Israel Arts and Science Academy
Encyclopedia
The Israel Arts and Science Academy , or IASA for short, is a high school
for gifted students from all over Israel
. IASA is a boarding school
. The school, located in Jerusalem, was founded in 1990 by the Society for Excellence through Education. Approximately 200 students live and study in IASA. Students may major in either natural sciences, music
, visual arts
, or humanities
, though they study most subjects (those which are not related to their area of interest) in mixed classes. The science students choose one main subject, such as: physics
, chemistry
, or biology
and they must also learn computer science
and/or another subject.
IASA's Music Department was shaped by the visions of three important educators: the Israeli composer and ethnomusicologist Andre Hajdu (student of Zoltan Kodaly
, Olivier Messiaen
and Darius Milhaud
), as well as the composer and educator Michael Wolpe and the teacher of ear-training, Bat Sheva Rubinstein. The Music Department has produced a generation of young Israeli musicians, different from the mainstream of the Israeli music scene.
The studies in the Art Department consist of painting, sculpting, photography, and video art classes. Students also study the history of modern art and classic art. In their second year, students write their own academic paper about any art topic they choose. In their third year, students work on their final practical exhibit.
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
for gifted students from all over Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
. IASA is a boarding school
Boarding school
A boarding school is a school where some or all pupils study and live during the school year with their fellow students and possibly teachers and/or administrators. The word 'boarding' is used in the sense of "bed and board," i.e., lodging and meals...
. The school, located in Jerusalem, was founded in 1990 by the Society for Excellence through Education. Approximately 200 students live and study in IASA. Students may major in either natural sciences, music
Music
Music is an art form whose medium is sound and silence. Its common elements are pitch , rhythm , dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture...
, visual arts
Visual arts
The visual arts are art forms that create works which are primarily visual in nature, such as ceramics, drawing, painting, sculpture, printmaking, design, crafts, and often modern visual arts and architecture...
, or humanities
Humanities
The humanities are academic disciplines that study the human condition, using methods that are primarily analytical, critical, or speculative, as distinguished from the mainly empirical approaches of the natural sciences....
, though they study most subjects (those which are not related to their area of interest) in mixed classes. The science students choose one main subject, such as: physics
Physics
Physics is a natural science that involves the study of matter and its motion through spacetime, along with related concepts such as energy and force. More broadly, it is the general analysis of nature, conducted in order to understand how the universe behaves.Physics is one of the oldest academic...
, chemistry
Chemistry
Chemistry is the science of matter, especially its chemical reactions, but also its composition, structure and properties. Chemistry is concerned with atoms and their interactions with other atoms, and particularly with the properties of chemical bonds....
, or biology
Biology
Biology is a natural science concerned with the study of life and living organisms, including their structure, function, growth, origin, evolution, distribution, and taxonomy. Biology is a vast subject containing many subdivisions, topics, and disciplines...
and they must also learn computer science
Computer science
Computer science or computing science is the study of the theoretical foundations of information and computation and of practical techniques for their implementation and application in computer systems...
and/or another subject.
IASA's Music Department was shaped by the visions of three important educators: the Israeli composer and ethnomusicologist Andre Hajdu (student of Zoltan Kodaly
Zoltán Kodály
Zoltán Kodály was a Hungarian composer, ethnomusicologist, pedagogue, linguist, and philosopher. He is best known internationally as the creator of the Kodály Method.-Life:Born in Kecskemét, Kodály learned to play the violin as a child....
, Olivier Messiaen
Olivier Messiaen
Olivier Messiaen was a French composer, organist and ornithologist, one of the major composers of the 20th century. His music is rhythmically complex ; harmonically and melodically it is based on modes of limited transposition, which he abstracted from his early compositions and improvisations...
and Darius Milhaud
Darius Milhaud
Darius Milhaud was a French composer and teacher. He was a member of Les Six—also known as The Group of Six—and one of the most prolific composers of the 20th century. His compositions are influenced by jazz and make use of polytonality...
), as well as the composer and educator Michael Wolpe and the teacher of ear-training, Bat Sheva Rubinstein. The Music Department has produced a generation of young Israeli musicians, different from the mainstream of the Israeli music scene.
The studies in the Art Department consist of painting, sculpting, photography, and video art classes. Students also study the history of modern art and classic art. In their second year, students write their own academic paper about any art topic they choose. In their third year, students work on their final practical exhibit.