn C or G, Bach A minor solo concerto equivalent, or more advanced standard repertoire. Students in advanced strings should maintain formal training either in the MKA After-School Music Program or with a teacher of their choice outside of school.

Dance at the Upper School is a three-level program where students, whether total beginners or advanced dancers, have the opportunity for growth. Dance Workshop and Intermediate Dance Workshop help dancers improve their technique, flexibility, studio etiquette, movement vocabulary, and ability to create. These dancers also learn the idea of a concept and help to create the pieces they then perform in our annual spring dance concert. 

Choreography Workshop is our course for advanced dancers. While technique and skills are addressed in this course, the main focus is choreographing original work. The dancers in this course spend much of the year learning the art of creation and choreography to then put those skills to work, as our spring dance concert is primarily made up of their original pieces. The entire program is supplemented with special guest workshops as well as an annual field trip to Broadway Dance Center in NYC.