Infants, toddlers and primary children are immersed in music and art on a daily basis. Interwoven into the many facets of the Montessori curriculum, children begin to express their feelings, experiences and creativity through music and art. Children develop key fine motor skills while exploring the process of creating something beautiful from beginning to end. Music and singing lay the foundation for verbal self expression helping children find their voice.

Country Day World School is home to a Black Box Theater, the preferred choice of performing artists. Additionally, the school has a dedicated visual art studio including kilns. Beginning in Kindergarten, students use these spaces to express themselves creatively and come together as a community of learners.  Located in the Middle School building, our oldest students use these spaces as well as the green screen room throughout the day as they express their learning of the core curriculum through various art modalities.

 The Country Day World School Visual Arts curriculum promotes inspiration, student enjoyment, self-esteem, and the confidence to succeed. Students thrive in a cooperative learning community that provides opportunities through constructive critique and critical thinking to formulate individual artistic styles according to their personalities and world experiences. Students apply the elements and principles of art to various mediums, such as drawing, painting, mixed media, printmaking, ceramics, sculpture, graphic design, architecture, and fiber arts to create, interpret, and respond to art. Understanding of other disciplines is strengthened through experimentation, connections to abstract concepts, problem-solving, and culture.

Music classes beginning in Kindergarten focus on vocal studies, music theory concepts, and music appreciation. The Music curriculum is designed to develop social-emotional intelligence, motor skills, language acquisition, and literacy. These early introductions in music theory include dynamics (volume), pitch, rhythm, beat, and melody. Students use these foundational skills to explore instruments, songwriting and more in the Upper grades. Middle School students have music interwoven into the Performing Arts curriculum through musical theater as well as advanced courses offered through the elective program.

Country Day World School Performing Arts classes are designed to support a better awareness and understanding of the value of storytelling and how it supports, reinforces, and enriches the human experience. Confidence in public speaking, creative expression, focus, concentration, effective communication, social interaction, enriched study of human behavior, cultural awareness, inclusiveness, historical perspective, teamwork, leadership, and the celebration of others are all products of escalating artistic achievements. The overall goal is driven by a curriculum that includes techniques in acting, singing, movement, improvisation, scene development, production principles and the application of theater etiquette and overall arts appreciation.

Student artwork is exhibited in the front office and World School Cafe and culminates with an all-student exhibition at the end of the year. In addition, select students participate in art festivals and competitions, consistently winning top awards with work displayed in museum exhibits in the Tampa Bay area. Performance opportunities happen throughout the year in music and theater showcasing student learning, creativity and expression. Country Day World School is also home to Sears Studio Academy of Performing Arts, an after school advanced performing arts group including opportunities for showcase and competition for ages 6+.