arts

Drama     Music     Visual Arts

Performing Arts:  Drama

All students in Years 7, 8 and 9 participate in drama classes, which provide a growing understanding of the arts while developing interaction skills.  The classes look at both the historical development of this ancient art form and how to master the skills used on stage. Drama aims to teach young students expression through language, variation of speech and controlled physical movement. Building confidence and teaching students techniques of dramatic speaking and character building; drama is a useful tool for any future profession.

The subject is taught through units which are approximately four-six weeks in length each. Each unit aims to teach several dramatic tools along topical themes. Every year group does one research project, and every unit is complimented by a paper pack including a cover page, an assessment rubric and questions to be answered in writing. An example outline of a typical unit is provided with the year group overview following.

Year 7 students are introduced to both the MYP system of learning and to Drama as a new subject. They learn that games can be educational, that each person has different mannerisms or ‘ways of acting’, that the Ancient Greeks started Drama, and some of the techniques of performance useful on stage, such as freeze framing, role play and communication skills.  The main interdisciplinary project is the Water Project, where students perform a small part of Odysseus.   An example outline of a unit in Year 7 is “Haunted and Hunted,” which aims to teach qualities of the voice without language ie. Pitch, tone, volume, and speed; story telling; and soundscaping; all along a topic of scary stories.

Drama continues through Year 8, furthering skills to use in performance. The research topic is Medieval Theatre, and the units include work on characterisation, status, improvisation and group work. The interdisciplinary project is Castaway, which uses The Tempest as an example of text, based on a shipwrecked crew on an island.  An example outline of a unit in Year 8 is “Old Man,” which aims to teach characterisation through stereotyping, physical interpretation and Stanislavski’s Emotion Memory technique; all along a topic of the lyrics to Randy Newman’s song ‘Old Man’.

The curriculum in Year 9 continues to provide further insight into the art and its structural techniques. Students learn about moments of choice, the power of language, the staging of conflict, the formal structure of a scene and the requirements for a rehearsal schedule, among other things. The research topic in this year is based on Stanislavski, a drama theorist.  Students also have the opportunity to research a drama culture or tradition of their choice.  An example outline of a unit in Year 9 is “Mountain Language,” using H. Pinter’s play of the same name. This unit focuses on moments of choice, flashbacks, split staging and diversity of language; all along a topic of the power of language to liberate and to oppress.

We hope to provide a creative environment where the students will be stimulated to develop an interest in the performing arts.                                                                          

Performing Arts:  Music

The aims of the Music Department are to introduce students to many aspects of music from many times and places and to give them a solid basis from which they can develop further interest, understanding and appreciation of this art form. Special attention is given to all possible links with other subjects to present music as a integrated subject in the curriculum.

The basic areas in Music are:

Students in Year 7 are introduced to basic music notation. The first project is a research on ‘Music in my daily life’ (MYP intra-curricular project “Who am I?”, in which students conclude how important music is for them and in how this may be different depending on different cultural backgrounds.   Special attention is given to singing in a group.  Students also learn to play the recorder, applying their knowledge of notation and reading. In connection with the MYP Water Project the students make their own piece of music using graphic notation and perform it in class.  Using the computer lab, students are asked to compose songs and a variation. They also are given the opportunity to compose using rhythms.  Students learn about the instruments of an orchestra and the sound produced by each of them.

In Year 8 students acquire basic keyboard skills with the intention of applying it to their compositions. By the end of the year they should be familiar with concepts, such as different scales, chords, intervals and be able to appy them in practical exercises. Singing is still a strong element in their music lessons.   Their first MYP project is “World Music” in which students produce an essay on the traditional music and instruments of one chosen country. They share thieir essays with their peers and the teacher stimulates discussions about style and taste.  In cooperation with Drama and History students produce and perform a play on the Medieval theme, which includes the main features of medieval music.  They learn in an active way the function of music in Medieval society.

Year 9 students are encouraged to perform, using the skills they have already learned or by learning 'on the job'. The pieces of music chosen are suitable for mixed abilities, so that experienced performers can enjoy a challenge while less experienced performers can take part fully.   At many stages students are asked to identify features of music they hear, the instruments, the form, the chords used, accompanying patterns, major or minor and so on. They also write simple rhythms and melodic motives and learn to identify intervals.  Then the primary chords I, II, IV, V and VI are used to make accompaniments in different styles.  For their research projects, students choose an area of music that excites them. Their findings are presented as e.g. an essay, PowerPoint presentation, concert, poster and lecture or a website.  All these elements are united in projects based on rock 'n' roll, folk music and classical music. For instance the instruments, form and harmonies of a folk song are identified (listening), the song is performed by the whole class, and then a similar song is written by individual students or small groups.

During the school year Music is incorporated into cross-curricular projects.

Visual Arts

 The four basic areas in the Visual Arts are:

Students in Years 7, 8 and 9 learn to understand the importance of how looking at the world can impact the way in which we perceive and interpret it. Within the classroom particular attention is given to the instruction of the planning and development of ideas. The developmental Research Workbook is used by all students as a means of documenting the process and reflecting upon the work. This book also documents the dialogue between the teacher and the student.  

In Year 7 students are encouraged to express themselves and enjoy their art lessons through themes.  They work with composition, structure and colour. Students work to improve their formal drawing and painting skills, as well as their ability to design and create 3D forms. The year group cross-curricular project challenges them create work using animation, audio and video, digital forms of media.

In Year 8 more observational and design studies are added to the program. New techniques, such as printmaking are introduced.  Some observational studies are conducted outside as well as new techniques for studying perspective. There is also the cross-curricular project that provides an opportunity to work digital interactive media.

In Year 9 students explore conceptual art through Surrealism. They begin to develop a more meaningful approach to their ideas and interpretations. Design studies provide the student with the opportunity to reflect more upon their own sense of identity and place in the world.  

Field trips take place throughout the year in collaboration with other subject areas.  These provide the opportunity for creative activity to take place outside the classroom. The Arts department develops programme utilizing a broad range of international and intercultural resources and references.