A Curriculum for Performing Arts
(from the 95/96 Handbook)
Although the study of music in schools is well established, having, thanks to eighteenth century Oxford's concern with church music, a long and academically respectable pedigree, drama is often regarded as something of a Johnny-come-lately by those whose own subjects were originally taught in classical Greek. But a moment's reflection, and the realisation dawns that the society which produced Euclid and Pythagoras also produced Euripides and Aristophanes, whose works were produced in the first purpose-built theatres in the world as part of drama festivals of immense social and religious importance. Drama's virtual absence from school curricula up until the late 60's had a lot more to do with politics and the old puritan sense that it was somehow immoral than with any intrinsic lack of academic substance: look no further than A-level Theatre Studies for proof that it can be as tough and intellectually rigorous a study as any other subject offered by the Examination Boards.
Performing Arts perhaps arouses equal suspicion. The hardened cynic may see it as no more than the dilettante child of a marriage of convenience, unable to do the work of its parents with anything like their thoroughness and depth of insight. But in fact its teaching methodology is a better reflection of good practice in the professional performing arts world than traditional procedures. It has long been recognised outside schools that drama experience enhances musical performance, and in any case the leading edge of musical development since the war has nearly always been through theatre-related compositions. The importance of music-theatre pieces in the works of Britten, Tippett, Maxwell Davies, and Birtwistle in this country alone illustrate the point; and when you add to the list Berio, Stockhausen, Cage, and Partch, not to mention the vast range of experimental practitioners in the field, a convincing argument for the performing arts approach to the school music curriculum can be stated.
Conversely, a drama curriculum which fails to give its students musical experience of any quality will leave them poorly equipped to deal with or even to understand some of the most exciting and progressive modern theatre. The plays of Beckett, Ionesco, and Pinter for example need to be heard, their rhythmic structures apprehended as musical forms. Drama students who have never been taught to listen may admire the playwrights' craftsmanship, but the works themselves seem to leave them unmoved, and their own creative work tails off into social comment or some such dull thing. Dangerous ground? But what price a theatre whose young practitioners think Waiting for Godot is about the plight of the homeless? Even my computer knows better than that- the spelling checker's suggestion for Godot is Godhood!
The academic justification of the Faculty's approach then lies in the belief that a performing arts curriculum in years 7-9 will, firstly, give all students a more satisfying, integrated, and useful learning experience than has been possible hitherto, and secondly, will enable those who go on to GCSE in year 10 to develop a fuller understanding of the subjects, to make better progress, and to derive much greater personal benefit from the courses. As for academic standards and examination grades achieved, it will take a year or so to for the impact of the lower school curriculum to make itself felt in these terms, but it seems reasonable to suppose that, for example, the quality of GCSE musical composition and performance will be improved by a theatrical awareness of the nature of the task. Teachers will need to maintain continuity of approach across years 9 and 10 and be prepared to adapt their teaching of GCSE syllabuses accordingly.
A performing arts methodology at A- level is discussed in detail elsewhere and may be the shape of things to come; it is already desirable in the practical sections of both music and theatre studies, and may well prove to be the best preparation for advanced students wanting to continue their studies in tertiary education. Certainly the approach to composition in many institutes of higher education is now influenced by theatre techniques right up to postgraduate level. The Guildhall course in Performance and Communication Skills is an example of outstanding practice which has impressed me greatly; and while the actual work set is obviously beyond school age students the principles behind it and the teaching methods used are relevant and applicable to the syllabuses taught at Gosford Hill.
It is also hoped that the performing arts curriculum will inform and raise the standard of that significant part of the Faculty's work done through extra-curricular activities; and especially that through improving the perceived status and social significance of school concerts it will enable them to achieve the high profile already enjoyed by drama productions.