Teaching & Learning
Academics
Visual & Performing Arts Courses
Stage, Studio, Shop, and Beyond
As a college preparatory school, we believe that the arts, as they are both experienced and practiced, are irreplaceable instruments of knowledge. Our Visual and Performing arts curriculum is grounded in our core values of interdisciplinary inquiry, personal growth, and creative exploration.
In each arts course, students have opportunities to develop new skills in a supportive environment, as well as to collaborate, to critique, and to learn to utilize feedback from others. We approach each discipline with a balance of historical, theoretical, and practical instruction as well as an emphasis on innovation and imagination. Our arts courses seek to establish a lifelong appreciation for the arts and to nurture critical competencies like empathy, prototyping and experimentation, and ensemble cooperation.
With courses in Visual Art, Theater, Vocal and Instrumental Music, and Visual Thinking, as well as a thriving performance program, arts education at Sonoma Academy is an integral part of our academic program and our school culture.
Visit the links below to learn more!
With courses in Visual Art, Theater, Vocal and Instrumental Music, and Visual Thinking, as well as a thriving performance program, arts education at Sonoma Academy is an integral part of our academic program and our school culture.
Visit the links below to learn more!
2024-2025 Performances
Each year, we hold two theatre productions (usually a musical and a collaboratively produced play through the Production & Design Studio course), two choral and chamber ensemble concerts, two jazz and rock band concerts, and a number of student-led One Acts and Open Mics!
Fall Musical: Mean Girls
Thursday, November 13 through Sunday, November 16, 2025
Winter Choir Concert
Thursday, December 11, 2025
Winter Jazz and Rock Concert
Fall Musical: Mean Girls
Thursday, November 13 through Sunday, November 16, 2025
Winter Choir Concert
Thursday, December 11, 2025
Winter Jazz and Rock Concert
Thursday, December 18, 2025
Dance Showcase
Thursday, March 12, 2026
Spring Jazz and Rock Concert
Thursday, April 16, 2026
Spring Choir Concert
Thursday, April 30, 2026
Spring Play: The Tin Woodsman of Oz
Thursday, May 14 through Sunday, May 17, 2026
Dance Showcase
Thursday, March 12, 2026
Spring Jazz and Rock Concert
Thursday, April 16, 2026
Spring Choir Concert
Thursday, April 30, 2026
Spring Play: The Tin Woodsman of Oz
Thursday, May 14 through Sunday, May 17, 2026
Explore Our Arts Programs
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Theater Arts
Theater Arts
Whether they take a theater course, audition for a musical, direct a student production, or work behind the scenes, our students have many opportunities to take the stage. -
Music
Music
Student musicians can sing with a choir or ensemble, jam with the Jazz Band or Rock Band, play live music for a stage play, or study music in the classroom. -
Visual Art
Visual Arts
Student artists can explore art traditions and techniques ranging from puppetry to painting, photography to ceramics, sculpture to set and costume design. -
Dance
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Studios
The Studios
Think it, draw it, prototype it, and build it in the Studios. With a wood shop, robotics lab, digital media lab, and audio/visual production space, the possibilities are endless.
Courses in the Arts
To see the breadth and depth of our course offerings in the arts, and to read specific descriptions of each course, please select the department from the picker on the right. You will be taken to a detail page that shows the current courses offered in that discipline.
Visual & Performing Arts Faculty & Staff
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Hillary Younglove
Hillary Younglove
Art Department Chair & Teacher
"...the arts are embraced here in a way that allows each student—and the community as a whole—to creatively evolve and try new things.” -
Mario Dell'Olio
Mario Dell'Olio
Music Director -
Jenifer Coté
Jen Coté
Theater Director
Jen believes that theater should make you think about the world and question humanity. -
Daniel Reiter
Daniel Reiter
Music Teacher
From learning to play the drums as a child, to guitar, bass and keyboard as a teenager, Daniel has had a lifelong passion for music... -
Eric Moes
Eric Moes
STEM & Visual Arts Teacher
“Teaching is the hardest job, but it’s also the most rewarding. It’s 90 percent planning and 100 percent improv!” -
Spencer Nilsen
Spencer Nilsen
Digital Media CoordinatorAfter running his own music production company for several years, Spencer pivoted into education... -
Tayla Nielsen
Tayla Nielsen
Dance Teacher -
Darren Duarte
Darren Duarte
Fabrication Studios Lead
“I love introducing kids to the process of imagining, planning, and problem solving.” -
Amber Greer
Amber Greer
STEM & Visual Arts Teacher
Math and Art are my yin-yang balance. I guess the lesson is that you're allowed to change your mind. My college major and my graduate degree are very different... -
Catherine Daley
Sonoma Academy Is...
...the only private, independent, college preparatory high school in Sonoma County. On our beautiful campus nestled at the base of Taylor Mountain in Southeastern Santa Rosa, our students are able to explore their interests and passions in a rigorous and inspiring environment that develops a lifelong love of learning and prepares them for college and beyond.
Sonoma Academy admits students of any race, color, religion, ethnicity or national origin, citizenship, gender or gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, or disability, to all the rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the school. The school does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, ethnicity or national origin, citizenship, gender or gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, or disability in administration of its educational policies, admissions policies, scholarship and tuition assistance programs, and athletic and other school-administered programs.
