Creative Arts

When studying the creative arts, students learn to appreciate, compose, listen, make and perform. Each art form has its own unique knowledge and skills, elements or concepts as well as a capacity to inspire and enrich lives.

Students must study 100 hours of both Music and Visual Arts during Years 7 to 10. They also have an opportunity to further develop their knowledge and skills in other art forms through elective subjects including photography and visual design. Students can then select from a range of courses in Years 11 to 12.

Visual Arts

Students in Visual Arts are provided with many opportunities to extend their art experiences through a wide range of media and techniques, by studying artists and artworks from history and the contemporary world. Students enter competitions and visit exhibitions, attending excursions to art galleries and exhibition spaces, and participate in art workshops.

Visual Design

In Visual Design, students work to a design brief, so they create original designed works that fulfil a function. This course relates closely to real world situations and students are aware of their audience, developing marketing strategies for their design responses through posters, brochures, websites etc .

Photographic and Digital Media

In the Photographic and Digital media courses, students focus on camera craft and film techniques, then develop art making practices using digital components. Students attend excursions to different exhibitions each year that relate to photographic and digital media to help them develop their practice.

Music

Music students have many opportunities to perform in and around the school – in class, in assemblies, at community functions and major school events.  The St Ives High School Band program offer students from Years 7 to 12 the chance to play woodwind, brass, or percussion instruments. The bands rehearse weekly and perform at Eisteddfods, NSW State Band Contest, the North Shore Combined Schools Music Spectacular, tours, school functions and community events. The repertoire includes popular music, film soundtracks, light classics and contemporary works.

YEAR 7 MUSIC

Students explore the building blocks of music while learning practical skills on violin, glockenspiel and keyboard. They learn how to listen to music they haven’t heard before, while hearing their favourite music in a whole new light.

YEAR 8 CORE MUSIC

This course is a continuation of the mandatory course begun in Year 7 but with the emphasis on contemporary musical styles and performance techniques. Students learn the guitar or ukulele and simple drum patterns for the practical component of the course.

YEARS 8 ELECTIVE MUSIC

Students can choose Elective Music as a course in Year 8 where they use technology as a tool for composition in a range of areas including advertising, cartoon music, sound effects and soundtracks.

YEARS 9-10 ELECTIVE MUSIC

By choosing to study Music as an elective

in Stage 5, students further develop their knowledge and skills in areas of performance, composition and listening. They explore a wide range of traditional and contemporary topics with numerous opportunities provided to showcase their talents. This course provides a valuable platform for further studies in the senior school.

YEARS 11-12 MUSIC

Students can choose from two courses and specialise in a combination of performance, composition and musical analysis relating to topics representing their interests.

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