In the Lower School (kindergarten through fifth grade), students participate once a week in creative arts, fine arts, the library, and twice a week in physical education. Beginning in first grade, students also regularly attend computer classes. These specialty classes are each taught by experts in their fields, and the curriculum in each enrichment area is tied to the classroom curriculum whenever possible.
In the Middle School (grades six through eight), students have creative art each week. Additionally, students sign up for electives each semester. They can choose between computers, art, Spanish, yearbook, and percussion, and each year must sign up for at least two choices. They attend their elective class once each week for a double period where they are able to spend time studying their elective subject in depth. Additionally, all Middle School students attend physical education twice each week.
In addition to our enrichment classes during the school day, Tehiyah also offers a wide array of after-school specialty classes. Through our after-school program, students participate in our musical theater program, our athletic league sports, martial arts, specialty art courses, and a variety of other offerings.
Visual, Performing and Digital Arts Department Faculty
Katja Cooper
, ext. 144
Music
From Berkeley, CA, Katja Cooper originally trained on violin and then switched to percussion during her studies at the International School of Amsterdam and at the Rainbow Academy in Holland. In 1986, Katja moved to Israel pursuing a musical career as a performer, workshop leader, recording artist, and accompanist for prestigious modern dance companies. She absorbed the culture and music styles of the Middle East as well as studied with expert ex-patriots from Brazil, Spain, North, West & South Africa, and Cuba. She joined forces with local and international artists as well as regularly performed on Israeli national television and radio with the top-charting pop artist Rami Kleinstein. As of 2001, Katja has traveled for seminars in Spain and, upon invitation, participated in music projects in Peru, Holland and Switzerland before resettling in the East Bay Area. She’s an accompanist for the UC Berkeley dance department and performs with various bands. She taught in the Oakland Public School district while playing regularly for congregations, Jewish ceremonies and JCC events before she became involved with Tehiyah in 2006.
Janet Lipkin
, ext. 215
Visual Art
“If I could say it in words I wouldn’t paint.” This quote from Edward Hopper strongly expresses Janet’s philosophy in teaching art. All children are creative and have a strong visual language. It is Janet’s goal to expose children to all media, teach some art history and provide a lot of room for discovery and experimentation. Children learn to look at an appreciate works of art. Janet has been teaching art to adults and children for the past 35 years. This is her 14th year at Tehiyah.
Janet Lipkin graduated from Pratt Institute with Honors in 1970. Janet is one of the founders of the ARTWEAR movement in the United States. Her Artwear is in the permanent collections of many museums. She is exhibited nationally and internationally. In 1975 she received a Fulbright-Hays Scholarship to study the textiles of Ghana, Africa.
Ari Gorman
Music
Ari Gorman is a graduate of the San Francisco State University Music Education Credential program. He received his bachelor’s degree in Music Performance from the University of California, Santa Barbara, and he has also studied at the Berklee College of Music in Boston
Ari has worked at the Academy of Alameda Middle School, directing beginning and advanced band and orchestra, and he student taught at Berkeley High School, directing beginning jazz ensemble. Over the summers, Ari has studied the Kodaly method of music instruction at Holy Names University and the Orff-Schulwerk method of music instruction at The San Francisco School.
Ari has also collaborated with a number of musicians and organizations, including Grammy award winner Linda Perry, Cake, Third Eye Blind, the Violent Femmes, the Walt Disney World Band, and numerous regional orchestras.
