Expanding Performing Arts Excellence with Juilliard Training

Last week, our Performing Arts teachers, Victor Lopez (Drama) and Hadiya Morris (Music and Drama), attended a regional Americas course in Panama focused on the Juilliard K-12 Curriculum. The Juilliard programme provides teaching materials and creative activities designed to engage students aged 4–18 in exploring core works across Music, Drama, and Dance. A notable feature of the Juilliard Creative Classroom is the incorporation of "Disciplinary Thinking" where lessons are created using authentic artistic practices specific to each discipline.

The Juilliard approach to classroom instruction is guided by five key values:

1. Success for all: The materials are developed with the belief that all children possess artistic potential, regardless of their future career aspirations.
2. Active and exploratory learning: Students, particularly in the performing arts, benefit from hands-on application of artistic skills and concepts.
3. Igniting creativity: Engaging students in meaningful artistic experiences and encouraging imaginative thinking can have a lasting impact across academic subjects.
4. Inquiry and reflection: Fostering curiosity and encouraging students to reflect on their experiences builds motivation and valuable metacognitive skills.
5. Meaningful encounters with high-quality works of dance, drama, and music.

We are delighted that our teachers had the opportunity to participate in this professional development course, as it enables them to continue incorporating high-quality elements and performance into their lessons, further enriching the Performing Arts programme at our school.