Arts

Visual Arts at ETHS give students the opportunity to explore creativity through hands-on experiences in drawing, painting, sculpture, ceramics, photography, and digital art. Whether students are just beginning or have years of experience, our courses are designed to build skills and confidence while encouraging personal expression.

Students start by learning the basics—like how to use materials, understand color and composition, and talk about art thoughtfully. As they progress, they develop their own artistic voice, experiment with different techniques, and build a portfolio of original work. Students can take coursework in:

• Drawing & Painting

• Ceramics

• AP Studio Art

• Art & Design Foundations

Courses emphasize both traditional and contemporary practices, connecting studio work to culture, history, and design thinking. In every class, students learn how to observe closely, take creative risks, and reflect on their growth as artists.

ETHS also provides opportunities for students to display their work in school galleries and local exhibits, and advanced students may submit portfolios for AP credit or national recognition.

Our Music program is vibrant, collaborative, and deeply rooted in community and tradition. With multiple bands, orchestras, choirs, and specialized ensembles, students have a wide range of opportunities to build their skills, perform, and grow as musicians—whether they’re just starting out or have been playing for years.

Students can participate in:

• Concert and Symphonic Bands

• String Orchestra and Symphony Strings

• Concert Choir, Vocal Jazz, and Harmonia

• Jazz Band and Jazz Combo

• Marching Band, a beloved ETHS tradition that brings music and school spirit to games, parades, and community events

Music courses at ETHS are designed to help students develop technical proficiency, music literacy, and an understanding of diverse musical styles and traditions. Students also have the chance to study Music Theory or take advanced coursework such as AP Music Theory.

ETHS is proud to host an annual Jazz Festival, which brings together student performers and professional musicians for an unforgettable celebration of jazz. Throughout the year, students perform in concerts, festivals, and competitions, gaining real-world experience and sharing their talents with the community.

Whether you're a vocalist, instrumentalist, or someone who simply loves music, there’s a place for you in the ETHS music community.

Our Performing Arts program invites students to step into the spotlight—on stage, behind the scenes, and everywhere in between. With courses and co-curricular opportunities in theatre and dance, students build confidence, creativity, collaboration skills, and a deep appreciation for the performing arts.

Whether students are interested in acting, choreography, directing, stagecraft, or scriptwriting, ETHS offers multiple pathways to explore performance and production. Students can take coursework in:

• Acting

• Playwriting

• Stagecraft & Technical Theatre

• Advanced Theatre Production

• Dance I & II, Choreography, and Dance Performance

A highlight of the ETHS theatre calendar is YAMO, our iconic, student-produced sketch comedy show. With a legacy spanning generations, YAMO is written, directed, choreographed, and performed entirely by students—and it’s a treasured ETHS tradition.

Throughout the year, ETHS produces a wide range of theatrical performances and showcases, including fall play and spring musical, dance performances, and more. Students can also get involved behind the scenes through costume design, lighting, sound, and stage management. In every production, students learn the power of storytelling, develop their voice, and discover what it means to be part of a creative ensemble.

Our Media Arts program empowers students to become visual storytellers, digital creators, and thoughtful consumers of media. From filmmaking and graphic design to sound editing and multimedia production, students learn how to craft compelling stories using industry-standard tools and technology.

Courses in Media Arts introduce students to the fundamentals of digital design and production, including:

• Filmmaking

• Digital Design

• Audio Engineering

• Multimedia Production

• Photography and Digital Imaging

In these classes, students gain hands-on experience planning, creating, and editing projects across a variety of media platforms. They explore creative expression while also learning the technical skills behind camera work, sound mixing, visual effects, and post-production editing.

Students have the opportunity to showcase their work through film screenings, exhibitions, and community events—and can even build a portfolio for college or career pathways in digital media, communication, and the arts.

Whether students are aspiring filmmakers, podcast producers, animators, or graphic designers, the Media Arts program encourages them to experiment, take creative risks, and develop their unique point of view.

Students can audition to fulfill the prerequisite and be admitted directly into 2 Theatre 2/H.

To be clear, 2 Theatre is a challenging academic class with many memorization projects, as well as quizzes and tests. It is not always the easiest fit, as the course requires a high level of commitment, maturity, independence and craft.

Students should prepare two monologues of about one minute each.

1. These monologues should be from published/produced plays/films/books
2. They should be contrasting, showing different sides of the performer. Traditionally, this is understood as comic vs. dramatic, but it could also mean contemporary versus classical.
3. These pieces should be memorized.

Please call the Fine Arts office at 847.424.7130 to schedule an audition.

Auditions can be scheduled live with Mr. Herbert or video recorded and shared with herbertt@eths202.org. All auditions and video recordings are due by Friday, December 19. 

***Students should request 1 Theatre during the course request process and ETHS will make the appropriate change pending audition results.

The prerequisite to Intermediate Piano is Beginning Piano, however, students can audition for Intermediate Piano through a live or video-recorded audition process. Students must be able to demonstrate the following in their audition:

1. Chord Progressions
   • I-IV-vi-V-I Chord progression in the keys of C Major and G Major (or progression of choice)
     • Ex. (C-F-Am-G-C and G-C-Em-D-G)
2. Scales
   • 1 or 2-octave scales (hands together)
     • Ex. C Major, A minor, G Major, or scale of choice
3. Performance
   • Play a piece on the piano that demonstrates your current playing level
4. Basic Music Theory (recommended)
   • Ability to read notes on the treble and bass clef
   • Written and aural recognition of basic intervals
   • Written and aural recognition of major/minor/dominant 7 chords

Auditions can be scheduled live with Ms. Zegree or video recorded and shared with zegrees@eths202.org. All auditions and video recordings are due by Friday, December 19.

***Students should request Piano 1 during the course request process and ETHS will make the appropriate change pending audition results.

The prerequisite to Intermediate Guitar is Beginning Guitar, however, students can audition for Intermediate Guitar through a live or video-recorded audition process. Students must be able to demonstrate the following in their audition:

1. First Position Chords
   • A, A minor, C, D, D minor,E, E minor, F, and G
2. Power Chords
   • Demonstrate power chord fingerings based on the 6th string root and 5th string root
3. Single Note/String Picking
   • Demonstrate left/right independence by playing some basic picking exercises or scales with down, up, and alternating down/up picking
4. Play a song using first position and/or power chords

Auditions can be scheduled live with Mr. Bufis or video recorded and shared with bufism@eths202.org. All auditions and video recordings are due by Friday, December 19.