Academics
Centers of Excellence

The Arts

The Arts Center of Excellence

The Weiss School Arts Center of Excellence provides gifted students with comprehensive educational experiences in the subject areas of Art and Music. The objective of the Arts Center of Excellence is to supplement the core academic instruction Weiss School students receive by providing engaging, interactive experiences that foster a true appreciation for the cultural impact of the Arts. This is a very important component of The Weiss School academic experience as the Arts assist in the development of well-rounded students to thrive in today’s society. A diverse faculty, which includes a North Palm Beach County Teacher of the Year Award winner, encourage students to develop their artistic vision, voice, and expression through a diversified Arts curriculum.

Art

The Weiss School Art department enables students to gain foundational skills and the accompanying insight necessary to create accurate and expressive drawings, paintings, and sculptures. This is a comprehensive program that covers art history as well as introducing students to two and three-dimensional art studies and fine arts. Students are encouraged to experiment with various styles and methods of artistic expression. As students learn and acquire the ability to create what they see, they gain confidence in their own vision and expressive output. Early childhood students have Art classes once a week, K-5th grade students have Art classes twice a week, and 6th-8th grade students are able to choose the popular Art From The Heart elective course that meets twice a week.

Music

The Weiss School Music department focuses on enabling gifted students to gain an appreciation for music which can lead to students becoming dedicated and cultured young citizens. Students have the opportunity to explore a variety of musical instruments and resources in a comprehensive music classroom that contains pianos, keyboards, guitars, violins, drums, percussion instruments, and other musical instruments. Students are provided with instruction that exposes them to the world of music and song by facilitating their creative outlets, igniting their imaginations, and nurturing their individual musical gifts. Early childhood students have Music classes once a week, K-2nd grade students have Music classes twice a week, 3rd-5th grade students have Band classes twice a week, and 6th-8th grade students are able to choose Music elective courses including Symphonic Band and Piano.

List of 3 items.

  • Music: Early Childhood – 2nd Grade

    In Music classes for Early Childhood-2nd grade students, an interactive and engaging approach is utilized to teach vocal techniques, music history and theory, and the introduction to basic musical instruments. Students work on diction, proper breath management while singing, and the Kodaly approach to the Solfeggio system with ascending and descending scales. Students learn about dynamics in music and how to tell a musical story in order to begin reading music on their own. At The Weiss School, music history begins at an early age as students learn about famous musical composers including Mozart, Beethoven, Handel and Tchaikovsky to inspire students to create their own music for future generations. Simple percussion instruments are used by students to learn, apply, and create rhythm. Students also have the opportunity to learn and perform songs including "My Favorite Things" and "Do, Re, Mi" from The Sound of Music, "Dites-moi" from South Pacific, and "Where Is Love" from Oliver!
  • Band: 3rd – 8th Grade

    Students in 3rd-8th grade participate in Band and Symphonic Band courses, forming performance-driven groups that enable students many opportunities throughout the year to perform for The Weiss School and the local community. Students learn to read and play band arrangements with an emphasis on sight-reading and improvisation. Instruction provided in Band classes also incorporates advanced rhythm patterns and syncopation, jazz, rock, and Latin rhythms. Additionally, instruction on playing instruments including the drums, guitar, bass, and piano is provided in Band courses.
  • Piano: 6th-8th Grade

    In Piano classes for 6th-8th grade students, the instructional focus is placed on students enjoying the experience of playing the piano while also learning essential classical piano techniques and theories. In Beginner Piano classes, the focus is placed on basic technique-posture, finger strengthening, scales using correct fingering, note names, and the application of notes on a staff to the notes on the piano keyboard. Basic musical terms such as dynamics, legato, staccato, and tempo are also introduced. In Intermediate and Advanced Piano classes, students begin each lesson with routine Hanon finger exercises with six rhythmic variations that help students develop basic finger movement and control skills. Students are also introduced to music dictation in order to develop audio pitch sensitivity and ear-play skills. Following the various piano instructional techniques, students learn the piano chords in order to practice sheet music from classical or pop music genres.
The Weiss School is a co-ed private school that serves gifted students in PreK-3 through 8th grade in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. A Weiss School education prepares students to think analytically and creatively, act socially responsible, live vigorously, and create imaginatively in a warm and supportive educational environment.