THE IDYLLWILD ARTS ACADEMY
Imagine a high school that has perfected the art of an "Arts Education".... The Idyllwild Arts Academy is a close-knit, working community of students and teachers whose passion for the Arts infuses all aspects of its academic training.
As the only arts-based boarding school on the West Coast of the US, Idyllwild offers a disciplined US university preparatory program for students aged 13-18, alongside world-class training in music.
At Idyllwild, we educate the whole student - the artist and the scholar. Our academic curriculum challenges students to think critically, to creatively blend intellectual and artistic perspectives, and to discover a passion for life-long learning.
MUSIC SCHOOL
CREATIVE WRITING SCHOOL
DANCE SCHOOL
INTERDISCIPLINARY ARTS SCHOOL
MOVING PICTURES SCHOOL
THEATRE ARTS SCHOOL
VISUAL ARTS SCHOOL
FASHION DESIGN SCHOOL
Idyllwild's internationally recognized Music program prepares talented young musicians aged between 13 to 18 from around the world for a range of successful music careers and for admission to the finest colleges and conservatories in the country. The program's performance-based curriculum provides a strong focus on individualized attention with private instruction from the finest teachers and performers in Southern California.
CREATIVE WRITING SCHOOL
Creative Writing at Idyllwild Arts encourages the imaginative powers of gifted young writers through the supportive feedback of faculty and visiting writers and through a lively ongoing discussion about interesting and challenging novels, stories, poems, essays, plays and films. Our students are immersed in literature, and gain confidence with their own writing through workshop activities that include poetry, fiction, writing for the screen and stage, and non-fiction. You'll also read here; you'll develop an understanding of literary history in English and other languages, and your relationship to it. In addition, you'll learn about the most interesting writing being published today. The classes are designed to give you maximum writing time. Our philosophy that the best teacher for a young writer is time spent writing, and we try writing something every day. Nationally recognized writers or professors of literature visit Creative Writing classes to highlight the particular area of concentration the students are currently working in.
DANCE SCHOOL
Here at Idyllwild Arts, you will receive outstanding pre-professional dance training by renowned teachers through daily classes in ballet and modern dance. Your teachers will advise and mentor you throughout your time here so you can realize your full potential for a career in the world of professional dance.
All Dance majors participate in master classes. Idyllwild's proximity to Los Angeles and San Diego provides easy access to the many performances that take place regularly in these cities. Master class topics may include: acting for dancers, anatomy, basic nutrition, career counseling, character dance, costuming, dance history, dance literature, first aid and care of dance related injuries, lighting and stage technology and stage make-up.
Many of our students have gone on to dance in national companies and to attend some of the finest universities and conservatories: San Francisco Ballet, Juilliard School, Miami City Ballet, NYU-Tisch School of the Arts, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre, SUNY-Purchase Conservatory, Boston Conservatory, Dance Kaleidoscope, Cal Arts, Ballet Met, North Carolina Dance Theatre, Trisha Brown Dance Company, Atlanta Ballet, Louisville Ballet.
INTERDISCIPLINARY ARTS SCHOOL
Today, many artists are discovering new expressions of art by combining traditional media. The goal of the Interdisciplinary Arts program is to produce a community of students who can contribute to all the arts through this approach. This major utilizes an integrated approach to the arts and academics, so that you can discover surprising relationships among the arts and how they influence and are affected by culture, politics and the sciences. The Interdisciplinary Arts major (IAM) at the Idyllwild Arts Academy is designed to expose students to a wide variety of experiences and training in all areas of the arts - writing, dance, film, music, theatre, and visual art. Students' schedules are tailored to their individual interests, encompassing intensive training in at least two areas of the arts.
MOVING PICTURES SCHOOL
Every moving image holds the seed of a story. In Idyllwild's Moving Pictures Program, we are looking for the next generation of artistic leaders to tell those stories in film. Our pre-professional curriculum offers courses in the history, theory, and philosophy of film, with hands-on production courses to develop concepts, shooting and editing skills. And, thanks to our proximity to Los Angeles, you will study with an accomplished faculty from filmmaking and television industries. More than any single art form, the motion picture is an amalgam of all the arts - which makes Idyllwild Arts a unique environment for the study of film.Every moving image holds the seed of a story. In Idyllwild's Moving Pictures Program, we are looking for the next generation of artistic leaders to tell those stories in film. Our pre-professional curriculum offers courses in the history, theory, and philosophy of film, with hands-on production courses to develop concepts, shooting and editing skills. And, thanks to our proximity to Los Angeles, you will study with an accomplished faculty from filmmaking and television industries. More than any single art form, the motion picture is an amalgam of all the arts - which makes Idyllwild Arts a unique environment for the study of film.
THEATRE ARTS SCHOOL
The first stage in your theatre career? It starts at Idyllwild. Our Theatre Arts Program offers concentrated pre-professional training that incorporates advanced techniques to guide you toward greater self-awareness of your own potential and resources. Concentrations include acting, theatrical design and technical theatre, and musical theatre. Individual programs of study are written for each student and are geared toward personal interests and training as assessed by our faculty, based on auditions at the beginning of each year. In addition, individual college or conservatory counseling, along with preparation for the Unified College Auditions, is offered.
VISUAL ARTS SCHOOL
The Visual Art department at Idyllwild Arts Academy emphasizes the practice of studio art by helping students develop a sensibility and commitment to the hands-on, experiential process of art making. Students are exposed to a variety of ideas, methods and materials to promote an expansion of their visual literacy. Students are also asked to enter into a critical and analytical investigation of the meaning and practice of studio art. All courses supplement studio practice with historical, cultural and philosophical backgrounds of various periods and styles. Issues relevant to art are further developed through discussion, critique, slides, videos, readings, written work, workshops, visiting artists, student exhibitions and field trips. The relationship between art and life is cultivated in a way that allows for an innovative and personal approach towards art making. This approach promotes student portfolio development that is commensurate with university and art school admission requirements. The department also works to have students understand that art is a way to think critically and creatively about the world they live in.
FASHION DESIGN SCHOOL
Recognizing the growing significance of fashion as a cultural, social, and economic force, the Fashion Design Major at Idyllwild Arts Academy offers an entryway into a future career in fashion thorough training in the fields of visual arts, interdisciplinary arts, and fashion studies. This course of study will enable the student’s acceptance into the best fashion colleges in the United States and the United Kingdom.
