Head of Department - Ian Follett - ifoll1@eq.edu.au
Drama
In Drama, students engage in aesthetic learning experiences that develop the 21st century skills of critical thinking, creative thinking, communication, collaboration and teamwork, personal and social skills, and digital literacy. They learn how to reflect on their artistic, intellectual, emotional and kinaesthetic understanding as creative and critical thinkers and curious artists. Additionally, students will develop personal confidence, skills of inquiry and social skills as they work collaboratively with others.
Drama engages students in the making of and responding to dramatic works to help them realise their creative potential as individuals. Learning in Drama promotes a deeper and more empathetic understanding and appreciation of others and communities. Innovation and creative thinking are at the forefront of this subject, which contributes to equipping students with highly transferable skills that encourage them to imagine future perspectives and possibilities.
Music
Music is a unique art form that uses sound and silence as a means of personal expression. It allows for the expression of the intellect, imagination and emotion and the exploration of values. Music occupies a significant place in everyday life of all cultures and societies, serving social, cultural, celebratory, political and educational roles.
The study of music combines the development of cognitive, psychomotor and affective domains through making and responding to music. The development of musicianship through making (composition and performance) and responding (musicology) is at the centre of the study of music.
Through composition, students use music elements and concepts, applying their knowledge and understanding of compositional devices to create new music works. Students resolve music ideas to convey meaning and/or emotion to an audience.
Through performance, students sing and play music, demonstrating their practical music skills through refining solo and/or ensemble performances. Students realise music ideas through the demonstration and interpretation of music elements and concepts to convey meaning and/or emotion to an audience.
In musicology, students analyse the use of music elements and concepts in a variety of contexts, styles and genres. They evaluate music through the synthesis of analytical information to justify a viewpoint.
Music Extension
Music Extension, students follow an individual program of study designed to continue the development of refined musicianship skills. Music Extension encourages students to investigate music concepts and ideas relevant to their specialisation.
In the Composition specialisation (making), students create and resolve new music works. They demonstrate use of music concepts and manipulate music concepts to express meaning and/or emotion to an audience through resolved compositions.
In the Musicology specialisation (responding), students investigate and analyse music works and ideas. They synthesise analytical information about music, and document sources and references about music to support research.
In the Performance specialisation (making), students realise music works, demonstrating technical skills and understanding. They make decisions about music, interpret music elements and concepts, and realise music ideas in their performances.
Music Extension prepares students for a future of unimagined possibilities, helping them to become self-motivated and emotionally aware. As a unique means of expression, music makes a profound contribution to personal, social and cultural identities. Students develop transversal skills, becoming adaptable and innovative problem-solvers and collaborative team members who make informed decisions. As enquirers, students develop their ability to analyse and critically evaluate. Literacy in Music Extension is an essential skill for composers, musicologists and performers, and learning in Music Extension prepares students to engage in a multimodal world.
Visual Art
Visual Art students have opportunities to construct knowledge and communicate personal interpretations by working as both artist and audience. In making artworks, students use their imagination and creativity to innovatively solve problems and experiment with visual language and expression. Students develop knowledge and skills when they create individualised responses and meaning by applying diverse art materials, techniques, technologies and processes. On their individual journey of exploration, students learn to communicate personal thoughts, feelings, ideas, experiences and observations. In responding to artworks, students investigate artistic expression and critically analyse artworks in diverse contexts. They consider meaning, purposes and theoretical approaches when ascribing aesthetic value and challenging ideas. Students interact with artists, artworks, institutions and communities to enrich their experiences and understandings of their own and others’ art practices.
Visual Art uses an inquiry learning model, developing critical and creative thinking skills and individual responses through developing, researching, reflecting and resolving. Through making and responding, resolution and display of artworks, students understand and appreciate the role of visual art in past and present traditions and cultures, as well as the contributions of contemporary visual artists and their aesthetic, historical and cultural influences.
Arts in Practice
In Arts in Practice, students embrace studies in and across the visual, performing and media arts - dance, drama, media arts, music, and visual arts. While these five disciplines reflect distinct bodies of knowledge and skills and involve different approaches and ways of working, they have close relationships and are often integrated in authentic, contemporary art-making that cannot be clearly categorised as a single arts form.
The arts are woven into the fabric of community. They have the capacity to engage and inspire students, enriching their lives, stimulating curiosity and imagination, and encouraging them to reach their creative and expressive potential. Arts subjects provide opportunities for students to learn problem-solving processes, design and create art, and use multiple literacies to communicate intention with diverse audiences.
Students plan and make arts works for a range of purposes and contexts, and respond to the work created by themselves, their peers and industry professionals. When responding, students use analytical processes to identify problems and develop plans or designs for arts works. They use reasoning and decision-making to justify their choices, reflecting and evaluating on the success of their own and others’ artmaking. When making, students demonstrate knowledge and understanding of interdisciplinary arts practices to communicate artistic intention. They develop competency with and independent selection of art-making tools and features, synthesising ideas developed throughout the responding phase to create arts works. Arts works may be a performance, product, or combination of both.
Visual Arts in Practice
The arts are woven into the fabric of community. They have the capacity to engage and inspire students, enriching their lives, stimulating curiosity and imagination, and encouraging them to reach their creative and expressive potential. Arts subjects provide opportunities for students to learn problem-solving processes, design and create art, and use multiple literacies to communicate intention with diverse audiences.
In Visual Arts in Practice, students respond to authentic, real-world stimulus (e.g. problems, events, stories, places, objects, the work of artists or artisans), seeing or making new links between art-making purposes and contexts. They explore visual language in combination with media, technologies and skills to make artworks. Throughout the course, students are exposed to two or more art-making modes, selecting from 2D, 3D, digital (static) and time-based and using these in isolation or combination, as well as innovating new ways of working.
When responding, students use analytical processes to identify problems and develop plans or designs for artworks. They use reasoning and decision-making to justify their choices, reflecting and evaluating on the success of their own and others’ art-making. When making, students demonstrate knowledge and understanding of visual features to communicate artistic intention. They develop competency with and independent selection of media, technologies and skills as they make experimental and resolved artworks, synthesising ideas developed throughout the responding phase.