Performing Arts

In the autumn term, Year 7 students develop their vocal skills through a singing unit and are introduced to playing the instruments of a samba band. In the spring term, students build their keyboard skills and ability to read music. Students are also introduced to the different instruments of the orchestra and practice listening and analysing music. During the summer term, students develop their ability to play the ukulele and begin using music technology through the software Soundtrap.

In the autumn term, Year 8 students develop their ensemble skills through learning to sing and play the ukulele. Students also explore the features of electronic dance music and have the chance to perform notable pieces on the keyboards. In the spring term, students are introduced to features of Jazz and Blues music and broaden their understanding of world music through both samba and djembe drumming. During the summer term, students explore minimalism, ostinatos and ground bass. Students have the chance to learn basic compositional devices within these units and continue to grow their skills on Soundtrap.

In the autumn term, Year 9 students develop their band performance skills and explore the works of Classical and Romantic composers on the keyboards. In the spring term, students study the key features of rap music and will compose and perform their own rap. Students will also further broaden their musical understanding through the exploration of music from around the world. During the summer term, students perform music from film and video games before applying their knowledge and creativity to compose their own film and game music.

In year 10, students begin to study for the Eduqas music GCSE. The qualification is split into composing (30%), performing (30%) and appraising (40%). Students will begin their first composition (free brief) and will begin practising their solo and ensemble pieces on their chosen instrument or voice. Students will also study the four following areas of study for the appraising exam:

· Area of study 1: Musical Forms and Devices

· Area of study 2: Music for Ensemble

· Area of study 3: Film Music

· Area of study 4: Popular Music

In year 11, students will finish both compositions (free brief and set brief) and have recorded their solo and ensemble performances (4-6 minutes combined). Students will study the four following areas of study for the appraising exam:

·         Area of study 1: Musical Forms and Devices

·         Area of study 2: Music for Ensemble

·         Area of study 3: Film Music

·         Area of study 4: Popular Music Year 11

Students will also study the following two set works in depth. These will appear in the appraising exam:

·         Badinerie by J.S.Bach for Flute and String Orchestra with Harpsichord (Final movement, Orchestral Suite No.2 in B minor, BWV 1067).

·         Africa: Toto (released 1982).

GCSE Music | Eduqas 

We offer a range of extracurricular opportunities, including Choir, Orchestra, Rock Band and Steel Pan Band. Students also benefit from performance opportunities with our annual spring or winter concert as well as many music trips, including notable experiences for choir and GCSE music students.

After studying GCSE music, students successfully go on to study music at local sixth forms, colleges and BAAM.  

Alumni have gained work as music teachers, peripatetic teachers, working in recording studios and other roles wider within performing arts. 

Autumn  

Drama key skills 

In this topic students will learn the core skills used in drama focusing on how to use their voice and physicality to improvise and bring a short script to life. 

Spring 

Physical theatre 

Students will study Frantic assembly, a physical theatre practitioner and focus on creating a drama piece based on chair duets. 

Summer  

Scripted performance 

Students will explore different staging used in drama performances and will rehearse and perform a scene from Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. 

Autumn  

Scripted performance: Room 13 

Following on from year 7, students will learn how to rehearse and perform a scene from ‘Room 13’ focusing on use of vocal skills, use of space and blocking 

Spring  

Physical theatre 

Frantic assembly: round-by-through. Following on from studying chair duets in year 7, this term students will learn another technique from Frantic assembly, Round-by-through with counterbalances and small lift work. 

Summer  

Devising strategies 

This topic is an introduction to devising and the different strategies practitioners use to create a performance from a stimulus. 

Autumn 

Scripted performance: Our day out 

In this topic, students will consolidate their knowledge and understanding of how to use their vocal and physical skills to give an effective performance. Students will also explore different types of staging along with lighting and sound design. 

Spring  

Physical theatre 

Drama practitioners.  

Students will learn about different drama practitioners and styles including Brecht, meta theatre, mime and physical theatre. 

Summer  

Devising project 

Following on from learning the fundamentals of devising in years 7&8, students will create small group or whole class extracts using stimuli as a starting point.  

