PERFORMING ARTS
MUSIC
Music is there for all, whether or not they take instrumental lessons. All music lessons involve elements of performance, composition and appraisal, with pupils working both collaboratively and individually.
Most pupils take, or have taken, private voice or instrumental lessons, and there are opportunities to perform almost every week – from informal recitals in our atrium, to large concerts in the main hall and high-profile events externally.
Our Gala Concert
Every year, we commission a new large-scale work from a renowned composer, which is performed at our Gala Concert. Most recently, we have performed Bruno Newman’s The Willow Tree, and Toby Hession’s Seasons and What Will the Children Remember? We also regularly stage full-scale musical productions, which have recently included Beauty and the Beast, Sister Act, We Will Rock You and Les Miserables.
Music beyond school...
Beyond school, we organise overseas music tours, collaborations, which range from Chichester University’s Gala Concert, to The Drifters and Foreigner’s UK concert tours, and theatre excursions for each year group (London, Glyndebourne, Bournemouth).
DRAMA
To be able to freely use her imagination, have the confidence to share her ideas and to physically show her work to others. These are our aims for your daughter’s development in drama. Because drama changes a person’s way of thinking, freeing them to approach tasks with a fresh, uninhibited energy.
In addition to the performance itself, we introduce an understanding of how plays are created and staged, along with practical design skills in costume design, set design, lighting and sound.
Drama in the curricululum
Drama is built into the curriculum from Years 7 to 9, and from Year 10, we follow AQA GCSE, enabling pupils to explore a wide range of drama, and begin to develop their own deeper understanding in their chosen areas. At A Level, academic study leads to realisation of theatre and drama, whether the practical performance or the writing about performance, and also design or directing.
CO-CURRICULAR
Run by sixth formers, our co-curricular drama clubs are very popular with girls in Years 7, 8 and 9. Girls are encouraged to direct and write their own plays, and we put on a musical every other year, with several productions happening every school year.
