Creative & Performing Arts
Participating in the creative and performing arts contributes profoundly in a child’s education. The skills learned and experience gained in taking part in school plays, musical performances, art exhibitions and other types of creative and performing arts will affect and improve many of your child’s abilities in many areas of their life. Compelling evidence exists that early arts experience has an impact on all aspects of a child’s learning and development and that, in many ways, “earlier is better.”
The benefits of including the creative and performing arts in formal and extended learning include:
- stimulating and developing the imagination
- refining creative skills
- enhancing symbolic communication
- playing a central role in motor, language, and social-emotional development
- stimulating memory
- strengthening problem-solving and critical-thinking skills
- developing a sense of craftsmanship
- building self-confidence and self-discipline
- accepting responsibility to complete tasks from start to finish
- nurturing important values, including team-building skills; respecting alternative viewpoints; and appreciating and being aware of different cultures and traditions
At ISU the creative and performing arts are taught as a part of the formal curriculum across all of the PYP and MYP years. In PYP Students are taught visual arts, music and drama by specialised teachers in these areas. In the MYP we focus on drama and visual arts. In the Diploma Programme students may choose DP Visual Arts as one of their options. The Co-curricular Activities programme also offers many opportunities for students to participate in music and drama productions, in various other forms of arts and crafts. The artistic talents of students are showcased in school assemblies and student productions throughout the school year.
