Music
The Performing Arts curriculum aims to give students a love of learning, the confidence to be creative in a wide variety of settings and an understanding of how to develop important life skills, transferable across the school curriculum and beyond. In Performing Arts, the department includes music at Key Stage Three, drama at both Key Stages and dance at Key Stage Four.
The application of skills through practical tasks in every lesson and regular peer and teacher feedback, allows students development and progress through the curriculum to be visible. Where gaps in knowledge are identified, this is addressed through effective questioning and constructive criticism from staff and their peers allowing students to be reflective and independent thinkers. Throughout the Performing Arts department we strive to make every lesson challenging for all students. At key stage 3 this takes the form of challenge tasks, which provide students with ways to build their skills in a step-by-step process. At key stage 4, GCSE dance and drama challenge focuses on what is expected from higher attaining learners in line with the GCSE specification, pushing them to demonstrate skills and knowledge in line with levels. This is done based on personalised targets and individualised teaching so students can access the challenges best suited to them.
The three key strands of music, dance and drama are creative (choreography, devising or composing), performance and evaluation (key stage 3) or critical appreciation (key stage 4). Therefore, each stage of the curriculum is driven and sequenced by these skills to build students creativity and imagination. Starting in year 7, the basics of these strands are learnt with lessons focussed on introducing key skills and embedding them into practical tasks. As a result, students can build their knowledge, understanding and application of all three elements, meaning they can tackle a wide variety of tasks confidently and creatively as well as successfully achieve the GCSE specification requirements.
Beyond lessons, the department also offers a wide variety of extra curricular activities such as clubs, workshops with external professionals, a programme for career guidance and advice and trips to see performance work live. These additional opportunities allow pupils to extend their love of learning and understand how their curriculum knowledge can be applied to the real work of creative and performing arts.
