Welcome back to the Performing Arts for 2024!
As we enter a new schooling year I would like to take the opportunity to re-introduce some staff you may already know and also welcome some new teachers to our team.
Jason Coles - Music
Tina Dixon - Dance and Drama
Damika Doorley - Dance
Dale Ezzy - Instrumental Music Coordinator & Classroom Music
Joshua Johnston: Instrumental Music
Tommii Keating - Cheer Coach
Georgia Mallett - Dance
Jocelyn McLeod - Drama
Kiera-lee O'Neil: Music and Drama
Jenna Park: Strings
Dave Turner: Music
I have the pleasure of leading this team in the Head of Department Performing Arts role. My main teaching area is Dance but I have a passion for all of the performing arts subjects and I am particularly passionate about productions that span across the 3 subjects areas.
Here in the Performing Arts we offer Dance, Drama, Music and Instrumental Music as a part of our curriculum. Our Dance Excellence Academy is continuing on into our second year as well see the program completed with cohorts across 7 - 9 in the Junior School. The Dance Excellence Academy has been designed to challenge students with a learning experience in dance that focuses on technique and performance. In the senior space we have introduced a Certificate II in Dance which sits in year 10 for those students who also which to extend themselves and represent the school at regional competitions.
Another exciting subject that has come online this year is the Certificate III in Community Dance Theatre and Events. This subject is for those all-round Performing Arts students who have an interest across the three strands and a passion for event management.
Of course this year we will also be offering a variety of Extra-curricular opportunities for your children. These include:
DANCE
Dance Squad
Cheer
Creative Generation
DRAMA
Drama Troupe
MUSIC
Vocal ensemble
Stage Band
Concert Band
Drumline
Percussion Ensemble
If your child is interested in getting involved in one of our extra-curricular programs then please ensure they listen out to student notices in week one to find out how they can join one of these groups. Some of our representative teams use an audition based process to select students while other groups are an open invitation. We look forward to working with you and your child this year as we continue to deliver programs of excellence in the Performing Arts.
Performing Arts Advantages
85% of jobs that will exist in 2030 haven't been invented yet.
Performing Arts can help.
As technology becomes even more intertwined with our lives, it has been noted that the career paths for many of our current students may have not even been invented yet. While this may seem daunting, there is comfort in the fact that there is a highly sought after set of skills that AI can’t replace. A specific set of skills that can be developed by studying the Performing Arts.
A 17 year study of CEOs and CFOs, “The Demand for Executive Skills” (conducted by delegates from Harvard Business School, the Imperial College Business School in London and Cornell University) has found that soft skills are ranking higher in importance than traditional financial, technical, and operational functions. Topping the list of soft skills required is:
- active listening
- motivation
- clear written and verbal language
- problem-solving
- adaptability
- emotional intelligence
- innovation
- collaboration
There is now solid research showing how skills that taught every day in the Performing Arts are being heralded as defining abilities required by successful executives and CEOs, regardless of the industry. With future career paths yet to be defined, empathy and creativity are becoming increasingly sought-after skills that are needed to problem-solve and innovate in this new hybrid working world.
Sources:
https://www.delltechnologies.com/content/dam/delltechnologies/assets/perspectives/2030/pdf/Realizing-2030-A-Divided-Vision-of-the-Future-Summary.pdf
https://www.nber.org/system/files/working_papers/w28959/w28959.pdf
Jessica Starkey
Head of Department - Performing Arts
Head of Year 8E - 8H
jxsta12@eq.edu.au
