The Arts

Throughout the year, we hold many events for music and drama and display the pupils’ artwork across the school.​

Art

The Art at Beachborough is centred around the belief that creativity is in every child. They can express this creativity in a wide range of projects, using a variety of materials and equipment along the way. the corridors at Beachborough lend themselves to being a continuous gallery of exhibition space. Even on your first visit, you are struck by the range of artwork on display and we have long fostered a great sense of pride in showcasing every child’s artwork.

Projects take the shape of the main principles of art, from observational drawing to exploring colour through paint. Pupils will learn about a wide variety of artists, both traditional and contemporary. They study the movements that have shaped the history of art, using these to form and inspire their own work. From creating an installation of Warhol’s Campbell’s Soup can, to lino printing a wallpaper pattern inspired by William Morris, the breadth that our curriculum covers makes it an exciting and inspiring department.

We are lucky to have two fully equipped Art studios, which sit in prime position within the Manor House. Here, the children use watercolour, textiles, acrylics, pen, ink, lino, Modroc and clay, as well as digital based media and photography. We take pupils to workshops at local senior schools, organise trips to London art galleries, and have a wide range of competitions, both internally and externally, that we enter pupils in for. There is a co-curricular Art Club, which further enriches pupils’ artistic development, and meets once a week. Our Art scholars are encouraged to use the space in their free time and have access to all materials available, as well as the support from our Art Technician, as they work towards their scholarship. The excellent artistic education we offer is highlighted by many successes with art scholarships to senior schools, but also by the plethora of vibrant work on display around our school.

Music

Music at Beachborough is central to the energy, pulse, sparkle, soul and culture of our arts provision – a literal beating heart of the school. From the beginning to the end of their time with us, we welcome and develop children’s creativity through an exciting and inclusive curriculum. Opportunities to sing and play instruments within class lessons happen every day, and the huge range of musical activities on offer brings joy and self-confidence, giving pupils an immense sense of achievement and well-being and, are lots of fun!

Children acquire the foundation of their musical education in their weekly class music lessons, and from Nursery to Form Vlll, every child will be able to participate in happy and exciting lessons, where they learn to get fully involved and explore their creativity. We provide an environment in which children can experience a wide range of genres and styles of music, where their imagination and creativity can flow, and they are free to experiment and gain confidence as musicians. Children learn how to listen and appraise, move and respond, and compose and perform within a variety of different topics and explore music from different times and places.

As well as using classroom percussion, live instruments, and voice in our lessons, we also have a music technology suite, which introduces children to new ways of creating, adapting, arranging and composing music. Children can work as individuals and also collaborate on projects to take music beyond the classroom and build upon the skills developed. This will prepare them for a future of musical opportunities as they move through the school, onto their senior school and beyond.

The benefits of learning a musical instrument are well-documented and include an increase in cognitive ability, improving patience, improving memory, developing creativity and relieving stress. We encourage pupils to take advantage of the fifteen visiting music teachers who are on hand to provide expert, individual tuition in a wide range of instruments. In PP2 each child has a weekly 30-minute instrumental lesson where they have the chance to try out different instruments, currently, these include: keyboard, recorder, violin and ukulele. We support pupils in taking external music exams, both practical and theory, and organise exam sittings for ABRSM and Trinity Guildhall at school during most terms. Higher level pupils are encouraged to take Music Scholarships or Exhibitions for their next schools.

We participate in a wide range of festivals, events and music days outside the school, giving children the opportunity to perform to bigger audiences, hear other musicians and broaden their musical horizons. There is a biennial music tour which is open to all children in Forms V- Vlll; so far, we have been to Belgium and The Rhineland region of Germany, where we enjoyed attending and performing in a wide range of musical venues.

The everyday life of music at Beachborough is there for all to enjoy and each step of learning leads to successes, big and small. Hearing instrumental lessons, singing, and music ensembles, groups or bands (of which there are many on offer) taking place around the school is always uplifting. Bigger musical events are held every term, with concerts for individuals and groups, musicals, services, competitions, club events and assemblies, but the key to all these is teamwork, collaboration and creativity. Music truly is magic and we feel it’s sparkle every day at Beachborough.

Drama

At Beachborough, Drama really is for everyone! The excellent facilities of the Whybrow theatre enable children of all age groups to display their talents in the wide variety of performances we hold here, at Beachborough. Whether performing in musicals, straight drama, dance, mime or working back-stage on costume and set design, pupils have the wonderful opportunity to be involved in many aspects of production.

Our annual musical always creates a real buzz throughout the school, as so our Pre-Prep and Early Years nativities, which are central to our Christmas celebrations. Drama is an integral part of our weekly timetable – lessons start in PP1 so that children begin building their self-confidence and ability to speak in public from a young age. As children progress into the Manor House, they take part, each year, in a year group production, specifically written for and/or tailored to them. Our most recent productions include Peter Pan, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, Romeo and Juliet, and Alice in Wonderland.

Pupils also have the opportunity to advance their acting, speaking and listening skills by getting involved with LAMDA lessons, where they work towards graded exams.

Drama at Beachborough provides the perfect opportunity for pupils to have fun diving into the enchanting world of the performing arts. It allows them to express themselves, explore their creativity, and blossom into confident and characterful Beachburians.