This week I had the pleasure of observing a Year 6 Art lesson, ably led by our Head of Art, Mrs Watson. The children were doing figure drawing and were encouraged to observe the line and shape of the figures (poses provided by volunteer classmates) and to capture this on paper. All of the children enjoyed this lesson because it was not about producing a perfect piece, it was about being an artist. This got me thinking about the arts at St Christopher’s; not only painting, drawing, and sculpture, but all of the arts.
In Prep School, it is my strong belief that children should be encouraged to develop an appreciation of the arts. We can do this by exposing them to a wide range of art, artists, and experiences. At St Christopher’s, all year groups have Art and Music lessons in their timetables and children are involved in plays, concerts, and larger events like Harvest Festival, Remembrance, the Carol Service, and end of year celebrations. Plans are already in place for a return to the Barn Theatre in June for our first Upper School Musical in three years. Many of our children have individual music lessons during the school day and I would encourage anyone who is interested in trying an instrument to contact our Director of Music, Miss Huber, to arrange a taster session.
To my delight, on Tuesday I sat in on the recording of our Michaelmas Concert with pupils from Years 5 to 8. I was very impressed by the talent and poise of our senior pupils. At one point, I was glad I had tissues in my pocket because I was so moved by the performance. See the link at the bottom of the page to watch for yourself.
In discussion with the Art department, we are turning the front hall into a revolving art gallery to showcase the work of professional artists and give the children the opportunity to see different styles. We are very lucky to have the support of Cameron Contemporary Gallery in Hove who have loaned us a piece to get this programme started. We currently have a gorgeous painting by Kirsty Wither, a local artist, for us to enjoy.
Now that covid restrictions are lifting, I would like to encourage families to attend plays, concerts and visit galleries. We are so lucky that the Brighton and Hove area is full of high quality, thought provoking art of all kinds and the grand productions of the West End are not far away. Years 3 and 4 are off to see Gangsta Granny on Friday 12th November and, although not as classic as The Nutcracker, I am positive they will be entertained and maybe even inspired to try drama for themselves.
In closing, this has been a very successful half term and St Christopher’s is a very special school. I am looking forward to the year ahead.
A few additional messages:
Thank you to the parent reps who met with me to share positives and ideas for improvement.
Good luck to our U13 Football team who are competing in the IAPS Football on Saturday.
Good luck to the Y7 children who are attending the Orientation day at Brighton College next week.