3 REASONS PARENTS ALLOW THEIR CHILDREN TO STUDY AN ARTS SUBJECT IN HIGH SCHOOL

There’s often a fairly treacherous conversation around the dinner table as students approach their parents regarding subject selections. Both parties have their own interpretations of what makes up a ‘good’ education and students tend to value completely different aspects of school than parents do.

Traditionally, the Western education system valued the core subjects like English, Maths, Science & History. Giving weight to their significance are the universities which demand them as particular pre-requisites; this in turn directly affects how our schools are organised. The 5 strands of Arts subjects, Drama, Music, Media, Visual Art & Dance were historically never recognised as being ‘valuable’ or ‘necessary’ for a ‘proper’ education.

3 Reasons Why StaffPad is the Greatest Music Composition Tool Ever!

StaffPad is making waves in the music industry for all the right reasons. Educators and their students from all over the world are creating amazing content with this powerful software. I am confident that StaffPad will be defined as the greatest music composition tool in history. The powerful features of StaffPad are just as accessible for novice music students as they are relevant for professional composers. Here's 3 reasons why StaffPad is dominating the music industry. 

Using Canva to work smarter in the classroom! A beginners guide.

Teachers are always looking for new tools to work smarter in the classroom, especially ones that are free. I have been using Canva in the classroom for a while now and I'm completely in love. Using Canva for class work has been an innovative teaching tool for my staff and students. This is a beginners guide to Canva.

Australian Curriculum Update: The Arts - Trials & Implementation Across The Country

Many teachers across Australian schools are in various stages of trialing or implementing The Australian Curriculum: The Arts. It's been some time since we've had any definitive updates trickled down to teachers. 

Don't waste time in class during end of term: Tech-tivities to try post-assessment!

As we near the end of the year you may find time to invest in some classroom activities once exams and assessment have finished. In my experiences the unstructured, dreaded worksheets of crosswords, puzzles and santa drawings often encourage poor classroom behaviour and general unrest in students. 

I suggest that if you do happen to have time up your sleeve that you consider planning some meaningful learning to keep your students focused and engaged in their schooling.

NIDA & The Tanks Arts give student workshop scholarships, Cairns

The National Institute of Dramatic Art in partnership with The Tanks Art Centre, Cairns ran holiday workshops for students to develop their skills in Drama. NIDA is world renowned for its actor training with many of Australia’s greatest TV and Film talents having trained at the facility.