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Bishopshalt School

An Arts College, specialising in Music and the Performing Arts

Arts College

Our Arts College status means that we are able to offer a varied range of opportunities in both performing and visual arts.  Whether this be through our selection of qualifications or via experiences and opportunities that we offer in the Arts, we aim to inspire creativity, develop individuality and support our students to become well rounded adults.

For more detailed information on the qualifications and expectations within each subject area please use the links to the right.

Celebrating Success

We pride ourselves in achieving high outcomes for our pupils across the Arts and have seen many of our pupils progress to some of the country’s leading universities, colleges and schools, for example:

Drama 

  • Guildford School of Acting - Musical Theatre
  • Chichester - Music and Musical Theatre
  • Kent University - Drama and Theatre
  • University of Surrey

Dance 

  • Middlesex
  • Exeter and DeMontfort Universities
  • The London Studio Centre
  • Doreen Bird
  • Trinity Laban

Music 

  • Southampton
  • Cardiff
  • Academy of Contemporary Music
  • Bath Spa
  • Keele

Trips and Visits

As an Arts College we strive to provide an extensive trips calendar throughout the year. We recognise the importance of exposure to quality arts experiences and performances for our students.  Highlights have included The London Schools Symphony Orchestra, Porgy and Bess at the London Coliseum, Akram Khan and Sylvie Guillame, the Rambert Archives and a Film Score Masterclass run by the London Philharmonic Orchestra/the Guildhall School of Music at the Barbican Centre.  Many of these opportunities are subsidised for our students to ensure they are available to all. 

Workshops

We acknowledge the value and impact that participating in workshops run by visiting practitioners can have and plan for an inspiring and interesting range of activities to engage our pupils. Examples include:

  • Jo Shah (Bishopshalt Alumni) - Bollywood
  • Zoe Charles - Burlesque/Show Dance
  • Frantic Assembly - Physical Theatre in devising
  • Flawless Dance Company
  • Sisters Grimm Ltd - INALA a Zulu Ballet
  • American Musical and Dramatic Academy - Presenting yourself for audition

Engagement with Arts Professionals

Engaging with professional agencies both in and out of school offers our students a greater understanding of the arts and the careers and possibilities .
We have worked closely with:

  • 2Faced Dance Company, (performing at The Place a professional dance venue in Euston as part of the 2Faced showcase)
  • Trinity Laban Dance Academy
  • Chloe Aliyanna - MA Trinity Laban - producing filmed site specific dance
  • Youth Music Theatre
  • Central School of Speech and Drama
  • The Southbank Centre - Clare Connor - Speakers4Schools
  • RnR Studios

Arts – Careers – Creative Industries

All of our year 12 & 13 art students will have the opportunity to attend a keynote speech and discussion workshops with Clare Connor who is head of business development at the South Bank Centre which is one of the country’s leading multi-disciplinary arts centre grossing over 43 million each year.

Through the session she will explore themes of the transferable skills arts subjects offer in the world of business, the need as an artist to have ‘adaptive resilience’ in order to survive and looking at how what we learn from our own life experiences can be invaluable in our future careers. This promises to be an exciting and inspiring opportunity for our future arts professionals.

Touring/Residential Performance Opportunities

Dance and Drama Tour to Italy 2019

In June 2019, our Dance and Drama students took part in a very successful trip to Lignano Sabbiadoro in Italy.  The group undertook several workshops in the Bella Italia sports village; learning a traditional Tarantella and working with Comedia Dell'arte. The trip also included a cultural day trip to Venice and trip on a water taxi, which was spectacular. All students behaved impeccably and this was noted by all the professionals and adults that we worked with. 

Performing Arts Trip to New York - Feb 2020

In February 2020, our performing arts students had the opportunity to visit New York.  During their trip they participated in two Broadway workshops, took in the Broadway show Mean Girls and had a visit (and some auditions...) with The American Musical and Dramatic Academy (AMDA).  As well as this, they also enjoyed a TV and Movie Tour, visited the iconic Empire State Building and viewed the iconic Manhattan skyline from the Staten Island ferry!

Arts Festival

Our KS3 Arts Festival takes place every three years in June/July.  For two days our KS3 students come off timetable and are offered a variety of arts-based events to participate in.

Each student has the opportunity to see a West End show; previously they have seen The Lion King, Wicked, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Billy Elliot, Matilda to name but a few.  On the alternate day students are given the opportunity to choose from 12 workshops - examples in the past have included circus skills, stage combat and street dance. These two days always prove to be exciting for the students and perhaps offer some of them experiences they will never forget.

You can find out more about our current events here or follow us on Facebook and Twitter.

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