The Arts

At Stonehill, the Arts form a key component of our world-class IB curriculum. In keeping with its mission statement, Stonehill strives to offer enhanced opportunities in the Arts, integrated within the wider academic curriculum.

Art in Primary School

The Arts team consists of visual artists and performing artists. Both Arts are a part of the transdisciplinary programme of learning, making authentic connections to units of inquiry and stand alone units when the connection is not significant or relevant. How we express ourselves is an obvious authentic connection where cross-campus teams collaboratively develop learning. Authentic connections can also be made to more obscure themes like where we are in place and time.

The Arts programme includes exploring ideas and improvising with ways to represent ideas, responding to and interpreting the Arts, developing skills and processes, and sharing the Arts through performance, presentation, or display for an audience. At Stonehill, the three dimensions namely, knowledge, skills, and enduring understandings are given equal emphasis. Learners are immersed in learning that is transferable, and work they can be proud of that has individual flair and a stamp of the personal.

The Arts Centre

Our purpose-built facility enhances the programme by providing a space that is aesthetically pleasing, spacious and functional. The Arts centre has dedicated learning spaces for Visual Arts, Drama & Music.

Opportunity for learners to present and curate abound. They include class, grade and Primary School wide options. Performances such as a poetry slam, fortnightly community times, art exhibitions, dramatic performances, a talent show, choirs and classroom singing all add up to a programme that has meaning and is enthusiastically supported by the community.

Stonehill prides itself on a committed Arts department with a special focus on Visual Art and Performing Arts (Music, Drama, and Dance). The transdisciplinary nature of Arts gives them relevance throughout the International Baccalaureate curriculum.

Art in Secondary School

Students in Grades 6 to 8 (M1 to M3) experience the Arts through a trimester system. This allows them to fully immerse themselves into one Arts discipline at a time, developing meaningful technique and skill, and then using those skills to fully create their own artistic work.

Students in Grades 9 to 10 (M4 to M5) can choose to specialize in up to two Arts subjects, and study those throughout the year. In M5 they take part in the Arts E-portolio, following an IB published brief to research others’ art, before creating their own original Art and then reflecting upon its reception and creative process.

Visual Art

What do they learn?

Grade 6 (M1)

Grade 7 (M2)

Grade 8 (M3)

Grade 9 (M4)

Grade 10 (M5)

Drama

What do they learn?

Grade 6 (M1)

Grade 7 (M2)

Grade 8 (M3)

The Grade 8 (M3) students start by learning creative idea devising techniques, based on the practices of professional theatre companies. Having learnt these they apply them to creating, writing and performing their own original production as a group. They also watch and discuss a professional theatre production, learning how to both understand and critique the artistic choices within it, and successfully borrow the best in their own work.

Grade 9 (M4)

For the first unit, the Grade 9 (M4) students engage in a series of workshop based actor training, looking first at the non naturalistic acting theories of Bertolt Brecht. Secondly, they look at the naturalistic style of Konstantin Stanislavski. After studying the theory and exploring the physical practise, students perform an original piece in the style of each practitioner. Students are then formed into an acting company and cast in a published play. They will rehearse together and produce a professional standard production for the wider school community, directed by their teacher.

Grade 10 (M5)

The Grade 10 (M5) students start the year looking at some of the more outlandish styles of physical theatre, from the excess of Berkoff to the more abstract style of Frantic Assembly. They take part in workshops and create an original piece of physical theatre. They then begin their Eportfolio, working collaboratively in the making of a devised piece of theatre. They finish the year looking at more experimental theatre, exploring ideas such as promenade and site specific theatre.

Music

What do they learn?

Grade 6 (M1)

Grade 7 (M2)

Grade 8 (M3)

Grade 9 (M4)

Music in Grade 9 (M4) through analysis and individual composition, students explore how to change the mood or meaning of a film based on the music chosen. They study contemporary music, from serialism to electronic music. They study protest music, creating a group composition, before collaborating with the Grade 10 (M5) music students to explore poetry and visuals in relation to music as well.

Grade 10 (M5)

The Grade 10 (M5) students unpack all the ways music can provoke, either through emotions, politics, or even war. They compose a piece using GB and Sibelius. Next they take on the Eportfolio, which requires both research, creativity and reflection. Having completed this they collaborate with the Grade 9 (M4) music students to explore poetry and visuals in relation to music as well.

Stonehill students can pursue both Theatre and Visual Arts in the DP
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Stonehill students can pursue both Theatre and Visual Arts in the DP

The IB Diploma Programme Visual Arts course encourages students to challenge their own creative and cultural expectations and boundaries. It is a thought-provoking course in which students develop analytical skills in problem-solving and divergent thinking, while working towards technical proficiency and confidence as art-makers. In addition to exploring and comparing visual arts from different perspectives and in different contexts, students are expected to engage in, experiment with and critically reflect upon a wide range of contemporary practices and media.

The IB Diploma Programme theatre course is a multifaceted theatre-making course of study. It gives students the opportunity to make theatre as creators, designers, directors and performers. It emphasizes the importance of working both individually and collaboratively as part of an ensemble. It offers the opportunity to engage actively in the creative process, transforming ideas into action as inquisitive and productive artists.