Options for Year 9 students 2021/22 – information for students and parents.
In Year 9 the Creative Arts and Design are offered in a series of modules. During the year you will study one module from each of Design, Music, Theatre and Visual Arts. A weekly double period for half a year is allocated to each module.
In 2021/22 modules will be offered as follows:
Design
- Architecture (D1)
- Product Design (D2)
- Sustainability (D3)
Music
- Song Writing (M1)
- Composing for Film (M2)
- Music around the World (M3)
Theatre
- Performance - working with text (T1)
- Devising for performance (T2)
- Theatre - behind the scenes (T3)
Visual Arts
- Textiles and Fashion (A1)
- Creative Communication through Graphics, Photography and Photoshop (A2)
- Art and Music (A3)
Choosing your modules
1. Read the course descriptions carefully to decide on your preferred courses.
2. For each area identify your preferred course and a reserve course (in case your first choice is not possible).
Note that there are minimum and maximum group sizes for each module. We cannot guarantee that every module will run.
Course descriptions:
Design
Architecture (D1)
Bridge design is becoming an increasingly important aspect of modern urban development. Feature bridges can become an iconic centre piece to a city as well as a vital communication link. Students will develop their CAD skills to design a new bridge for a specific brief developed by the students after researching the topic. The course may include some fieldwork around Cambridge to help the students understand the context of the project.
product design (d2)
Students will develop a household product from a specific theme. Recently, the students have worked with the theme 'sound and light'. This course will give students the opportunity to write their own brief and to develop their skills in designing and making gained from previous years. Students will be expected to consider a range of materials and how to problem solve to reach engineering solutions for shaping, forming or joining problems. Students will consolidate their understanding of different circuit designs to create very exciting and original outcomes.
Sustainability (D3)
The Sustainable design module is about researching sustainable materials and designing and making a product; to develop a much greater awareness of environmental issues when designing our future. Students will study new ways of designing buildings, systems and products, they will generate their own brief for a new product. They will study ways of using materials more economically, upcycling products and generally developing a more environmental approach when creating new designs. 
Music
Song writing (M1)
In this module you will investigate how different pop and rock songs are constructed and write and record your own songs. No instrumental experience is required, but if you do play an instrument you can use your skills within this module (piano, guitar or drums would be particularly well suited although any instrument can be used); alternatively, GarageBand can be used to create your own backing tracks. If you enjoy singing you will have the opportunity to record the vocals for your song, but this is not essential - there are plenty of other ways to get involved. The module will explore all the main genres of modern music and you will be able to write songs in whichever genre of music you enjoy the most - whether this is rock, acoustic pop, electronic dance music or freestyle.
Composing for film (M2)
Music plays a vital part in creating the atmosphere in films. In this module you will investigate the techniques that film composers use to make you feel nervous and frightened, sad, tense or cheerful. You will study the main genres of film music and learn how to create music in each of these styles. You will then plan, shoot and edit your own short film and compose an appropriate soundtrack for it, matching your music perfectly to the action. You will use Garageband and iMovie extensively for this project; no instrumental experience is required, but if you do play an instrument you can use your skills within this module.
Music around the world (M3)
This module will be a practical exploration of music from all around the world. You will learn about the fascinating music and culture of a variety of countries including Indonesia, Japan, India, Egypt and China. You will then focus on a country of your choice, and plan a creative project which can include composing, performing, film making or any other appropriate artistic response inspired by your research. No instrumental experience is required, but if you do play an instrument you can use your skills within this module.
Theatre
Performance - working with text (T1)
This very practical course is for anyone wishing to develop their skills as a performer and theatre maker. We will consider the work of current theatre companies who work with text and the techniques they employ to create dynamic, engaging performance work. Through practical workshops we will explore a variety of different performance styles and we will perform extracts from a range of different scripts, both serious and comedic, modern and more traditional. We will also consider how to add sound, lighting, set and props to our performance work to help bring it to life for an audience. There may be an opportunity to work towards an informal performance at the end of the course.
Devising for performance (T2)
On this course you will learn how to create your own original pieces of devised performance work and develop your skills as a performer. Through practical workshops we will explore a wide range of different performance techniques and styles. We will explore the work of contemporary theatre companies who produce devised theatre and take inspiration from the ways in which they engage their audience. We will then create our own original performance pieces, incorporating sound and lighting and other performance elements such as props and set. There may be an opportunity to work towards an informal performance at the end of the course.
Theatre - behind the scenes (T3)
On this course we will delve into the roles of theatre makers who work behind the scenes, designing and making for productions. Each course will have a different focus - possible areas of exploration include prop making, set design, lighting, costumes, makeup design and puppet construction. We will explore the work of current industry professionals and also consider how the different design disciplines work alongside each other. The course will involve a range of practical tasks where you will experiment with different making materials and design and make your own articles. There may also be opportunities to help design and make specific items for school productions.
Visual Arts
Textiles and Fashion (A1)
Ever wanted to design and create your own clothing? In this course students will become fashion and textile designers working towards their own streetwear or sleepwear clothing brand. Using research, analysis and problem solving skills, students will be innovative and creative developing print designs for a T- shirt and constructing a simple garment, such as shorts. Adobe Apps will be used to digitally design and illustrate individual ideas. Students will work with photography and video to document the designs.
Creative Communication through Graphics, Photography and Photoshop (A2)
For those who are interested in drawing, learning to create an epic digital ‘painting’ using a drawing tablet or apple pen may suit your audience best! Incorporating your own ‘street’ photography into the work may be your digital signature. There are guided tasks and 1-1 tuition and many tutorials to choose from online as well. You will use a blog and a sketchbook to record your process.
Art and Music (A3)
What is the relationship between Art and Music? In this project you will choose music that excites you to inspire drawn, painted and mixed media outcomes. We will look closely at how artists both past and contemporary have used music to create great Art. Understand how music style can affect drawing pace and mark-making. You will generate your own photography, use images from the Internet and iPad apps to make imaginative responses to music that you enjoy. How can colour, line, tone, texture and other visual elements help communicate ideas to an audience? You will learn about composition, processes and concepts in Art. Working on canvas, you will use oil, acrylic paints or mixed media to express visual ideas. Abstract and representational styles can be used with guided tasks and 1:1 tuition for all abilities, encouraging you to achieve your creative potential course.