The Arts
Learning through the Arts is fundamental for learners to develop a sense of self and a deeper understanding of the world. By developing curiosity about themselves, others and the world, students of the Arts become effective learners, inquirers and creative problem-solvers. Their resilience, self-confidence and adaptability is enhanced and their sense of belonging and community is strengthened through the recognition and exploration of personal and others identity. Learners develop through creating, performing and presenting Arts in ways that engage and convey feelings, experiences and ideas. The Arts enriches the lives of each learner by stirring the imagination and encouraging each learner to reach their creative and expressive potential.
Within the four Arts disciplines we offer within the MYP at Good Shepherd Lutheran College - Dance, Drama, Music and Visual Arts - all learners engage in rigorous and dynamic inquiry-based learning experiences. Through Visual Arts students learn technical skills coupled with the mindful skills of observation to develop their own unique piece of work. In the Performing Arts - Dance, Drama and Music, learners are provided with a platform to develop confidence through taking risks and providing opportunities for students to find their unique voice as they learn to creatively express themselves.
Dance
Dance within the MYP is an artistic, aesthetic, cultural and physical subject. Within this learning area, learners express and communicate ideas and feelings, explore different times and cultures and develop creativity, reflection and communication skills through practical work and the development of artistic understanding. Through the physical nature of dance, learners develop their kinesthetic skills as well as skills that equip students to choreograph, rehearse and perform their own work.
Within Dance at Good Shepherd Lutheran College learners study different dance styles, techniques, choreographers, dancers and developments in the world of dance. They will learn the essential components of basic choreography and terminology that will help learners communicate their knowledge and understanding and present their aesthetic response. Learners within Dance will develop a variety of skills that include physical control and kinesthetic skills and the skills necessary to learn and perform dance choreography individually, in pairs and in groups. These skills will enable students to perform their ideas through a creative performance.
Drama
Drama within the MYP engages students in an active relationship with theater and encourages autonomous learning and exploration. Drama inspires learners to develop their creativity, reflection and communication skills with an emphasis placed on the artistic process and the students’ understanding of this process as an essential component to their development as a learn through continuous investigation, planning, goal setting, rehearsing, performing, reflection and evaluation.
Within Drama at Good Shepherd Lutheran College learners will study theater from a variety of performances, genres, movements or style and the context and conditions from which drama comes from. Learners will develop skills necessary to transform a performance concept into live action. They will develop a body of skills for creating a dramatic piece such as brainstorms, storyboards, scripts, rehearsal schedules and techniques. They will also develop the skills of production to translate ideas into dramatic form for an audience to interpret.
Music
Music within the MYP gives learners access to musical experiences that allow for the development of thinking skills, intuitive skills, practical abilities, communication and the ability to relate to others. Exploration of existing and emerging music from the local community and from around the world provides learners with an opportunity to understand the significance of music cultures of the world. Through engaging in practical work, learners develop understanding of how the act of making music is a significant and universal aspect of human expression.
Within Music at Good Shepherd Lutheran College learners study traditions and musical heritage from different parts of the world, current and emerging musical practices and methods of recording and communicating musical ideas. Learners will acquire the skills to develop and carry out performances, and the skills, techniques and processes necessary to create their own music and the ability to experiment with sound sources, improvisation, practice and rehearsal routines. Learners will be encouraged to develop their own musical style and create music that demonstrates their exposure to various musical cultures.
Visual Arts
Visual Arts within the MYP at Good Shepherd Lutheran College provides learners with an opportunity to experience a wide range of visual arts activities that add a creative and cultural dimension to student development that will benefit them for the remainder of their lives. While traditional practices in the arts - painting, sculpture, ceramics and architecture - have historically provided cultural records, contemporary practice and advances in technology have given the tools of visual arts students a very broad palette. The process of making ideas a tangible reality using the skills and practices of visual arts is an integral part of developing as an open-minded and principled learner.
Within Visual Arts learners study art styles, movements, genres and specific artworks. They learn the principles required by the visual art form being developed and the language necessary for visual communication. Learners acquire technical skills, skills of observation and practical aspects of visual art that allow students to incorporate ideas into their own work. They acquire skills to investigate and respond to art styles, art movements and artists’ practices. This skill development enables learners to create visual art by manipulating mediums and tools for a specific artistic purpose.
Organisation of the Arts
Year 6 students at Good Shepherd Lutheran College embark on a year-long introductory course within Arts. This includes engaging, inquiry-based learning experiences where students learn the foundational basics of both visual and performing arts.
Year 7 and Year 8 students participate in a two-year rotation, concurrently engaging in all four of the Arts subjects we offer at Good Shepherd Lutheran College. Because we are committed to providing a diverse range of learning experiences for our students, it is a requirement that all students participate in all of the four Arts subjects we offer.
Building on from these learning engagements in Years 7 and 8, Year 9 students are given the opportunity to choose two of the eight Arts and / or Design subjects we offer to engage in from the beginning of Year 9 through to the end of Year 10. By choosing two subjects students are able to establish grounding in a discipline of their choice, develop a variety of specialist skills in two areas of their choice and have the opportunity for multiple creative artistic expressions and purposeful product design, which could provide a basis for Stage 1 and Stage 2 subject selection and career pathways beyond.
The Arts Subject Group Overview
The Arts MYP Subject Group Overview PDF