Performing and Creative Arts
“Art without malice” – words taken from ‘Forty Years On’, the Harrow School song.
Whether it’s learning a musical instrument, playing in ensembles, singing in choirs, performing in plays, or discovering a talent for public speaking and debating, the opportunity for creative expression at Harrow Shanghai sets our pupils on a lifetime of personal enrichment and enjoyment.
At Harrow Shanghai, we strive to have a fully inclusive ethos to the performing arts. We believe that by encouraging all pupils to participate in creative activities, they will be developing skills such as self-confidence and teamwork, that will be of great value to them in the future.
All pupils from Pre-Nursery to Year 9 have a weekly class Music lesson, taught by a specialist teacher. Drama is also taught as a specialist class lesson from Year 3. Pupils in Years 10 and above can also opt to study Music or Drama at IGCSE and A Level, following the Edexcel specification.
Through our Extra-Curricular Activities, all pupils in the Pre-Prep, Prep and Senior Schools have the opportunity to be involved with a drama production over the course of the year. All Prep and Senior school pupils also have the opportunity to play an instrument in the Harrow Music Ensembles and sing in a Choir.
Pupils in the Pre-Prep, Prep and Senior Schools are also given the opportunity to learn a musical instrument through our programme of private instrument lessons. Individual music tuition is available to pupils in Year 1 and above in the following subjects: piano, violin, viola, cello, flute, clarinet, saxophone, guitar, drum kit, singing and music theory.
If you have any questions, you are welcome to contact the Performing Arts department directly, by emailing performingarts@harrowshanghai.cn.
The Art programme at Harrow Shanghai is focused on providing an environment where independence and creative enquiry is encouraged. By offering a wide range of experiences through lessons, alongside the Extra-Curricular Activities, whole school Art competitions and collaborations across all phases, we seek to develop our young people’s ‘Ways of Seeing’. The ability to turn ideas into reality involves the application of knowledge, skills and experience, using a distinctive creative process which results in practical outcomes that should be tangible and open to evaluation against a range of criteria.
Art is an activity which integrates thought and action through a process. Pupils are taught the following key visual elements: line, tone, shape, texture, pattern and colour and experiment with Drawing, Painting, Mixed Media, 3D and Printmaking. This is done through a wide range of topics and focus areas to broaden not only their artistic skills and knowledge, but also to that of social context and issues that are relevant to us.
All projects are underpinned by IGCSE and A Level criteria and techniques, getting pupils ready and prepared for the next steps to IGCSE or A Level in Art, should they wish to opt for them, developing independence, resilience and confidence.
