With course selection coming up, it’s important for students to be aware of the credits they need to graduate. Every student is required to take a year’s worth of a Visual Performing Arts elective (VPA), which can range from dance to music to visual art. Here’s a look at all of Arcadia High School’s (AHS) VPAs and a little about them.

Starting with music, students have a wide variety of electives to choose from. There are different levels of choir, orchestra, band, and percussion, which all count as VPAs. Depending on a student’s skill level, experience, and prerequisites, classes for choir include Advanced Choir, Concert Choir, and Advanced Treble Choir. Choir not only enhances your knowledge of music and performance but also enhances your vocal techniques while meeting a variety of musicians. 

Sophomore Kelly Hong, who sings for Concert Choir, said, “I joined Choir because I really enjoy music and singing as I play the guitar during my free time. I’m interested in going down the music route which is why I decided to take this class. My favorite thing about choir is that I get to meet a lot of new people who share the same interest as me and that I get to learn more about music.”

Moving on, Orchestra is another music elective with different levels. Most start out in Premier Orchestra and depending on performance and auditions, students may move up to either String Orchestra or the highest level, Symphony Orchestra. Along with the music aspect of Orchestra, leader positions like Orchestra Council and bonding events are also held, which gives it a fun social aspect. 

“I’ve been a part of Orchestra since fourth grade playing the cello,” expressed sophomore Farrah Chan. “At first, I was very scared because of the competition. I was able to make irreplaceable friends that I know I will always be in contact with. Because of the many memories that we have made and will make in the future, I will definitely continue Orchestra.” 

Besides orchestra, band is another popular music elective. Concert Band, Symphonic Band, Wind Ensemble, Intermediate Percussion Ensemble, and Advanced Percussion Ensemble are all music electives that qualify. The Apache Band and Percussion are at the top of their division, and when performance comes around, they absolutely flourish. The multiple concerts, parades, and opportunities to get yourself known are all prominent opportunities Band has to offer.

“Playing flute in Concert Band is one of my favorite classes because I talk to all my friends and it’s a class that I can relax in. But when there are concerts, we have a lot of rehearsals and things get hectic, which I like,” said sophomore Heather Jeon. “Everything’s just very loud and exciting.”

Choir, Orchestra, Band, and Percussion have multiple practices a week and numerous performances and rehearsals for concerts, school activities, and competitions. Keep in mind that with music electives, a great amount of time, energy, and practice is needed to keep up.

Moving on from music electives, dance is another VPA category. Electives for dance include Dance Prop Production, Beginning Dance, Intermediate Dance, and Orchesis. Orchesis is the highest level of dance and requires auditions and a large time commitment, as they hold their own showcases and perform for the school as well. 

“As a member of Orchesis, I’m always learning new dances and practicing,” expressed sophomore Angelina Kim. “Performing at school assemblies and our showcases are probably my favorite things because it pushes me to be on top of my game and perform dances that are super fun. I feel like I’m a part of a big family and we all love to dance.” 

Next, theater is also a category of electives that qualify as a VPA. Students can choose from Beginning Theatre, Intermediate Theatre, Advanced Theatre, Stagecraft A/B, Advanced Stagecraft A/B, and Advanced Stagecraft. While theater is the people who put on performances, Stagecraft is in charge of all behind-the-scenes action. Advanced Theatre is a class that one has to audition and be selected for, as they perform in the plays and shows AHS hosts. Especially around show season, Theatre and Stagecraft students will find themselves extremely busy and constantly rehearsing, so keep that in mind. 

Sophomore Zachary Wu, a member of Stagecraft, said, “I chose Stagecraft because it gave me the chance to be part of tons of plays, shows, and concerts by our school. This interested me because I would be able to meet the actors, musicians, etc., giving me an overall better future by connecting with people that I may not talk to much. My overall favorite thing about taking stagecraft was being able to spend time working on projects with power tools like drills, saws, and welding tools.”

VPAs also consist of design and photography. Classes one can take include Design, Graphic Design, Screen Printing, Advanced Graphic Design Studio, Photography, and Advanced Photography. Graphic design focuses on elements of design and visual arts, using professional design software. Photography electives will teach photography techniques, working with composition, editing, and its roles in modern society.

“With Screen Printing, we get to learn how to actually screen print with the screens and print on different substrates (shirts, blocks, stickers),” expressed junior Leo Liang. “This looked fun and interesting so I chose it. Something fun is that we get to choose whatever artworks we want for our projects, and the teacher is always there to help whenever we are confused.”

For those who have a passion for photography and journalism, electives including Beginning Television Production, Intermediate Video Production, and Advanced Video Production (Apache News) would be a good fit. Apache News (APN) is in charge of our daily broadcasts and news deliveries, covering all topics at AHS from sports to shows to activities. 

Terry Cheung, a junior in APN, said, “My favorite thing about APN is the ability to create our own show. All of our shows start from a blank whiteboard and compared to other journalism classes, we have a variety of roles we can take in the class from technical jobs to being the face of shows.”

If showing up on a screen doesn’t appeal to you, but you’re still interested in film, Animation, Classic Film, and Introduction To Classic Film are electives you may want to take. They focus on analyzing films, film production, and their history. Animation, on the hand, highlights the art and production elements of animated films. 

“When I took Introduction to Film, we would show films that we got to watch and analyze,” said sophomore Shahid Shaikh. “We probably watched over 10 films, and I actually learned a lot about the different styles and production techniques.”

For those more interested in visual art, Advanced Drawing and Painting, Art and Music, Art 1, Art Honors, Ceramics 1, and Ceramics 2 are all VPAs students can take. The classes focus more on hand on artistic processes, so if you are an artist of that sort, these electives are fitting. Ceramics is often a fun class that many students enjoy, as they get to play with clay while creating pieces of art. Additionally, expect to spend some money on supplies and materials. 

“I chose Art 1 because I like to do art outside of school and my favorite thing about it is the variety of projects with many different mediums and formats that we do,” explained sophomore Shelby Chung. 

With all the hands-on VPAs, there are also Advanced Placement (AP) VPAS, like AP Art History and AP Music Theory. These classes are fast-paced intense course loads that require prior experience in their respective fields. AP Art History includes the analysis of art throughout history—from architecture to museums to artistic movements. AP Music Theory expects students to understand the grammar of music and the ability to analyze existing pieces, preparing one for the AP Music Theory exam in May. Especially with the difficulty and complexity of the AP exams, these classes will help prepare you and meticulously finetune your skills and knowledge.

VPAs are a great way for students to let their creative minds shine and relieve the intensity that often comes with core classes. Whether you’re learning a new art, or further training a certain craft, AHS offers a variety of electives that you can choose from. 

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