In creative arts, students discover a variety of art forms through a study of drama, music and visual arts.
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 Drama, Photography and Visual Design. Students can then select from a range of courses in Years 11 to 12.
At Canterbury Boys, there are opportunities to develop skills in the creative and performing arts in the areas of Music and Visual Arts.
Visual arts
This subject rewards individual thinking and offers students opportunities to engage in creative and inductive forms of inquiry. The flexible content of the course provides for the specific needs of students, preparing them for further education, training and employment. The knowledge, understanding, skills and values gained assist students in building conceptual and practical skills which can be applied throughout life. This subject is a mandatory subject in students formative years (Years 7 and 8) but is offered as an elective subject for students in the later Years.
What subjects/courses do we offer?
The visual arts faculty offers a wide range of subjects and courses that vary when it comes to the Year of a student. Which includes subjects and courses for different Year groups such as:
- Stage 4 (Year 7 and 8) – Visual Arts
- Stage 5 (Years 9 and 10) –Visual Arts (200 hour elective) and Photographic and Digital Media (100 hour elective).
- Stage 6 – Visual Arts (ATAR).
Depending on the students' year group they will follow the Visual Arts curriculum designated to best suit them and their level. This has been rigorously designed and structured for the students to get the most out of their classes.
Download the Years 9 and 10 electives course structure (pdf 375 KB) for more information.
What will students learn about?
Our boys' excel when demonstrating their creative side through Visual Arts. They learn about the pleasure and enjoyment of making different kinds of artworks in 2D, 3D and 4D forms. They learn to represent their ideas and interests with reference to contemporary trends and they explore how their own lives and experiences can influence their art making and critical and historical studies. They learn how painters, sculptors, architects, designers, photographers and ceramists make artworks and explore how art is shaped by different beliefs, values and meanings. By examining artists and artworks from different times and places and relationships between the artist –artwork – world – audience.
Music
What subjects/courses do we offer?
In Years 7 and 8, the study of music is mandatory as per the NSW curriculum and syllabuses (NESA) expectations. Canterbury Boys offers an elective course of 200 hour study for years 9 and 10. We also offer HSC Music 1 (ATAR) for interested students in Years 11 and 12.
Depending on the students Year group they will follow the music curriculum designated to best suit them and their level. This has been rigorously designed and structured for the students to get the most out of their classes.
Download the Year 7 music course structure (PDF 117KB) for more information.
Download the Year 8 music course structure (PDF 121KB) for more information.
Download the Years 9 and 10 music elective course structure (PDF 181KB) for more information.
What will students learn about in music?
The study of Music at Canterbury Boys High School is creative and inspiring. At the individual level, music is a medium of personal expression. It enables the sharing of ideas, feelings and experiences. In both the mandatory and elective courses, our boys' develop knowledge, understanding and skills in concepts of music (duration, pitch, dynamics and expressive techniques, tone colour, texture and structure) through the learning experiences of performing, composing and listening. This occurs within the context of a range of styles, periods and genres.
The mandatory course requires students to work in a broad range of musical contexts, including exposure to art music and music that represents the diversity of Australian culture.
In the elective courses, the learning is sequentially built from the Mandatory course and is designed for students who wish to extend their musical experiences and learning. The Stage 5 (Years 9 and 10) course requires students to study the compulsory topic Australian Music, as well as a number of optional topics that represent a broad range of musical styles, periods and genres.
In the HSC music 1 course, students are provided with the opportunity to acquire knowledge, skills and experiences to emerge as musically sensitive and capable individuals, with the capacity and desire for music to play a significant and continually developing role in their lives.
Music facilities
Our school also provides specialist facilities and equipment for our music classes such as:
- music equipment including acoustic, electric and bass guitars
- acoustic and electronic drum kit
- computers (PC and Mac)
- Musition music theory software
- JamHub for up to 6 students to practice silently with headphones
- keyboards and percussion instruments
- large performance rehearsal space
- Portable public address system (PA system).
