The Arts
Experiences in the arts – dance, drama, media arts, music, and the visual arts – play a valuable role in the education of all students. Through participation in the arts, students can develop their creativity, learn about their own identity, and develop self-awareness, self-confidence, and a sense of well-being. Since artistic activities involve intense engagement, students experience a sense of wonder and joy when learning through the arts, which can motivate them to participate more fully in cultural life and in other educational opportunities.
Grade 9 & 10
The arts curriculum for grade 9 & 10 is based on four central ideas – developing creativity, communicating, understanding culture, and making connections.
Dance
Drama
Music
Visual Arts
Drama
Drama study at the Grade 9 and 10 level provides students with an opportunity to take on roles and to create and enter into imagined worlds. They learn in a unique way about themselves, the art of drama, and the world around them. Students engage in social interaction and collaboration as they create, perform, and analyze drama. Through informal presentations and more formal performances, students use drama to communicate their aesthetic and personal values.
Dance
Dance at the Grade 9 and 10 level introduces students to the notions that movement is a medium of expression and that the human body is an instrument. Dance transforms images, ideas, and feelings into movement sequences. Learning in dance requires a balance of knowledge, skills, and attitudes, and embraces movement, creation, and performance.
Music
Music study at the Grade 9 and 10 level is intended to develop students’ understanding and appreciation of music through a focus on practical skills and creative work. Students will find in music a source of enjoyment and personal satisfaction and will gain creative problem-solving skills, individual and cooperative work habits, knowledge of themselves and others, a sense of personal responsibility, and connections to their communities and future careers.
Visual Arts
Visual arts at the Grade 9 and 10 level includes studio work and art appreciation. Within the visual arts courses, visual literacy expands into a broader perception – turning seeing into vision, translating reality into symbols and connections, and enhancing all other learning experiences. Learning in, about, and through visual arts helps students use their imagination and make creative choices to communicate their ideas, observations, feelings, and values.
Read the complete curriculum document
Grade 11 & 12
The arts program in Grades 11 and 12 consists of four courses in each of dance, drama, media arts, music, and visual arts, as well as a course entitled Exploring and Creating in the Arts.
The courses in this document are intended to help students build on the knowledge and skills they have developed in arts courses in Grades 9 and 10. Arts courses for the first two years of secondary school are designed to appeal to students’ interests and imagination, and provide a basis for more intensive and specialized study. In all arts subjects in Grades 11 and 12, emphasis is placed on acquiring more advanced skills and applying them in more complex ways.
Read the complete curriculum document
Dance
In dance courses at the Grade 11 and 12 level, students continue to learn in, about, and through dance. The medium of expression is movement; the instrument is the human body. Dance education goes beyond the study of a repertoire of movements to offer an understanding of the principles and concepts that govern and define the art. Dance transforms images, ideas, and feelings into movement sequences through innovative choreographic insights. Learning in dance requires a balance of knowledge and skills, and a synergy between intellect, ability, and emotion. Engagement in dance can provide a context for understanding world issues and exploring a variety of cultures. The study and practice of composition provide students with the essential building blocks that support lifelong interest in, appreciation of, and curiosity about dance.
Drama
At the Grade 11 and 12 level, drama students extend their understanding and interpretation of dramatic texts, forms, characters, and theatrical productions. They incorporate a variety of dramatic elements and conventions in their performances and productions. Students engage in increasingly effective social interactions and collaboration as they create, perform, and analyze drama. In these courses, students will experience being performer, audience, playwright, technician, designer, and critic.
Music
Music study at the Grade 11 and 12 level enhances students’ understanding and appreciation of music through the development of practical skills and creative work. Students extend their creative problem-solving skills, individual and cooperative work habits, and knowledge of themselves and others. They develop a sense of personal responsibility and connections to their communities, and explore future careers.
Visual Arts
Visual arts courses at the Grade 11 and 12 level focus on studio work and critical analysis of a wide range of art works. Students apply the elements and principles of design with increasing skill and creativity to produce art works that communicate emotions or comment on issues. They apply their skills using an array of media, including alternative media, and current technologies, to create two- and three-dimensional art works for a variety of purposes.