Performing Arts

National 5

COURSE DESCRIPTION

This exciting course consists of preparation work for an externally assessed practical and a written examination. Within the year, students will study:

Drama Skills - where students will be asked to respond to a range of stimuli and to create drama through using a raft of dramatic techniques. Students will be encouraged to work in differing genres and forms. Character and textual analysis will form part of the study as well as exploring the cultural impact which Drama has on our society. Practical workshopping and exploration will form a large part of the work of this unit as students move forward to create their dramatic statement for performance.

Production Skills - where students will take part as actors and production area operators in the mounting of small scale theatre production. Working from a practical page to stage format they will learn hands on, through how a production is structured and created as well as taking part in performance to an audience and examiner. Students will be involved in acting as well as exploring a range of Theatre Arts, such as make-up, costume, Lighting and sound in a practical production setting.

All of this foundation work will enable the students to then choose their specialist area to focus on for their final assessment.

ASSESSMENT

Assessment is achieved through externally set question paper and externally examined production.

HOMEWORK

Research, line learning, design tasks, character/textual analysis, ongoing folio tasks will form part of the homework for this course as well as a commitment to rehearsal.

Higher

RECOMMENDED ENTRY LEVELS

National 5 Drama – grades A-C

National 5 English – grade A-B

Proven relevant experience in Drama

COURSE DESCRIPTION

This course consists of 2 elements. This is a practical and written examination. The students will either decide to do acting (presenting two contrasting roles), a design element (using set design and another chosen area for a whole play) or directing (of a whole play – only a section of which will be covered in the exam).

To develop the skills, learners will explore and develop complex drama skills and ways of communicating thoughts and ideas to an audience. They will learn how to develop characters in a range of ways and develop understanding of form, structure, genre and style when creating and presenting drama. Learners will develop knowledge and understanding of the social and cultural influences on drama. Learners will develop complex production skills. They will use these skills to enhance drama when presenting. They will also learn how to evaluate their own progress and that of other learners.

ASSESSMENT

Learners will draw on, extend and apply the skills they have learned during the Course. This will be assessed through performance and a question paper. The performance will involve:

Acting - Performing two contrasting roles in extracts from studied texts.

Design – Completing Set design and one other production area such as Props, lighting, costume design, hair and make-up design or Sound.

Directing – Having knowledge of a complete text so that an extract can be directed in front of the examiner

Question paper – This will require a demonstration of a depth of knowledge and understanding from the chosen text and an analysis of a live theatre performance.

HOMEWORK

Ongoing homework will consist of research, script development, line learning, log books, folios and sample essays. A commitment to rehearsal time is also expected.

BGE Music (S1 - 3)

Pupils come to Music twice a week in S1-S2 and can opt to take Music in S3 where they will also get 2 periods a week.  During one period pupils work on performance skills on their 2 chosen instruments/voice by learning a variety of pieces designed to push them to their highest level of achievement.  The second period focuses on coursework which includes a variety of performing, composing and listening tasks on a variety of different styles.

S1 Music Course

Popular Music (Blues, Rock ‘n’ Roll & Rock)

Music for Culture and Celebration (Christmas and Latin American music)

Music and the Media (TV theme music)

S2 Music Course

Popular Music (Pop, Dance & Disco)

Music for Culture and Celebration (Christmas and African music)

Music and the Media (Film music)

S3 Music Course

Popular Music (Jazz, Swing and Musicals)

Music for Culture and Celebration (Christmas and Reggae music)

Music and the Media (Video Game music)

Senior Phase Music

We offer Music at all levels from National 4 - Advanced Higher where pupils develop their skills on 2 instruments/voice, composing and listening.  More info can be found on our website: Senior Phase Website

Music Technology

This is an exciting new course on offer from S3 onwards.  We are currently running this at National 5 and Higher level.  Pupils learn a variety of skills in music and sound production using GarageBand and Logic Pro on our brand new mac suite.  These include creating and producing their own music, creating and recording podcasts and designing sound for short films and video games.  We even have our own recording studio and expert help from our in house Music technician.  More information can be found on our websites:

S3 Music Technology Website

National 5 Music Technology Website

Extra Curricular

We currently offer a range of extra curricular activities which we are looking to build upon.   These include:

Wind Band

Choir

Ceilidh Band

Music Tech Club

Rock Band Coaching

Pupils are also welcome to sign up for practice rooms at lunch times where they can come along to have fun making music with their friends.