Autumn 1 

Component 3 preparation -   

Scripted performance: DNA 

Pupils will develop their ability to perform an existing piece of theatre through the development of 2 short scenes from plays in different genres. These will then be performed with full costume, lighting and sound. 

Pupils will also practice writing a concept proforma for each performance. 

Autumn 2 

Component 4 -  Blood Brothers and Live theatre review 

Pupils will explore Willy Russell’s Blood Brothers in preparation for section A of the written paper. Pupils will discover how to communicate the playwright’s intentions, themes and context can be communicated to an audience using both acting and design in performance through practical exploration.  

Pupils will evaluate the live theatre performance of War Horse and then develop their ability to answer exam questions using this knowledge to prepare for a mock exam at the end of year 10 and the terminal exam in Year 11 

Spring  

Unit 1/2 : Devising 

This term students will develop their understanding of devising strategies in response from stimuli set by the exam board. Students will explore the stimuli in detail and start to develop their group performance.  

Summer 

Students will continue working on their devised performance and written coursework in preparation for the devising exam in Autumn of year 11 

Autumn  

Unit 1/2: Devising 

Students will rehearse and perform their devising exam and complete the coursework element. 

When completed, students will revisit Blood Brothers and the live theatre performance (War Horse) in preparation for the mock exam 

Spring 

Unit 3: Presenting and performing texts. 

Students will successfully perform selected scenes from a published text as part of a group and a monologue. This is a live exam and students will perform in front of an external examiner. 

Summer 

Unit 4: exam preparation 

Students will consolidate their knowledge of Blood Brothers (Section B) and the chosen live performance for section A of the exam. 

GCSE - Drama (9-1) - J316 (from 2016) - OCR 

Throughout the course, students will be invited to attend school trips to productions at the Mayflower Southampton and/or the Lighthouse Poole and should take full advantage of these trips to aid them to succeed in the written exam where they will be expected to write in detail about a live production they have experienced.  

We recommend that you engage with as many drama extra-curricular clubs as possible in order to develop your acting skills and to experience a range of genres. Students should audition for school productions and plays.   

After studying GCSE drama, students successfully go on to study drama or theatre studies at sixth form or colleges. 

Alumni have gone on to work in the profession as actors, set designers,  pantomime dames and backstage. 

Autumn 

Topic Title: Safe Practice, skill development & Street dance 

Pupils will develop an understanding of the key components that are required to develop a dancers technical ability and good working practice with a focus on preventing injury. Pupils will also explore the hip hop styles, learn repertoire from Emancipation of expressionism by Boy Blue Entertainment to begin developing their understanding of communicating meaning through movement, formations and use of canon, unison and counterpoint. 

Topic Title: A Linha Curva  

Pupils will develop their ability to analyse professional dance performances, learn repertoire from the work and develop their understanding of contemporary technique, ensemble performance, choreographic devices and relationships. 

Spring 

Topic Title: Contemporary Ballet 

Pupils will develop and apply an understanding of classical ballet technique and develop their analytical abilities through studying ‘Infra’ by the Royal Ballet. Pupils will explore different methods of generating choreography, informed by the practice of Wayne McGregor in the creation of this work. 

Topic Title: Neo-Classical dance 

Pupils will develop and apply and understanding of style fusion by combining modern and classical technique in the style of Christopher Bruce through the study of his work with Phoenix dance theatre and the work he created with them ‘Shadows’. Pupils will develop their understanding of how design elements such as costume lighting and set can support the communication of a choreographic intention and how props can be integrated into their own choreography. 

Summer 

Topic Title: Dance for Camera 

Pupils will further develop their ability to analyse professional dance works through ‘Within her Eyes’ by James Cousins. Pupils will explore how to create dance for camera including: framing and angle, working safely in a site specific environment and how to use features of that environment to develop movement content. 

Topic Title: Artificial Things 

Pupils will continue to develop and apply their analytical skills through the study of Artificial Things by Stop Gap Dance Company. Pupils will explore how to create movement for dancers with different limitations due to disabilities and combine this with choreography for able-bodied dancers. 

