The fine arts, music and theater program at Lawrence gives students the opportunity to explore interests and talents both during the academic school day as well as through extracurricular avenues.

Unfortunately, in mainstream school environments, students with learning differences may not have the opportunity to develop appreciation or interest in art, drama, choir, musicals and music class. Difficulties learning how to think spatially, read music, memorize lines, and maintain focus can discourage students from exploring the arts.

Additionally, intervention specialists often take advantage of the “down time” provided by art and music classes to help students “catch up” in areas where they are academically lagging. With limited exposure to the arts, students are placed at a disadvantage for years to come as they watch their peers become increasingly engaged in interests they themselves have been unable to develop and foster.

At Lawrence, we remove these roadblocks by instructing students artistically in the way they learn best, whether that is visually, aurally, or through hands-on experience. Students are encouraged to explore their artistic, musical and dramatic interests without fear of failure or ridicule. For example, a student who has difficulty with decoding will never be asked to learn lines or read music from a book. Similarly, a student who has trouble with processing and memorization may be provided with an earpiece during dramatic performances so he/she can be line prompted.

Students at all grade levels are able to take advantage of an in-school arts program that matches the personalized instruction, teacher support and high quality of its academic counterparts within the school. Outside of the academic day, students participate in typical musical events such as concerts, musicals, dramatic performances, and arts exhibitions.

This unique and adaptive approach to pedagogy in the arts classrooms allows our students to unlock their natural talents in the area of art, music and the performing arts in a way they never imagined, and explore their interests in an open, inclusive environment.