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Arts, Music & Theatre

Arts

Arts are a way of making and communicating through imagination. Arts stimulate creative action and response by engaging and connecting thinking, imagination, senses and feelings. The subject provides the opportunity to undertake art production activities in order to develop artworks in two and three-dimensional media.

Pupils study art history, art criticism, aesthetics, and art production. They will continuously develop their appreciation, curiosity and understanding of the arts while exploring a range of drawing materials, techniques and subjects. They will enhance their observation and accuracy skills as they progress through a variety of assignments such as still life drawing, landscape, figure studies, portraiture, and painting. A wide range of drawing and painting media may be used such as graphite, charcoal, ink, pastel, oil pastel, colour pencils, acrylic and watercolour.

Pupils will then improve their compositional understanding by applying the elements and principles of design to their sketches and drawings. A variety of famous artists will be studied to discover how they are relevant in art history and to the students' individual work. Through art production activities, students will gain significant understanding of the world around them and other cultures.

At BSB, we encourage exploration and experimentation on a wide range of media and techniques through practical work in the studio environment. Our focus is to develop the students’ abilities in creative thinking and conceptualization.

Music

The Music Department’s aim is to provide the opportunity for students to extend their own musical interests and skills. Music is a powerful, unique form of communication that can change the way students think, feel and act. It brings together intellect and feeling and enables personal expression, reflection and emotional development. Students perform and compose music in different styles increasing their understanding of musical devices, processes and contextual influences.

The schemes of work consist of integrated units that are imaginative and challenging in order to motivate all students.

We will be able to offer individual instrumental lessons provided by specialist tutors on a rotational basis throughout the school week.

Students have an opportunity to take part in ensembles which may include the school choir, orchestral groups and the school bands.

Performance is a major aspect of our musical programme and there are multiple opportunities to play in assemblies, instrumental concerts, recitals, major musical productions and at events in the school and wider community.

Theatre

The BSB Drama Curriculum aims to empower pupils to achieve their potential and to make informed and responsible choices and decisions throughout their lives. It is about helping all pupils prepare for life and work:

  • as individuals
  • as contributors to society
  • as contributors to the economy and environment

Drama has a significant role to play in this. The fundamental aim of the Drama curriculum is to develop pupils who are able to use voice, movement, gesture and facial expression in a positive and confident manner. Through the methods of improvisation, acting, mime and dance drama, supported by using a range of drama strategies, pupils will develop personal and social skills and grow in insight and understanding.

Drama contributes in a unique way to the process of learning. Its uniqueness lies in its immediacy as it happens in the here and now. It allows pupils a high degree of control over their own learning as they manage information, make decisions and solve problems. It draws upon their own experience of the world and then extends it. It engages feelings, imagination, encourages creativity and allows them to work alone and with others. Drama is a powerful means of bringing alive knowledge and experience by engaging the emotion and the intellect. It involves the controlled attempts to explore, develop and express ideas and concepts which will help to make sense of reality and the world we live in.

Drama develops pupils as individuals by:
  • developing an awareness of self and others
  • helping pupils to develop relationships among peers, with teachers, other adults and wider audiences
  • helping to develop pupils’ confidence in their own abilities, particularly in verbal and non-verbal communication
  • enabling participants to evaluate their achievements as individuals and evaluate the achievements of others
Drama develops pupils as contributors to society by:
  • encouraging mutual respect, sharing and a sense of responsibility
  • enabling pupils to explore issues in a safe environment, through exploration and negotiation and helping them to structure solutions
  • enhancing pupils’ understanding and appreciation of society by giving them opportunities to experience another person’s life in another situation
Drama develops pupils as contributors to the economy and environment by:
  • providing every pupil with information about working in the world of drama and theatre
  • enabling pupils to experience, in role, the world of work and to develop an awareness of related economy through exploration of specific situations and scenarios using text and improvised approaches
  • promoting enquiry and encouraging pupils to think critically and constructively on a range of local and global issues.