Outline of Course
This course will broaden students’ movement vocabularies by giving them the opportunity to explore and develop choreography, production technology and performance skills. It will improve students’ dance technique through warm up activities and performance units. A range of skills associated with viewing and responding to dance performance will be introduced. Students will learn a range of dance genres including Hip Hop, Contemporary, Bollywood and Fosse Jazz.
The course aims to continue to develop enthusiasm for the study of dance and to teach students to work together in developing choreographic and performance skills. It will give students more confidence in themselves and their ability to create and perform dance. The ability to reflect and give feedback on their own work and the work of others is also built into the course.
Units of Inquiry
Unit 1 -Performance
Throughout this Unit, students will have the chance to learn, rehearse and refine their performance skills in a variety of dance styles. Students will partake in practical dance classes including workshops with specialist guest tutors, this will assist their versatility as a dancer. Repertoire learnt will be performed to an invited audience including live performances at Night of Dance.
Unit 2 - Student Choreography
In this Unit, students will collaboratively create a powerful group choreography centred around a chosen concept. Dance serves as a medium to convey thoughts, feelings, and emotions and this unit allows students to gain further experience and understanding of how the elements of dance and choreographic devices work together to effectively communicate ideas.
Unit 3 - From studio to Stage
Students will engage in immersive stage lighting workshops within the theatre, acquiring insights into the functionality and impact of various lighting techniques on stage. They will participate in costume design tutorials, enabling them to conceptualize and create ideas for a personalized costume design for dance.
Unit 4 - Pay it forward Students will have the chance to nurture their leadership skills through mentoring younger students in the Junior School. Collaboratively, they will create a brief movement sequence with these students and showcase their performance to a small audience.
Unit 5 -Stage Spectacular IDU (HPE and Dance)
The year culminates with our Stage Spectacular unit, where we further explore creativity. Through rehearsals, choreography, and performance preparation, we showcase our artistic abilities and celebrate our achievements through our knowledge in both Health and Physical Education and Dance.
Outline of Course
Theatre within the MYP is a practical subject that develops students’ understanding of theatre as an art form, as well as giving students the opportunity to function as artists themselves. It encourages the exploration of theatre and theatre practices from different times and cultures. It develops students’ creative and theatre skills, enabling them to create, rehearse and perform pieces of theatre. It develops students’ ability to reflect on, evaluate and critique their own work and their development as young artists.
Units of Inquiry
Unit 1 - Shakespeare - is he still relevant?
As part of this Unit students participate in the Shakespeare Schools Festival and as part of their learning they investigate whether Shakespeare still has a place in a contemporary context. Students research the historical and cultural performance conditions alongside Shakespeare’s original intentions for one of his plays. Students perform a variety of scenes from the text and explore key themes, comparing how a Shakespearean audience would have responded in comparison to today’s.
Unit 2 - Play Exploration
Students research and perform Mark Wheeler’s text Too Much Punch for Judy, a documentary style text. Through this exploration students discover how to perform naturalistically and stereotypically in order to engage the audience, and deliver the intention of the playwright.
Unit 3 - Physical Theatre with Frantic Assembly
This unit focuses on devising symbolic movement to create performance. Students will study the internationally recognised theatre company; Frantic Assembly. Students learn to choreograph movement, work as an ensemble, develop characters and create worlds using space, their bodies and voices. The Unit culminates in a devised performance based on three scripted extracts.
Unit 4 - Grimm Tales - Performance
In this Unit students direct and perform in a 15 minute version of a Grimm Tale. Students will develop a concept, decide on an acting style and develop a design for set, sound and lighting.
Outline of Course
Music provides an opportunity to develop confidence, self-expression, imagination and creativity. During this course, students will develop knowledge about how music works by listening, analysing, creating, performing and evaluating music from a wide range of contemporary styles.
Unit 1 - Disco
Students will investigate the historical context that gave rise to the genre of Disco. They will develop the musical fluency and performance techniques required to realise a live performance of a classic disco composition. Students will evaluate their performance and development as artists, offering a balanced review with opinions and conclusions supported by appropriate evidence.
Unit 2 - Minimalism
Students will investigate the stylistic features of Minimalism through comparative analysis, critiquing composers' creative innovations in terms of elements, techniques, structure, and contexts. Through practical exploration, experimentation, and refinement, students will develop their ability to employ Minimalist compositional devices.
Unit 3 - LoFi Hip Hop
Students will investigate the genre of LoFi Hip Hop. They will acquire the fundamental skills to craft authentic LoFi soundscapes through a blend of theoretical and practical learning tasks. From mastering the intricacies of sampling to skilfully layering beats and melodies, students will develop the ability to employ the nuanced techniques that define the genre, creating a stylistically appropriate composition.
Unit 4 - MuJect
The MuJect will be a personalised project allowing students the opportunity to pursue their musical passions and showcase their developing skills in approaches to learning. Students will be encouraged to create a project with a clear and achievable goal, demonstrating initiative, creativity, and organisational skills. As part of this process, students will appraise their own artwork and reflect on their development as an artist.
Prerequisites:
At least one year of instrumental or voice tuition before Year 10 is advised.
Motivated beginners are welcome.
Students who elect to study music are encouraged to take individual voice or instrumental lessons.
Course costs: $20 for music production costs
Outline of Course
The MYP course provides students with opportunities to make connections to their own Identity & Sense of Place or Belonging.
These connections may include their culture, ethnicity, ideas, feelings, moods, beliefs, viewpoints, & personal perspectives.
Learning in the Visual Arts develops the ability to think deeply & creatively, based on individual experiences & contexts.
The course investigates the theme of the Figure & Personal Adornment.
Students will take a Visual Arts approach to make artworks using a Visual Arts Vocabulary to explore their Personal, Cultural & Social Identity, recording the evidence in their Process Portfolio.
Related topics may include: Self-portrait, Identity & Social Media, Identity & the Human Condition, Cultural Artefacts & the Body, & Costume & Ornament related to Culture & Identity,
In this course students develop their understanding of ‘What, How & Why’ we make Art, applying perceptual, conceptual & technical skills in selected art disciplines.
Students will engage in units of study that may include Drawing, Photography, Painting, Printmaking, Design & Sculpture.
Statement of Inquiry:
Identity is explored through style & visual language to communicate creative intentions
Students will:
Use a workbook to document each stage of their learning.
Engage in a Practice-based Visual Inquiry, using Visual Arts Practices & methodology to understand how our cultural heritage provides opportunities to examine & appreciate a range of values & perceptions.
Compare & contrast the ways in which ideas & art-making processes are used to communicate meaning in selected objects & images.
Explore the formal elements of composition in their own work & the work of others.
Apply knowledge of elements & principles to make artworks.
Express personal feelings, attitudes, emotions, experiences & ideas.
Understand the characteristics & constraints of selected artmaking conventions.
Demonstrate their understanding of conceptual & thematic ideas through the planning & production of artwork to realise a creative intention.
Investigate a range of materials & processes in different fields to develop a personal vocabulary for Visual Communication.
Assessment will be based on the cumulative evidence.
The Process Portfolio: Throughout the course students will document evidence of Visual Communication. Students will use a visual language to communicate meaning in their artworks. They will discuss their creative intentions in their planning & their reflections. Learning in the Visual Arts is an ongoing process that references relevant research from established practice & other sources as appropriate. The best way to support each individual investigation & document it, is through the art journal or process portfolio.
Course Costs: $120 for materials and equipment.