Creative arts

Stage 4

Year 8 student artworks - skateboard art (on the left) and digital art (on the right)

Visual arts is a mandatory subject in Year 7 and 8 and its content refers students to engage with Art Making, Critical and Historical Studies and must precede any electives in Visual Arts.

The students are introduced to visual arts in Stage 4 through an exploration of a variety of subject matter and media.

Year 7
Artmaking is linked to two and three-dimensional forms using a variety of different styles and media including: expressive and realistic figure drawing, abstract painting, sculpture and pencil drawing. Students reflect on their work critically whilst critically evaluating the work of their peers and other artists.

Year 8
Students learn the principles of perspective and use the natural and man-made surroundings of the school as a source for making artworks, producing digital photographs and drawings using pencil and mixed media. They also analyse a range of Australian artists’ works who depict urban and natural landscapes.

Stage 5

Year 10 students still life photography work.

Visual arts is an elective subject that is offered as a 200-hour course over Year 9 and 10. In addition, Photography and Digital Media, and Visual Design are elective 100 hour subjects in Year 9.

Year 9 visual arts
In Year 9 students learn how to express themselves by representing their ideas using a range of materials, techniques and styles. They investigate different subject matter and develop skills in two and three-dimensional forms through portraiture, landscapes and sculpture. Students explore how to make artworks in a sustained way and produce a body of work. They also develop the ability to critically and historically interpret art and to make informed judgments about artworks. Students have the opportunity to attend a 3-day art making camp at Bundanon and produce experimental sketches, painting, mixed media books and environmental sculptures.

Year 9 photography and digital media
This course provides opportunities for students to enjoy making and studying about digital photography and film. The students represent their ideas and interests about the world using innovative practices and study traditional and contemporary works. They explore a range of concepts and develop skills in digital photography, photo media and film. The students explore a range of concepts and go on a photography excursion to Cockatoo Island.

Year 9 visual design
This course focuses on design in the contemporary world in two, three and four-dimensional forms. Students explore the possibilities of technology and a range of materials and techniques including digital photography, computer programs within the Adobe Suite and graphics tablets to create digital designs. They also investigate how to create objects using laser cutter technology and video through learning how to plan, shoot and edit a film. In addition, students investigate and respond to a wide range of visual designers and works in making and historical studies.

Year 10 visual arts
Students examine historical and contemporary art practices by exploring objects and still life over time. The students experiment with a range of different media including collage, print, stencilling drawing and painting to create a hybrid design.

In addition, they extend their knowledge of still life and use a collection of personal objects as the basis for an artwork and learn the principles of digital photography. Students create a multi-media body of work based on the theme "The Secret Life of Objects". They examine a range of historical and contemporary artists that explore still life and objects through a range of mediums and styles.

Stage 6

Year 12 students' artworks.

Students in Stage 6 visual arts are highly motivated and talented artists with a critical eye on the world. Students in Year 11 develop their skills in a range of artmaking activities and increasingly levels of analysis through critical and historical studies. In the HSC year, students embark on a journey as they develop their own unique body of work (BoW) in any expressive form including time-based art, photography, drawing, painting, sculpture and many more. This strength based approach allows students to develop their practice and achieve consistently outstanding results in visual arts.

Stage 4

Manly Campus provides a comprehensive program for students with a particular focus on the mandatory topic of australian music, the elements of music and music in the media. Students are encouraged to learn new instruments but also have the opportunity to refine their skills on their native instrument in a number of activities including, composing, arranging, improvising and performance.

Stage 5

Music in Year 9 and 10 exposes students to a broad range of musical style, genres and periods throughout history such as the classical, baroque, jazz and op as well as various ensembles. Students become involved in a variety of musical experiences including ethnomusicology, composing radio plays, improvising with jazz language, performing with instruments from another culture and analysing scores from works across history.

Stage 6

In Stage 6, students apply the knowledge learnt in the elective course to music in the senior years in strength based course.

The preliminary course is based around the mandatory topic of music from 1600-1900 as well as an additional topic, which is decided upon as a class. The 2-unit HSC music 2 course focuses on the mandatory course of music of the Last 25 Years (australian focus) and an additional topic, which is chosen by the students individually in consultation with their teacher. Individual choice of the additional topic further allows for a strength based approach to further ensure success.

Student is required to complete an aural and musicology examination, an up to 2 minute composition, performance with sight singing based on the mandatory topic (Music of the Last 25 Years). Students choose an elective option from performance, composition or musicology based on their strengths and interests based on their consulted additional topic choice. This strength based approach allows students to develop their practice and achieve consistently outstanding results in music 2.

Students undertaking music 2 in the HSC may also wish to consider taking music extension and must be undertaking the music 2 course to be eligible to participate. This 1-unit course is a step beyond music 2 in a single, specialised area of music from performance, musicology or composition. In the course, performance students will perform a recital of 2 solo and 1 ensemble piece from any style, period or genre of no more than 20 minutes. Musicology students will present a 3000 word essay on any topic related to music from any style, period or genre including composers. Composition students will compose two contrasting pieces of up to a combined length of no more than 6 minutes. This strength based approach allows students to develop their practice and achieve consistently outstanding results in music extension.

Every year, the staff at Manly Campus provides incursions and excursions to assist music 2 and extension students, which includes active professional composers and performers to work one on one with each student, providing specialist instruction and reinforcing the work undertaken in the classroom.

Each year we have been fortunate enough to commission a work from an Australian composer to be included in the HSC repertoire of selected students.

As part of the support days organised for the Music HSC curriculum, our campus takes part in the annual HSC music day, held at Freshwater Campus in the HSC year. This day allows the 5 campuses of the Northern Beaches Secondary College to come together and undertake specific workshops relating to either the music 1 or music 2 course including extension. Our students took part in music 2 workshops which focus on our 4 learning areas: aural, musicology, performance and composition. They receive valuable information relating to their practical and written submissions from their peers and staff across the college.