page_title: School for Creative and Performing Arts
section_title: Arts
hierarchical_section_title: School for Creative and Performing Arts / Curriculum / Arts
caption_attribution_description: English: Barbara Britton in 1982 performance of The King and I at the School for Creative and Performing Arts in Cincinnati, Ohio.
context_page_description: The School for Creative and Performing Arts is a magnet arts school in Cincinnati in the US state of Ohio, and part of the Cincinnati Public Schools. SCPA was founded in 1973 as one of the first magnet schools in Cincinnati and became the first school in the country to combine a full range of arts studies with a complete college-preparatory academic program for elementary through high school students. Of the approximately 350 arts schools in the United States, SCPA is one of the oldest and has been cited as a model for both racial integration and for arts programs in over 100 cities.
  SCPA had three different homes in its first four years, including a makeshift campus in the Mount Adams neighborhood and another in Roselawn. In 1976, it occupied the Old Woodward High School building, on the site of one of the oldest public schools in the country. The school rose to national prominence in the 1980s, but was nearly closed in the 1990s following a series of scandals, leadership struggles, and an arson fire which destroyed the auditorium.
context_section_description: The curriculum is designed to prepare students for professional careers in the arts. Each student concentrates in at least one major area: creative writing, dance, drama, music, stagecraft, and visual art. Younger students often concentrate in two or more. High school students are required to specialize and major only in the areas in which they have potential to do professional work. Advanced students study up to two hours each day in their major. Forty percent of the students stay at least two hours after school for rehearsals, private lessons, and productions.
  The program stresses discipline and performance. There are no appreciation courses; the curriculum emphasizes that arts appreciation grows from practicing an art. The interrelation of the arts is also stressed. All students take at least one course in each major area. A dancer, for example, will be required to study visual art, drama, and music.
  The visual arts program includes drawing, painting, photography, sculpting, digital art, and art history. The program is highly structured, emphasizing technique and control over free expression, which has attracted criticism from the local art community. Art students receive individualized instruction, participate in art exhibits and competitions, undertake commissioned work, and work at in-house galleries and off-site exhibits. Most art majors take Advanced Placement art courses by the end of their sophomore year, and many attend pre-college programs at major universities between their high school years.
  The drama program stresses technique and performance; students must perform in public at least twice a year. There are three major dramatic productions each season, and high school students are required to compete in the English Speaking Union Shakespeare Contest. Advanced students audition for the Acting Ensemble Company, which provides a full season of performances in venues outside the school. The creative writing program focuses on writing as an art in journalism, script writing, poetry, and creative non-fiction. Students participate in writing competitions, internships, and develop portfolios to showcase their work.
  The dance program was founded on the training principles of the "most famous dance schools of Europe", which emphasize body training. All dancers are required to study ballet, but may also learn modern dance, jazz, tap, and other forms of dance. There are nine levels of ballet, and students begin intensive training in fourth grade. Dance classes meet for at least two 45-minute periods every day; advanced students may train for three or more. Dance Ensemble, selected by audition, stages public performances throughout the year.
  The instrumental music program offers specializations in orchestra, band, piano, jazz, percussion, and harp. Students major in an instrument and specialized training begins in grade four. Advanced students take private lessons, arranged by the school, and have master classes with guest instructors from the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra. Vocal music students audition to perform in one of 13 vocal performance groups. High school students may audition for the most selective of these, "13th & Broadway", which performs throughout the region.
  The technical theater program offers college-level training in stage management, lighting, sound, and set and costume design. Each specialty has a lab for students to develop concepts and practice technique, and students work side-by-side with professional trades people in their chosen field.
  Student present to the faculty of their major department twice a year in a "proficiency review" to assess their progress. It is a learning experience for younger students, but students in grades 7–12 who fail to attain a passing rating are placed on probation and must pass their subsequent review to be allowed to continue in that major. Students must audition if they wish to change majors for the following year.
  The highlight of the performance season is a major musical production which is an important source of revenue for the school. There are two ballets eac
caption: SCPA student performs "The Small House of Uncle Thomas" in The King and I in 1982
exif: {}