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 Arts)
The year culminates with our Stage Spectacular unit, where we further explore creativity. Through rehearsals, performance preparation, design, and artistic collaboration, we showcase our talents and celebrate our achievements across Health and Physical Education and the Arts—encompassing Dance, Music, Visual Arts, and Theatre.
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.
Unit 5 -Stage Spectacular IDU (HPE and Arts)
The year culminates with our Stage Spectacular unit, where we further explore creativity. Through rehearsals, performance preparation, design, and artistic collaboration, we showcase our talents and celebrate our achievements across Health and Physical Education and the Arts—encompassing Dance, Music, Visual Arts, and Theatre.
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: Musicianship MuJect
The Musicianship MuJect is a personalised music project where students identify areas for growth in their musical knowledge and develop skills to strengthen musical literacy, harmonic understanding, and aural abilities. This builds the theoretical foundations that enable students to excel throughout the year.
Unit 2: Disco
Students investigate the historical context that gave rise to disco music, developing musical fluency and performance techniques to realise a live performance of a classic disco composition. Through this process, students evaluate their performance and development as artists, offering balanced reviews with opinions and conclusions supported by appropriate evidence.
Unit 3: Music By Design
Students learn compositional devices to write and extend motifs, developing harmonic understanding to create chord passages that support melodies. They investigate how composers use harmonic progressions to communicate musical ideas, applying these techniques to write their own compositions designed for specific purposes.
Unit 4: LoFi Hip Hop
Students investigate the genre of LoFi Hip Hop, acquiring fundamental skills to craft authentic LoFi arrangements through theoretical and practical learning tasks. From mastering sampling techniques to skilfully layering beats and melodies, students develop the nuanced abilities that define the genre, creating a stylistically appropriate composition.
Prerequisites:
Students who elect to take Y10 Music are required to study voice or an instrument of their choice, either through Diocesan's itinerant programme or private tuition.
Students who elect to take Y10 Music are required to take part in at least one school ensemble. This may include the contemporary group Open Ensemble or participation in the Rock Band programme.
Course costs: $20 for music production costs
Outline of Course
MYP Visual Arts is an engaging course that fosters creative thinking, problem-solving, innovation and a passion for artistic expression. These valuable skills are essential for supporting personal growth and preparing students for future careers in an fast changing world.
This course encourages students to explore personal, cultural, and social identities through the theme of ‘The Portrait, Figure, and Ornament.’ By engaging with this theme, students can deepen their understanding of themselves and their connections to the world, creating meaningful works that reflect their unique perspectives and individuality.
Through drawing, photography, painting, printmaking, and design, students will develop a wide range of technical, conceptual and perceptual skills, gaining confidence in each of these artistic fields. By exploring various tools, techniques, and processes, they will learn to express their ideas creatively while producing meaningful artworks that showcase their unique perspectives, experiences and growing artistic voice.
The creative process is documented in a Process Journal, where students explore ideas, reflect on their artmaking, and investigate established practice using a practice-based research approach.
Key Highlights
Discover new art techniques and processes: Experiment with painting, printmaking, photography, and design to build versatile creative skills.
Develop visual literacy by analysing meaning in artworks.
Explore culture and values: Investigate personal and cultural stories, expressing them through your art.
Bring ideas to life: Plan and create artworks that reflect meaningful themes and concepts, showcasing your creative vision.
Stage Spectacular IDU (HPE and Arts) The year culminates with our Stage Spectacular unit, where we further explore creativity. Through rehearsals, performance preparation, design, and artistic collaboration, we showcase our talents and celebrate our achievements across Health and Physical Education and the Arts—encompassing Dance, Music, Visual Arts, and Theatre.
Course Costs: $120 for materials and equipment.