Autumn 

Topic Title: Component 1 - Choreography 

Students must learn how to respond creatively to an externally set stimulus, to choreograph their own complete dance. The dance created must be either: 

• a solo dance of a minimum of two minutes and a maximum of two and a half minutes 

or 

• a group dance of a minimum of three minutes and a maximum of three and a half minutes for two to five dancers. 

which: 

• includes a chosen aural setting 
• can be in any style or style fusion(s) (as long as it meets the assessment criteria) 
• communicates their own chosen choreographic intention. 

The student is not required to perform in their choreographed dance but may do so if they wish. 

To create their own dance, students must know, understand and be able to apply the following, as appropriate to their choreography: Action, dynamic, spatial and relationship content, choreographic process, choreography devices, structuring devices and aural setting 

Spring 

Topic Title: Component 1 – Performance 

Students must develop and apply the following knowledge, understanding and skills to perform dance as a soloist for approximately one minute and in a duet/trio for a minimum of three minutes. 

The total duration of a student’s performance must be no less than three and a half minutes. 

This will include the performance of 2 set phrases (Shift and Breathe) set by the exam board and a duet choreographed by the teacher. 

Summer 

Topic Title: Component 2 – Dance appreciation 

Final preparation for the written exam focusing on exam technique and the fine tuning of knowledge. 

filestore.aqa.org.uk 

AQA | GCSE | Dance | Specification at a glance 

Throughout the course, students will be invited to attend school trips to productions at the Mayflower Southampton and/or the Lighthouse Poole and should take full advantage of these trips to aid them to succeed in the written exam where they will be expected to write in detail about a live production they have experienced.   

Dance club (all years) 

After studying GCSE dance, students successfully go on to study A-Level Dance at sixth form or colleges.  

Autumn 

Unit 2 – Creating  

Preparing and developing their ability to create original theatre or music in the form of a piece of drama, dance or a piece of music. Pupils will write their creative brief in response to the exam question set ready to create their final piece in the spring term. 

Spring 

Unit 2 - Creating  

Pupils will be completing the remaining 3 assessment tasks for unit 2 including rehearsing and developing their original piece of theatre/music/dance, keeping a rehearsal journal, performing/presenting their creation to an audience and evaluation the outcomes. 

Summer 

Unit 1 – Performing  

Pupils will prepare and perform a piece of existing theatre or music of their choice in response to a brief set by the exam board. This could be a piece of drama, song, instrumental music or a combined performance. Pupils will also research their piece and state their rational for choosing it, develop a rehearsal schedule, keep a rehearsal journal and evaluate their performance for assessment. 

Autumn 1 

Unit 1 

Students will finish their solo performance and tasks 2-5. Final performances will be held in the week before October half term.  

Autumn 2 

Unit 3 – Performing Arts in Practice (mock)  

Pupils will develop their ability to plan and market a performing arts event including creation and development of performance material, choosing suitable venues, planning rehearsals, identifying the technical needs of the production such as equipment, different marketing strategies, personnel required and the budget for the event. Pupils will then present their ideas in the form of a business pitch to a panel of staff, including performance of the original material they have produced. Pupils will then have to evaluate the success of their proposal. 

Spring 

Unit 3 – Performing Arts in Practice  

Pupils will complete their final terminal assessment for Unit 3 – performing arts in practice by planning and market a performing arts event in response to the brief released by the exam board. This will include the creation and development of performance material, choosing suitable venues, planning rehearsals, identifying the technical needs of the production such as equipment, different marketing strategies, personnel required and the budget for the event. Pupils will then present their ideas in the form of a business pitch to a panel of staff, including performance of the original material they have produced. Pupils will then have to evaluate the success of their proposal. 

Summer 

Course finished 

Level 1/2 Vocational award in Performing Arts (eduqas.co.uk)   

Throughout the course, students will be invited to attend school trips to productions at the Mayflower Southampton and/or the Lighthouse Poole and should take full advantage of these trips to aid them to expand their creative ideas by experiencing how other practitioners communicate their ideas to the audience and using this to inform their own practice.   

Dance Club (all years)  

Drama Club (KS4)  

Music Tech Club (all years)  

Band (all years)  

Choir (all years)