The arts are alive at QHS!
Students have different opportunities to develop their artistic talents at QHS whether it be via compulsory courses, arts options or via enrichment programs. The following feature our offerings according to those categories.
Compulsory Arts Courses
For the compulsory arts courses, students must choose from one of either music, visual arts or drama art options every year of their high school.
Music - Mr. David Rompré
David Rompré is active on the musical stage of Québec since 1986, when he sang in his first professional opera production at the Grand Théâtre. Since, he has built a solid reputation as one of the most respected choir conductors in Québec and in Canada, leading two professional choirs in Quebec City : Le Choeur Les Rhapsodes and the Choeur de l’Orchestre Symphonique de Québec, while pursuing a career as a professional tenor with the Opéra de Québec.
Mr. Rompré began his teaching career at Quebec High School in 1997. At the time, he taught Music appreciation classes and his specialty class, Music-Theatre. He directed 14 Musical theatre productions at QHS through the years. Understanding the need for young people to connect and play music together, he later founded the Music Band program which has grown and is still flourishing at QHS. Over the last ten years, he has been co-teaching the Music Concentration program at QHS alongside his colleague Mr. Gregory Domonkos.
‘For me, the Arts, and Music, are more than entertainment disciplines. They are central in the holistic education of our students, along with the Academics and the Sports. Music leads young people to acquire skills with an instrument. The students also learn respect for one another and for their conductor-teacher, they learn to listen to each other as they strive to be a contributing part of a band. With the discipline of music, students also build a sense of belonging to their community. These are all skills that will empower our young people to become the future leaders in our community’.
‘’Music gives a soul to the Universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination, and life to everything’’ - Plato
Ms. Rebecca Palmer
Ms. Leeça St. Aubin
Ms. Leeça St. Aubin
« In the consumer society of today, being a Maker is more important than ever. An hour with a sketch pad is worth so much more than an hour consuming someone else’s media. My role at QHS is to help my students express themselves visually; to teach technique in a variety of media to give them the tools to realize their creative vision and to see how relevant themes can be expressed differently. I consider the class a success when each work of art is as original as its creator, and when they see the value of their own point of view.» Ms. Palmer
Ms. Leeça St. Aubin
Ms. Leeça St. Aubin
Ms. Leeça St. Aubin
At QHS, we offer arts classes at all levels. We explore various mediums and try to reignite a passion for self-expression via the medium, whether it be acrylics, drawing, photography, watercolour, mixed media, or others. We allow students to take risks and encourage creativity and exploration. “Art is taking the risk of diving deep into yourself and sharing with the world.” Ms. St. Aubin
Ms. St. Aubin taught language arts and visual arts for over 27 years in Ontario. She is also a professional photographer, designer and artist. She has run two small businesses for over 12 years. She believes in empowering students by teaching them to express the way they see the world via the pen, the brush, or through other mediums. She integrates entrepreneurship skills into her classes as well.
Drama - Ms. Tess LeBlanc
Ms. Leblanc has a had a lifelong passion for all things dramatic. After many years of doing musical theatre productions, she now teaches some of the finer skills in the dramatic arts to her students!
Arts Options in the curriculum
In addition to compulsory classes, QHS offers in-school art options. There are two art options at QHS, namely ceramics and woodworking.
Ceramics - Ms. Laura Peterson
"I moved from Ontario to Quebec City in 2012 to teach visual arts at Quebec High School - before that I had never even been to this beautiful city! After 11 years with the CQSB, I am currently in charge the ceramics program at QHS. With over 100 students from secondary 1 to 5, students of all abilities and aptitudes can explore the medium of clay through hand building and throwing on the pottery wheel. Creating with ceramics is a challenging process – at every step there is the potential for failure, which forces students to be brave in their creations and resilient to the different outcomes. The end result can be quite amazing, and along the way we get to make a mess and have a lot of fun!"
Woodworking - Mr. Miville and Mr. Tremblay
Through hands-on learning, students are able to explore their creativity, develop practical skills, and apply scientific and mathematical concepts in meaningful and practical ways. Woodworking also fosters critical thinking, problem-solving, and collaboration, and promotes the development of essential shop safety skills and attitudes necessary to successfully complete projects using a variety of tools. M. Miville - woodworking teacher
"After loving the work, Safety is everything - Measure twice, cut once!" M. Tremblay
extra-curricular Arts enrichment programs
The following extra-curricular programs are offered as an enrichment to students who are especially inclined to pursuing their artistic development: performing arts concentration (theater), and music concentration.
Performing Arts Concentration - Ms. Cynthia Gagnon
QHS is proud to offer a Performing Arts Concentration for all students who wish to work on skills that will be useful in their lives such as public speaking, developing self-confidence, getting out of your comfort zone, creativity and collaborating with others.
We are offering an inclusive space for all students who wish to get to know themselves through arts whether it's with improvisation, theatre, comedy and or musical theatre.
We offer them the possibility to perform on a variety of occasions, and we also offer a competitive aspect with improvisation for those who are interested in being part of a team and participating in tournaments.
Having participated in this type of program myself as a student, and being an improviser myself, I can say with certainty that those programs can be life-changing for a lot of students and bring you to explore multiple aspects of yourself. I hope to offer a "Brave Space" to all students!
Ms. Cynthia Gagnon
Music Concentration - Gregory Domonkos & Mr. Rompré
Running the QHS Music Concentration together for the last 10 years, we have had the pleasure of witnessing countless young men and women put their hearts and souls into their craft and break through their shells, emerging as talented and passionate performers. From performing in front of small groups of peers in the music room, to being on stage at the Palais Montcalm in front of hundreds of people, our Concentration students build confidence and self-esteem that is so crucial in their overall growth and development.
Students of the Music Concentration can expect to learn musical theory, a myriad of different instruments, the creation process, collaboration skills, performance abilities, and technical knowledge. This is all done through both large and small group instruction, vocal training, percussion and rhythm workshops, and music appreciation activities. Community is also very important in the music world, so we often welcome artists and alumni to visit our Concentration to work with our students.
The program welcomes all students, whether already possessing musical abilities, or starting from scratch and dreaming of being on stage. We look forward every year to working with students in the Music Concentration, and we can’t wait to help develop the blossoming talent of QHS’s future stars!
Mr. Domonkos and Mr. Rompré