The Arts
Cultivating student success through artistic expression
SDJA offers courses in music, acting, technical theater, and media arts that encourage collaboration within each discipline. While our objective is to concentrate on the process rather than the product, by design some of these courses do culminate in productions, concerts and presentations and often lead to shared performances on campus. The arts play a vital role in education, fostering creativity, empathy, and critical thinking—skills essential for success in any field. By engaging in artistic expression, students gain confidence and a deeper appreciation for diverse perspectives and cultures. As part of an all-inclusive approach, students are encouraged to connect their creative work to broader themes, deepening their understanding of both their academic studies and their development as thoughtful, globally minded individuals.
Special classes in music and visual art are offered in our lower school , with beginner, intermediate and advanced levels of both in our upper school as well as several disciplines of theatre arts.
Rooted in Jewish values, these experiences challenge students to think ethically, act responsibly, and connect their learning to purpose — preparing them not only for college, but for meaningful leadership in an ever-changing world.
What does the Arts look like at SDJA?
Music
Nuturing creativity & Self-expression
In the arts classroom at SDJA, we focus on developing skills and creativity through engagement, trial and error, practice, and presentation. Performance is an essential part of the curriculum, and all students have opportunities to participate in their arts education in a safe and nurturing environment.
One of the most positive things a school can offer a child is the opportunity to study the fine arts, specifically music. Self expression, social skills, communication skills, self-concepts, cooperative talents, fine motor skills, and creativity are all nurtured through the study of music and learning to play a musical instrument. These life-skills serve as an important foundation as they take on responsibilities and challenges in the real world.
Meet Tommy Collins
Arts Department Chair, Music Teacher
Tommy has his Bachelors in Music Education and has been teaching at San Diego Jewish Academy for over twenty years. He has been playing in blues, rock, jazz, and funk bands for over thirty years and currently freelances as a jazz guitarist. He has been on the faculty at many music workshops and organizations including the Francis Parker Summer Jazz Workshop, GuitarWorshopPlus, and the San Diego Youth Symphony. His website is www.tomcollinsmusic.com
"I am grateful and humbled to be able to share my love of music with students every day. As a teacher, I strive to challenge and inspire my students to be the best they can be. Through my experience in playing and performing music for over thirty years I have learned that music is a lifelong journey of education, expression, and creativity. I am lucky to be teaching at San Diego Jewish Academy where music and the arts are appreciated and fostered."
- Tommy Collins
Theatre
“I try to foster confidence, social tolerance, empathy, and creative critical thinking in my theatre students which supports overall academic achievement. I am not trying to mentor great performers, but rather help develop great people.”
- PK Brannon
Meet PK Brannon
SDJA Artistic Director, MUS Theatre Teacher
PK moved from New York to the San Diego area over nine years ago and is now entering her tenth year at SDJA. In New York, she served as Head of Performing Arts for a school district and directed both local and regional theatre as a guest Artistic Director. She served on various art projects and theatres in committee, and advised on new theatre builds and renovations as consultant . While she initially pursued acting during her college years, she was quickly drawn to directing and shifted her focus as a theatre major.
PK believes that every role—on stage or behind the scenes—is vital to the success of a production. She encourages students to explore all facets of theatre, including set design, costumes, choreography, poster/media art, technology, and theatre management, alongside the core disciplines of acting, singing, and dancing. Having held nearly every theatre-related position in both educational and professional settings, PK brings a wealth of experience to her work with students in both middle and high school. These opportunities extend beyond the classroom to co-curricular activities and the leadership of the Technology Team.
Each year, high school students with a strong interest in theatre are selected as Student TAs and assist with the middle school production class, serving as mentors to younger students. This student mentorship program, which PK originally developed in New York, has been enthusiastically embraced at SDJA.
While in New York, PK often brought in Broadway and NYC-based professionals to lead workshops, Q&A sessions, and one-on-one mentorships—an initiative she hopes to replicate on the SDJA stage.
PK began her journey at SDJA by supporting Lower School theatre through the Kayafet and GMLS Theatre Club, collaborating with a GMLS guidance counselor in classroom role-play, and assisting with sets, costumes, and general production support for their various presentations. This year, she looks forward to deepening her involvement in Lower School productions, offering support to teachers and directors wherever needed.
Though many of her former students have gone on to attend prestigious theatre programs such as Juilliard, NYU Tisch, Carnegie Mellon, UCLA, and LAMDA—and some now work professionally in the arts—PK has never defined success by career placement. If a student chooses to pursue theatre professionally, she is deeply committed to supporting and training them. But for her, it’s about the journey, not the destination.
PK views theatre as a powerful tool for developing life skills. It encourages self-awareness, cultivates empathy, builds peer relationships, and teaches collaboration, critical thinking, and problem-solving. These experiences not only enhance academic comprehension but also help students engage meaningfully with their communities, develop a sense of social responsibility, and gain skills that will serve them in any profession.
Visual Arts
Meet Elizabeth Nebo
Media and Visual Arts Teacher
Elizabeth Nebo is a San Diego native, she earned her B.A. in art from San Diego State University, her teaching credential in art and her Masters in Art Education from Boston University. For the past eight years she has been teaching both middle school and high school students at SDJA. She teaches all art classes from ceramics and visual art to digital art and AP art and design.
Elizabeth’s personal medium of choice is ceramics and pottery. A love that started in high school and has continued to grow ever since. She believes that with time and practice, everyone can be an artist and creates a classroom environment where students feel empowered to express their identities through meaningful, hands-on experiences. She grounds her teaching in student voice, critical thinking, and real-world connection.
Meet Victoria Polyak
GMLS Specialist- Visual Arts
Victoria is a professional artist and art educator. Born and raised in Ukraine, Victoria holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Architecture and Master of Fine Arts Degree in Visual Art. Victoria participates in juried art exhibitions and her paintings have won multiple awards and are in many private collections. Victoria has a California Teaching Credential and has taught art to adults and children in Los Angeles and San Diego for many years before getting her dream job at SDJA in 2013. Please visit Victoria Polyak’s artist website at www.victoriapolyak.com to learn more about our GMLS Art teacher.
Victoria’s Art Explorers Program Incorporates Art History and uses great artists of the past to enlighten the great artists of the future. The art projects are closely integrated with general and Judaic studies. The class inspires creativity and instills confidence by teaching how to see things the way artists see them.
GMLS students work with various media and techniques; including crayons, colored pencils, pastels,watercolors, tempera and acrylic paint, ceramics, papier mache, printmaking, foil emboss, and embroidery.
Student work is displayed throughout school and the community, as well as entered into numerous contests and exhibitions. GMLS students participated and won awards at the San Diego County Fair K-6 Kids Best Exhibition, the San Diego Museum of Art Young Art Exhibition, RAVSAK Judaic Day School Contest, Federal Duck Stamp program, Doodle for Google contest, and San Diego Water Conservation Poster Contest.
Venues
State-of-the-art Audio, Visual, & Lighting
In our recently built Ana “Janche” Galicot Performing Arts Auditorium (PAA) we have a 5000 sq. ft facility that features 3 multi-purpose rooms, theatre support spaces and auditorium, as well as state-of-the-art audio, visual, lighting and acoustical design. The PAA enables us to bring more experiences to life and to think even more creatively about how we imbue in our students a deep love of learning, social responsibility and active Jewish living.