Claude Watson School for the Arts
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Claude Watson School for the Arts is both an intermediate school and an arts school located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
The main campus of the school was originally known as Lansing Public School #4 (until 1934), and then later changed to Duke of Kent Public School (1934-1949) and also Spring Garden Public School (1949-1980). In 1981 the Claude Watson Arts Program was formed. Claude Watson is the only public arts intermediate school in Canada, and is governed by the Toronto District School Board. Claude Watson will celebrate its 25th Anniversary in 2006. The school is unique in Canada, simultaneously providing arts and academic education to a total of about 300 students in grades 4 through 8, unlike other arts schools which begin at grade 9. Known across Canada, it has performed at Toronto's 2008 Olympic bid, TTC's 50th Anniversary, the Opening Ceremonies of the 1997 Special Olympics at the Sky Dome, and numerous cultural festivals around the world in addition to major production partnerships with professional companies like the Canadian Opera Company. Students of the school are often featured in Hollywood movies, TV series, television adverts, and major theatre productions.
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[edit] Program
The Claude Watson program consists of academic and artistic study. In academics, the standard curriculum for each grade level is covered, but in half the time it takes at a normal school. This is because only half of each school day is devoted to academics; the other half is for arts subjects. In spite of this, Claude Watson students consistently score far above the national and school board averages on standardized tests like the EQAO for reading, writing, and math.
The arts program includes various forms of dance, drama, music, and visual arts. All students are required to take multiple full-year courses in each of the following areas: national dance, jazz dance (also incorporating tap, ballet, and hip-hop), modern dance, film making, musical theatre, drama, mime, choral music, instrumental music, Orff, and visual arts (sketching, painting, print making, weaving, sculpture, etc). In grades 5 through 8, students select an arts area in which to major. The major involves increased class time in the given area, and a major independent project. However, this does not excuse any student from participation in all the other subjects; they are all obligatory for all students. The school has a number of extracurricular groups including Jazz stage band, Jazz Combo, Concert Band, String Orchestras, ensembles, solo groups, drama groups, marching band, chamber orchestras, and choirs.
In 2006, the Claude Watson building was torn down and a new school was built on the same campus.
Upon graduation from the school at the end of grade 8, the Claude Watson program is continued at Earl Haig Secondary School for grades 9 through 12.
[edit] Admission
Although it is a public school, admission to Claude Watson is by audition only. Unlike most arts schools, which require a single or very few short solo auditions in a single arts area, the Claude Watson audition requires demonstration of potential in all four major arts areas (dance, drama, music, and visual arts) over a period of several full days through performances and compositions, both individually and in groups. Evaluators include teachers at the school and professionals in applicable artistic fields. Applicants must also submit previous report cards, and letter of recommendation from a previous teacher.
The vast majority of applicants audition in Grade 3, for admission the following year. Applicants always greatly outnumber available places in the entering class, which has remained constant at 60 for the school's 25 year history. The school holds a separate audition process for students applying for admission to grades 5 through 8, although admission through this process is extremely uncommon as space is dependent on the number of students (very few, if any) who leave the program in the previous year.
There is a small application fee, but the school charges no tuition fees. These are thought to be contributors to the high number of applicants to the school each year, from a broad range of ethnic, religious, and socio-economic groups. 41% of Claude Watson students have a primary language that is not English.
[edit] Seneca Campus
The Seneca campus of Claude Watson is also located in Toronto, about 10 kilometers east, inside Seneca College. The modified Claude Watson program offered at Seneca is much smaller at about 40 students, and meant for students involved in high level sports competition in gymnastics and figure skating. Students at the Seneca campus are gifted young athletes who frequently need time off school to compete at the provincial, national or international level.
