The Arts

Participation in the arts builds confidence, creativity, teamwork, and a range of other critical life skills.

At Green Shoots we offer visual arts, performance, and music within our arts programme, which is offered to children of all ages. Younger children integrate much of this into their everyday learning experience, and as they progress through the school, the arts are increasingly drawn out as separate classes and activities.

Visual Arts

Visual Art & Design engages, inspires, and challenges students to imagine, experiment, and create. Our programme is centred on the world around us with a focus on local Vietnamese art and design techniques, as well as other global influences.

Students are introduced to practical techniques and learn how to use a range of different materials and media. While developing evaluation and analytical skills, they strengthen the visual impact of their own creations, which are celebrated in an annual exhibition.

Visual Art & Design is taught by a specialist teacher and students from upper primary and above enjoy two art lessons each week. Lower primary students receive one period of art with the specialist teacher per week in addition to the in-class artwork overseen by their classroom teacher. Early Years children integrate art into a range of classroom activities.

Performing Arts

At Green Shoots, students develop a love and appreciation of the performing arts; music, drama and dance across a range of genres, styles, traditions, and cultures. Theoretical understanding of the components of performance provides students with a context for their learning, while modern and historical works provide inspiration, encouraging creativity and self-confidence. Dance may also be studied through HPE classes.

Students have multiple opportunities to showcase their skills throughout the year through:

Presentations during morning assembly
Community events and celebrations, where students perform for parents and the wider community
An end-of-year production in which secondary students collaborate to create an original performance, often musical theatre. Those who do not wish to perform will find purpose backstage, in costume and set design, or in another creative element of performance.

Music

Early years, primary and lower secondary students study music as part of their Performing Arts programme. Upper secondary students may integrate music into the Creativity element of their Global Citizenship Certificate.

The school’s music programme develops an understanding of musical history as well as different styles and musicians. It also incorporates themes to help children understand music in context. For example, study of the Blues and its history is undertaken in the context of social justice, and a unit on ‘rhythms and sounds’ links to the rhythms and sounds of the rainforest.