A CANVAS OF POSSIBILITIES: AES'S INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL ARTS PROGRAM

Students playing strings with a conductor

The arts offer us beauty and a truer way to see the world.

We approach the arts like every other discipline at AES, with a growth mindset that allows students to try, risk, revise, improvise, excel.

It begins with artistic exploration for our youngest learners, and the opportunities only expand until we launch graduates whose artistry and performance skill find expression for a lifetime in all they do. So, bring your curiosity and fumbling fingers, your creativity, your carpentry, your drama, your love of theatre, music and art, your hours of practice, your harmonies and your imagination to the studio and the stage at AES. Our program and your passion deserve each other.

Fostering creativity, encouraging expression, developing and honing skills – these are the goals of the arts team at AES.

Broadening students’ horizons through curricular and extra-curricular activities, we believe everyone lives more meaningfully when pursuing their passions.

Join us in our celebration of the arts!

In This Section

Explore the Arts at AES

Theater

There are vibrant theater and drama programs school-wide. Each of the school divisions wows us with regular productions and our 480 seat theater is enjoyed by the whole community.

Elementary School

Our Elementary students have put some up some fantastic musicals over the years. The most recent being 'We are Monsters' and 'Space Pirates'. Students work hard to deliver a fun and entertaining production, while learning the value of commitment and teamwork.

Middle School

In the Middle School, Drama class is a great place to learn, grow, and explore! Students work in ensembles and develop skills in leadership and teamwork while enjoying movement and creativity. Students also have the opportunity to choose Design & Technical Theater, which is the place to learn all things backstage. Students get to do the best stuff: sets, props, costumes and promotional products are all designed and created by the Design & Tech class. They also provide backstage crew and tech crew support to the MS plays and other events like the annual talent show.

High School

High School theater classes include Introduction to Theater, Advanced Theater, and Moviemaking. Students wishing to pursue Theater at a higher level have the opportunity to take the two year IB Theater course in 11th and 12th grade which includes college-level research skills and creating original work. Multiple Theater trips are offered throughout the year. Every fall, The London Theater Trip takes students to London, England to do workshops with expert teachers and attend multiple West End Theater shows at venues such as Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre and The National Theatre.

AES is a member of International Schools Theatre Association (ISTA), which organizes theater festivals around the world. For three to five days, students travel to a host country for creative collaboration with students and expert teachers. Theatre students also participate in the MESAC Fine Arts Festival and travel to a fellow MESAC school in the region to join in the creation of original theater centered around a specific theme. Schools from around the region participate, mixing all groups together for a truly international collaborative theater experience.

Music

AES Music Philosophy

We believe the arts are an innate, essential human endeavor. Our holistic program fosters joyful and authentic opportunities for students to participate in the arts and express themselves as musicians and artists.

Learners are guided in the development of creative practices that nurture self-discovery and community engagement.

We provide a safe and inclusive environment that celebrates diversity, encourages artistic expression, and honors cultural traditions and perspectives.

Elementary School

All Elementary students take part in curricular music classes where they explore a variety of music and instruments. Students have the opportunity to showcase their learning via concerts, open-classrooms, community music night, school assemblies, and various in-class opportunities.

Extracurricular music opportunities include:

AES Orff Ensemble: An instrumental ensemble of xylophones and hand percussion
AES ES Choir: A vocal ensemble to develop young voices

Middle School

In Middle School, music classes include Band - Brass and Woodwinds, Strings, Choir, Guitar, and Percussion Ensemble. Students attend classes in well-equipped music rehearsal rooms, and present concerts in our 480 seat theater.

Towards the end of every semester, music classes participate in a concert to highlight the learning and accomplishments that have taken place throughout the semester. Students from MS music classes also perform at other events such as the 8th grade moving up ceremony and MS Assemblies.

High School

High School, music classes include Concert Band, Vocal Ensemble, Concert Strings, Piano, Guitar. Students wishing to pursue Music at a higher level have the opportunity to take the two year IB Music course in 11th and 12th grade which includes college-level research skills, recording sessions, and creating original compositions.

MS and HS Trips

AES is a member of AMIS which organizes multiple Honor Festivals around the world for international schools. Middle and High School students can audition to be selected to participate in one of the AMIS festivals.

The High School sends a group of music students each year to participate in the MESAC combined band/strings and choir ensembles. Schools from around the region participate, mixing all groups together for a truly international collaborative music experience led by guest conductors. The Middle School participates in the annual ASIAC Music Festival, where students take part in the combined band/strings and choir ensembles with other international schools in India.

Photography

Through photography courses in Middle School and High School, students gain knowledge about photography concepts, techniques, and learn how to compose visually interesting photos. Students are introduced to a brief history of photography and use old processes from 150 years ago and learn to develop photos in our own darkroom.

Through the study of composition and lighting students will begin looking at the world through a different lens. They also learn how to manipulate photographs physically in the darkroom as well as digitally through a variety of applications. Students also learn how to use studio equipment like a backdrop and lighting. Students have choice when creating photographs, and through those choice, they uncover their own artistic visions.

Dance

For Elementary students, dance is embedded in PE and music classes, annual performances and is also offered as an after school activity.

In Middle School the Dance elective is a fun and challenging option for students who love to move. Dancers also perform in MS shows.

At the High School level, students may take Dance as an elective, and everyone has the opportunity to join the HS Dance Crew. The Dance Crew members not only perform in an annual showcase, they also teach dance to local students from the Vivekanand Camp and HOPE Tigri School. Dancers have the opportunity to travel to the regular dance trip to London, England where they attend workshops with professional dancers and are able to see professional dance performances.

Visual Arts

The Elementary Art Program guides children in developing skills with materials in five areas: drawing, painting, printmaking, clay work and multimedia. Children view, discuss and are inspired by artwork from various artists, time periods and cultures. Students are encouraged to respond creatively in designing and completing their art projects.

In Middle School, all students take the Art Exploratory in sixth grade and Art 7. They may go on to develop their skills further in Ceramics, Photography, Sculpture, Animation or Studio Art.

The High School offers Art, Photography, Sculpture, Ceramics, Digital Arts, Digital Film-making as well as IB Art classes.

Visiting Artist Series

Inspiring our community is what the visiting artist series is all about.

Working across all three divisions, with students, teachers and families, the series brings professional artists to our campus to share their passion for the arts.

Our goal is to offer intensive, interactive opportunities to learn from brilliant and creative experts.

The visiting artists series brings practitioners and educators from around the world to teach specialist skills through workshops to our classes, and to perform concerts for our students. Artists have included dancers, illustrators, jazz musicians, violin virtuosos, conductors, stand up comedians, spoken word poets, rock bands, storytellers, puppeteers, actors, aerialists, theatre troupes, blues singers and piano prodigies!