MUSE Global Middle School Education and Curriculum

At MUSE Global School, our innovative approach to education allows young people to learn, grow, and build a foundation of success, starting on their first day of kindergarten through their last day of high school. While each leg of their educational journey is crucial, their time in middle school is even more so.

During this two-year transition, students build upon what they’ve learned in elementary school as they prepare for the challenges of high school. MUSE Global School students receive a one-of-a-kind learning experience that includes attentive teachers, a solid curriculum, elective courses, and more.

See for yourself…

Students and Teachers

We believe all students, including those in seventh and eighth grade, are at their best when receiving individualized instruction. That’s precisely what our student-to-teacher ratio of 10:1 allows us to provide. Why is this so important? When teachers have fewer students, they can dive deeper into the course material and take the time to get to know each student’s learning style. To provide context, the average California public school has a student-to-teacher ratio of 23:1.

While we’re proud of the difference this ratio makes for our students, we’re also thankful for the real-world expertise our teachers bring to class each day. Before joining our team, these amazing men and women had successful careers on Broadway, in restaurant management, working on farms, and more. These professional experiences allow them to add layers to the lesson they teach.

 Curriculum and Academics

Many factors contribute to providing an award-winning education, including our commitment to teaching students as individuals. Although our student-friendly ratio allows teachers to consider each student’s learning style, lesson plans for each grade align with our curriculum, which exceeds all California standards and has been approved by The Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC).

Along with core subjects like history, math, science, and language arts, our middle school curriculum is infused with each student’s passion. At the start of the semester, each student chooses a topic for their passion project. This in-depth, all-encompassing research project allows students to look at the world through the lens of their individual passion. It also encourages authentic interaction with the community through interviews, mentorships, and internships.

Special Elective Courses

MUSE middle school students have many different weekly electives to choose from.

 Performing Arts

We believe the performing arts provide students with a creative outlet that helps them discover who they are. The MUSE Performing Arts Program creates informed and skilled artists while cultivating self-confidence, imagination, and teamwork. Students focus on all aspects of theater and film, including acting, writing, directing, design, dance, and more.

Visual Arts

Visual arts at MUSE focuses on artistic perception, creative expression, and aesthetic value. The structure of our school allows instructors to provide students with individual attention to foster and nurture creative skills.

Seed-to-Table

All students should understand how their food affects both their health and the environment. So, we developed our Seed-to-Table program, a hands-on learning experience that teaches students how to make informed choices starting at a young age.

Plant-Based Cooking

In our weekly cooking class, Master Chef Robin Swallow shows students how to transform comfort foods into healthy, plant-based meals that taste amazing.

Leadership

At MUSE, students develop the skills needed to be the leaders of tomorrow by developing skills through group and independent projects that focus on school organization, activism, and community service. They also study notable historical leaders, contemporary politics, and ethical leadership.

Yearbook

Participating in our yearbook class teaches students various skills, including production, copywriting, digital photography, desktop publishing, and media production.

Meditation 

Each of us has the power to improve our quality of life through meditation. The principles we teach students are rooted in the Himalayan tradition of Tantric Hatha Yoga and Meditation.

Creative Writing 

This popular class explores fiction, poetry, and non-fiction, while also delving into the subsets of each genre. Structured as a workshop, students help one another develop a solid foundation of writing skills.

Dance 

Everyone from beginners to those born wearing ballet shoes will be comfortable in our dance class. That’s not to say we only cover ballet… because we teach various styles. Each lesson includes a warm-up/workout and focuses on dance techniques and choreography.

Asana Yoga

This class teaches students the fundamental breathing techniques and basic movements of yoga. Students are encouraged to incorporate various intentions into their practice, including love, balance, and anchor.

Ethical Entrepreneurship 

We explore the balance between earning a living and environmental consciousness. Students take a hands-on approach to building a business, including coming up with a concept, building a business plan, perfecting their elevator pitch, creating an investor deck, and developing a marketing strategy.

Storytelling

After listening to relevant and appropriate episodes of NPR’s The Moth Radio Hour, students construct three stories original stories to present to an audience of peers and faculty.

Digital Photography

This class encourages students to explore all aspects of digital photography while creating and sharing with their peers. Students examine editing techniques, vocabulary, and fundamental principles such as light theory, the rule of thirds, and the importance of depth of field.

Script to Screen

Students examine the creative building blocks of filmmaking: writing, storyboarding, shooting, editing, and producing. Each student creates a short film that we screen at the end of the year.

A Different Way Forward

In 2006, our founder Suzy Amis Cameron built MUSE Global School to provide students with the best education possible. As a mother of five, she grew tired of watching her children struggle in conventional schools, even those considered the best. Working with experts and specialists, Suzy accomplished what others had failed to do: she developed a state-of-the-art science-based approach to education that promotes sustainability and nurtures environmental awareness.

We view each student’s middle school education as an opportunity to teach them as an individual. This means adapting our teaching methods to fit their unique learning style and giving their family the power to decide whether that education takes place in a physical classroom with MUSE Global or a virtual classroom with MUSE Virtual.

You know that each grade in MUSE Global middle school is expertly designed to educate and support the needs of all students, but we’d love the opportunity to tell you more about our school and discuss your child’s academic future. Please, contact us today, and let’s prepare your seventh or eighth grader for a MUSE Global education.