Culture and the Arts

The performing, visual, and musical arts are central to the Lycée experience. We believe that our students become more adept learners, passionate problem-solvers, and, most importantly, culturally aware citizens through their experience with the arts.

Three jugglers from troupe "Petit Travers" came from France to spend a week with our students to discover the art of juggling.

In the same way that bilingualism broadens understanding and empathy, so too does an appreciation and understanding of others through artistic expression across disciplines. This cultural competency, this openness and understanding of other cultures through their art, supports our students in their lives long after they leave the Lycée, with many students pursuing college study and careers in the performing arts, visual art and art history.

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Visual Arts

From Primary through Secondary, the visual arts play an important part across classroom activities. Specifically, the Primary school has a dedicated art room, where students develop fine motor skills and creativity through the arts of drawing, painting, sculpting, ceramics and more. Deeply integrated into the curriculum, especially through our project-based learning programs, students learn about art history, storytelling and tap their creativity to bring their learning to life.

In Middle School, all students are required to take fine arts classes, with a course of study that includes art history, regular museum visits and development of finer skills in drawing, painting and sculpture. At the high-school level, students who select an elective concentration in art, further develop their skills in photography, cinema and fine art going beyond basic art projects to learn the social role of art through contemporary art and their own unique works.

In the after-school program, students have further opportunities to develop their skills.
Music and Theater Arts

From movement, song and dance in the preschool to music classes and annual class performances in the elementary school, our students take center stage in the Lycée's auditorium all year long, developing confidence in themselves as presenters, creators of music, singers and dancers.

The French curriculum requires all middle-school students to take music from sixth grade to ninth grade, where they explore music appreciation, composition and even basic theory in our dedicated music room. High-school students who choose the music or theater option gain high-level experience from a teaching team of professional musicians and actors who teach at the Lycée, with opportunities to perform for their peers and outside guests. The program is complemented with regular excursions to BAM, Broadway theater, the Metropolitan Opera, New York Philharmonic and Jazz at Lincoln Center, among many other treasures of New York City life.

In the after-school programs, students have further opportunities to explore their interests and talents through our theater clubs, music lessons, and several free, after-school music programs for students at every grade level.
A Dedicated Cultural Center

Our Cultural Center is literally right in the middle of our campus, with a mission to enrich the curriculum of the Lycée through the arts. A purpose-built, professional-grade performing space, its 354 seats are packed with students and parents experiencing the magic of school performances in dance, music and theater. The Lycée offers endless in and after-school opportunities. The Center also offers a variety of daytime lectures, films, and panel-discussions that are developed with teachers to complement what students are learning in class.