In creative arts, students discover a variety of art forms through a study of dance, drama, music and visual arts.
Studying the creative arts, students learn to appreciate, compose, listen, make and perform. Each art form has its own unique knowledge and skills, elements or concepts as well as a capacity to inspire and enrich lives.
Students must study 100 hours of both music and visual arts during Years 7 to 10. They also have an opportunity to further develop their knowledge and skills in other art forms through elective subjects including drama, dance, photography and visual design. Students can then select from a range of courses in Years 11 to 12.
Music
The music department at Birrong Girls High School is a thriving metropolis with all the facilities to best support the education of young girls. Birrong Girls has two specialist music rooms filled with a variety of instruments for students to explore. There are a full class sets of guitars, electronic keyboards, and percussion equipment that students learn to play over the mandatory year 7-8 course. An electronic drum kit, several electric guitars, and a grand piano are other instruments that students use on a regular basis in elective classes from years 9-12. All music performances are managed with hi-tech PA and audio gear including a multiple channel sound desk where up to 20 microphones can be plugged in. This extensive list of musical tools provides opportunity for all students to be included and develop their unique talents. For composition and notation, a techno lab with computers and midi keyboards, all complete with up to date software, allows students to quickly and easily record their musical ideas and publish their work to a professional standard. Recent additions to the music department's resource list include loop machines and launch pads, where students can create and mix their own music in a DJ style.
The music department also provides a number of extra-curricular and performance activities for students to improve their abilities and experience the musical world. The annual Creative and Performing Arts Extravaganza is the climax of the year for music students, showcasing their talents during two hours of performances. Awards are given for exceptional talent in the form of teacher awards and also audience choice awards. There are many other opportunities for students to perform at school assemblies and excursions outside of the school. The Ad Astra Rock Band rehearses weekly and performs at several annual events including Bankstown Youth Week and other local festivals. Students who choose music as an elective in years 9-12 attend excursions that broaden their knowledge and awareness of the music industry and the full experience of professional performances. Students visit music colleges such as the Australian Institute of Music and JMC Academy and watch live musical theatre presentations. The music department at Birrong Girls High School provides all the resources and experiences your daughter needs to reach her potential as a young musician.
Visual Arts
At Birrong Girls High School we have three specialist Visual Art classrooms that were designed to meet the needs of students in all art making and studying areas. The students in Visual Arts are immersed in a wide variety of media-focused areas that span from traditional to the contemporary. These include painting, drawing, sculpture, ceramics, photography, printmaking, multimedia, and mixed media. Our facilities and resources at Birrong Girls High School are equipped to cater for this scope of learning in our subject.
The art block, known by the title of the Ross Mc Bride Art Centre, occupies a darkroom facility for photography lessons as well as a kiln space for ceramics. We also have a large, open workshop space that is well lit with natural lighting and enables students to work on larger scale art works. In addition to these spaces, Birrong Girls High School is able to offer its senior elective students their own separate studio space where they can exclusively work on art making and studying ventures towards their HSC Body of Works. All students have access to computers for technology based lessons.
The staff in the Visual Art faculty value the importance of interaction and exposure to both traditional and contemporary art works. We offer students numerous opportunities throughout the year to extend themselves by attending workshops and guided tours linked to important visiting exhibitions at venues such as the Museum of Contemporary Art, the Art Gallery of NSW, the White Rabbit Gallery, and the Brett Whiteley Gallery, as well as more independently operated museum and gallery spaces within Sydney and Canberra. The junior classes are involved in day trips to locations such as beachside venues and city walks, where they are informed and exposed to scenes previously inspired by artists of note. Visual Arts students across all year groups are given opportunities throughout the year to enter art related competitions and be nominated for initiatives run by the Arts Unit.
Birrong Girls High School proudly hosts an annual event called the Creative and Performing Arts Extravaganza. This occasion is always well received and attended by students along with family and friends, who are invited to come and view the high standard of impressive works produced by Visual Art students. It showcases the immense talent of all students from Year 7 through to Year 12 and also gives the school and broader community the opportunity to see the finalised Year 12 Body of Works before they are submitted for marking. The Extravaganza is an important event in the school calendar and is held on a weekday afternoon outside of school hours. This event is accompanied by musical performances as well as refreshments catered for by our hospitality students.