Outline of Course
This course enables students to explore dance's fundamental elements (body, time, energy, space, and relationships) and delve into movement, choreography, and presenting their dance sequences. They also get to experience diverse styles while creating, filming, and editing a group dance film.
Students will explore dance in greater depth through tasks and activities with a focus on choreography and performance. Students will view, respond to and understand a range of dance styles from a variety of cultures and contexts covering social, ethnic and theatre dance. They will explore and learn styles that could include Contemporary, Hula, Jazz, Hip Hop, Disco and African dance. Through this exploration of performance, choreography and technology, they will develop an understanding of dance vocabulary and learn to describe dance movements and intentions. They will experience how dance can be adapted from a live performance to dance on film.
Unit 1 -Performance Unit
All genres of dance can be sorted into three main categories, Ethnic, Social and Theatre Dance. In this Unit, students will learn repertoire from each of these categories. They will partake in physical sessions including workshops from guest choreographers and are given opportunities for performance.
Unit 2 - Group Presentation
In groups, students will immerse themselves in a genre of their choice, followed by crafting a captivating presentation to showcase understanding of the selected genre. The presentation will encompass a physical demonstration, highlighting their chosen style of dance.
Unit 3 - Dance Film
The purpose of this Unit is to experience how dance can be adapted from live performance to dance on film. Students will have the opportunity to create, film and star in their own Music Video.
Outline of Course
Theatre provides opportunities to focus on creativity, share ideas, problem solve, analyse text and build confidence. During this course, students will develop knowledge about how to create, design, direct and perform theatre. Through working collaboratively students will reflect on their place in the world as well as the vital contribution that Theatre makes to their individual, social and cultural identity.
Unit 1 - Playing with Convention
Throughout this Unit, students will be exposed to different theatrical styles and devising companies, broadening their understanding of how different conventions can create the style of a performance. Students will be given multiple stimuli across the Unit for them to experiment with before the final assessment where they can select a stimulus of their choice to devise an original piece of theatre.
Unit 2 - Page to Stage
Students will explore the play Beauty Manifesto by Nell Leyshon, transforming the words into actions and meaning through the staging of a section of the play. As a group, students will direct, perform and create a concept/intention for their audience and each will take on an individual production role. In this role they will have to design and plan a presentation evaluating how their designs within their chosen production element (set, lighting, sound, costume, set or directing) meets the concept of their selected scenes.
Outline of Course
In Year 9, students explore key elements of music with a focus on performance, composition, style and research. They develop key skills to enable them to prepare, rehearse and present music, through the contemporary genres of blues and reggae.
Unit 1 - Blues
Students explore the Blues genre by investigating elements, stylistic features, techniques, structure and context. They develop the ability to interpret and perform music in a group to the class and are encouraged to transfer this understanding across multiple instruments. Students explore performing and composing techniques and how to apply them in their work. They demonstrate the conceptual acquisition of knowledge gained through this process by creating or performing a 12-bar blues for the class as the summative task.
Unit 2 - Don’t Forget Your Roots
This unit delves into the stylistic features, origins and influence of reggae music locally and globally. Students explore Jamaican reggae and the music and influence of Bob Marley, specifically the impact of his music on Aotearoa New Zealand. They investigate musical elements, texture and lyrics in reggae through aural and practical tasks including bass line riffs, melodic hooks, offbeat chord patterns, and themes of social justice. For the summative task, students present an investigation into the impact of reggae innovations and an analysis of a significant reggae performance in NZ.
Course costs: $20 for music production costs
Outline of Course
The MYP semester Visual Art course, provides year 9 students with opportunities to explore their Personal & Cultural Identity through an investigation of the area in which they live & work. Through the Arts, we can respond visually to what we see & feel.
As Artists, students begin to understand our place, our histories & our unique culture, preserving the traditions we value.
The course investigates the theme of The Constructed Landscape.
Students will look at the ways we shape & relate to our environment & how our interactions reflect who we are.
Aspects to be studied could include topics such as: Habitat, Remaking the Landscape Ecological systems, Geographical features, Conservation, Cartography & typography (present in form of signs, billboards, advertising & road markings) & Cultural Attitudes to Place.
Statement of Inquiry:
Artists investigate Constructed Landscapes through Composition to Communicate Ideas.
Students will develop their visual literacy as they develop appropriate critical skills & understanding within an inquiry-based integrated learning experience working in at least three of the fields of practice as outlined below:
Drawing, Photography, Painting, Printmaking, Design & Sculpture.
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.
Investigate the ways in which meaning is communicated in artworks.
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: $80 for art materials supplied