The Arts
The Arts at CAIS
At CAIS the Arts are the Heart of the community and are therefore the heart of the student. CAIS Students have a balanced holistic learning experience that encompasses developing their appreciation of the Arts, their creativity as well as their artistic practical skills. All PYP and MYP students have the opportunity to experience Music, Drama, Dance and Visual Arts.
Marionette
Visual Arts
In MYP 1 – 3 Visual Arts, students will experience working with various artistic media, such as drawing, painting, three-dimensional arts, to new media. They will continue reviewing and applying the subject specific language, such as art elements and design principles through inquiry based learning experience. Each grade level, students will experience 2 units to develop conceptual understanding in global contexts by using a statement of inquiry and inquiry questions to explore the arts. Knowledge, skill, creative thinking and process, also artistic response are important art components that students will learn regularly.
Art provides opportunities to respond to their own and other artist’s works and processes developing the skills of critical analysis, interpretation, evaluation, reflection and communication; Students consider their own and other artist’s works in context and from different perspectives in order to construct meaning and inform their own future works and processes.
The Visual Arts provide students with opportunities to communicate distinctive forms of meaning, develop their critical skills, take creative risks, solve problems and visualize consequences. Students are encouraged to draw on their imagination, experiences and knowledge as starting points for creative exploration and make connections between their work and that from other artists.
Music
Students in MYP 1 – 3 experience music classes as part of their more holistic adventure into the Arts. Each year they will study two units of work including topics such as song writing, Blues music, music technology (Garageband) and aspects of classical music.
As in all the MYP Arts subjects, each unit will begin by exploring a musical form or style in order to gain knowledge and understanding. The students will then learn and practice skills before creating their own original musical composition or performance using what they have learned. They will also respond to music by evaluating its ability to convey its message and to understand the place in our world.
Objectives and Assessment Criteria for the Arts
A Knowing and Understanding
B Developing Skills
C Thinking Creatively
D Responding
The music program will cover a number of different skills and concepts such as harmony, rhythm, music notation, score reading, singing, percussion instruments and group performances using various classroom instruments such as keyboards, recorders, guitars and percussion instruments.
Drama
Students in MYP 1 – 3 experience Drama as part of their more holistic adventure into the Arts.
In MYP1 students explore the stage and become acquainted with the basic vocabulary of Theatre. Students have several opportunities to get comfortable performing. The focus begins with physical components of acting through mime.
Students then begin developing their voices and delving deeper into character development. Students will finish Drama 1 with a duo scene. Assessment includes performances and maintaining an actor’s journal.
Dance
There are various options offered for Dance within the Extra Curricula Activities programme.