Arts

Creative and Performing Arts

At PaRK IS, creative and performing arts are just another tool to help our students express their ideas and emotions. Our students have Arts, Drama and Music lessons as part of their curriculum.

Through the subject of Art & Design we strive to develop student’s dexterity, artistic expression, media experimentation and visual culture.

More than creating future artists, the arts’ subject aims to educate creative and independent individuals who are fluent in the artistic codes, able to produce original work and derive enjoyment from the creative process. Students are encouraged to experiment with different media and processes, producing both two and three-dimensional works.

We work in tandem with homeroom teachers and social studies in the LJS and promote interdisciplinary work in UJS and SS introducing students to different artists and art movements to create work that is coherent, creative and can expand on a student’s learning.

At PaRK IS we strive to educate tomorrow’s creative thinkers. Individuals who think for themselves, push for innovative solutions, are not afraid to fail and enjoy the process of creating art.

In Design & Technology, students are encouraged to think creatively and curiously, nurturing in them the confidence to take educated risks and to try to tackle challenges independently. Students develop their knowledge and skills of designing and manufacturing using a range of materials, tools, machinery and processes. It teaches students how to become more resourceful, innovative and capable. It also enables students to become more aware of and contribute positively to their society and the world around them.

Through a range of diverse, exciting and challenging projects, students learn to work independently but are also expected to engage positively with their peers by offering support, guidance and feedback when appropriate. During lessons, individuality is celebrated so that students can develop their own identity and self-esteem, as well as their tolerance and understanding of others.

Drama classes build from the child’s natural inclination towards make-believe play and apply it in a more structured school context. Students are encouraged to learn actively and interactively making sense of the world and building their own identity by exploring meaningful hypothetical situations that have parallels with the world they observe.

Through drama we also promote student’s interactions with others and utilize their desire to move their bodies in a meaningful way, responding to one another and improving their communicational and improvisational skills. Improvisation is the spontaneous response to new and unexpected situations. It allows children to explore different situations and points of view, as well as to express their emotions in a safe and collaborative environment. After all, life is improvisation.

Our main focus is always on the process of learning and not just the final product. It is a journey rather than a destination: a journey of self-discovery, discovery of others and of the world, through creativity.

PaRK IS students start learning Music in the early years – music teachers work together with the homeroom teachers as we aim for interdisciplinary work to engage children and create a powerful learning experience.

Music classes introduce our students to the world of music through visual and auditory activities, instruments basic techniques, technology, dance and movement. Classes are based around the following key musical elements to develop a strong, broad and consistent musical vocabulary: Timbre, Pitch, Rhythm, Structure and Dynamics.

Our main focus is to provide students with the opportunity to develop a background in music and musicianship that prepares them for a wide range of further educational and vocational activities that include music as a component. Students gain knowledge and understanding of historical musical styles, compositional techniques, and aural perception. We also have a strong commitment to the performance component. Students develop musicianship skills in specific practices – basic keyboards techniques and Orff instruments.

Simultaneously, we have PaRK Music Academy where students can find a solid bridge between vocational and non-vocational music education. PaRK Music Academy provides a variety of instrumental courses in piano, violin, cello, guitar, drums and other instruments, as part of PaRK IS Extracurricular Activities programme. Students can also take the international certification following the ABRSM programme and examination.

Together, PaRK IS and the Music Academy establish various moments of musical performances in our annual calendar – concerts, auditions and other presentations. We believe that offering the “stage” to our students is a motivational factor, and in our perspective, this is a determining factor for the commitment of all students and teachers.

The performance stimulates the students’ autonomy as well as informal interactions among colleagues.

We are convinced that music is an essential expression of the human experience and we value it as part of a universal education.