Foundations in the Arts Pages

What is your role and how long have you worked at Cokethorpe? I have worked at Cokethorpe for 24 years, having joined as a Year 6 teacher in 1998. There were only three classes in what was then the Junior Department. Mr Rotherham, a previous Head of Music, suggested I might teach Music which has always been a huge passion of mine. As a child I learnt piano, cello and enjoyed orchestra and singing in choirs. In the 1980s I performed as a singer and keyboard player in the band, Colour Me Pop. As well as class lessons, I started the choir and was delighted to discover some very talented singers. When Mrs Hooper Head of Drama, moved to her position in the Senior School, I was delighted to accept the role as Prep Drama teacher.

It is my strong view is that all children can offer something to the Arts. I always enjoy seeing how children progress when performing in concerts and productions and feel immensely proud of what they have achieved. I consider myself extremely fortunate to have such a rewarding job in the most beautiful of settings. However, recently I have made the decision to step away slightly from ‘the helm’ of the Arts and this new chapter will also be exciting.

What makes the Arts such an important part of a child’s education? The Arts are fun and creative and help pupils with several different life skills. During lessons, children are encouraged to express themselves freely and as specialists, we aim to create dynamic and vibrant lessons. Arts lessons build personal confidence and self-esteem (after our recent production of Alice in Wonderland for example, the dormouse had a large fan base in Pre-Prep!) Spending time embracing the Arts has proven benefits for children’s academic performance. What skills do Drama and performance give to children in an academic setting? The Arts are a contrast to the rigor of academic subjects, allowing children to shine in different ways, be it playing an oboe or taking to the stage. Drama provides pupils with an outlet to self-express and explore their imaginations though creative play. It develops interpersonal skills though teamwork, role play and social interaction. It allows pupils to experiment and develop their verbal and non-verbal communication skills, making them resilient, as well as seeing the world in a different way. I feel passionately that these skills will enhance academic performance .

How do the Arts sit with other subjects in the curriculum? In the Prep School, arts projects tend to link with whole School themes across the curriculum. A performance of Darwin Rocks linked with ‘Our World’ and the musical Alice with ‘Curiouser and Curiouser’. During Lent Term 2022, ‘The Pen is Mightier the Sword’ will link with An Evening of Verse, where the children will perform poetry, Shakespeare as well as a miscellany of musical items.

What happens in a typical Music or Drama lesson? I encourage the development of skills through listening and appraising, a variety of Music and Drama related activities (including creating and exploring) and performing. Singing is at the heart of all our musical learning. We might work towards performing for an audience and we sing in Assembly each week (even when using Teams).

The pupils will be learning about the importance of good posture and breathing techniques and learn a large repertoire of songs of contrasting styles. We also talk about the music and how it makes you feel, using musical language to describe it. Last year, during ‘Take One Picture’ for Arts Week, (where children came off timetable and explored a well-known painting), the pupils had been learning about the artist Marc Chagall, so the violin became an obvious focus for our Music lessons. As well as playing the instrument, we enjoyed listening to some exciting Folk Fiddle pieces.

Most class lessons will be practical and fun. Our pupils develop new skills and concepts all the time, as well as revisiting established ones. For example, Reception Class have been experimenting with percussion instruments, Year 5 have been learning how to sing and play Bon Jovi’s ‘Livin’ on a Prayer’ and Year 6 have been improvising with melodicas and glockenspiels.

What is on offer for musicians in the Prep School? I encourage as many pupils as possible to learn an instrument and we have a huge range of peripatetic teachers to offer individual lessons. We also have a range of exciting Music clubs, including Pre-Prep and Prep Choir, Samba, Keyboard, Ocarina, Ukulele and Junior Band.

Drama games are always very popular as a warm-up and everyone has their favourite. Children like familiarity which also provides pupils who lack confidence with reassurance. I also allow pupils to express their individual views during ‘Egg-Time’. During class lessons, pupils are encouraged to explore familiar themes and characters though improvisation and role play. When it comes to performances, I encourage every pupil to choose their role within group work and later develop their character; be it part of a traditional story, one of the ‘Three Wise Men’ or even a Shakespearean character from A Midsummer Night’s Dream. For these more formal performances, scripts are encouraged to be taken home so that cues and lines can be learnt.

What live performances and productions have taken place in the Prep School recently? There are usually several performances throughout the year, including instrumental recitals, Christingle, An Evening of Verse, Concerts, and Sing Up Day, concluding with Prize Giving on the last day of the Summer Term, where all our children perform a play in a marquee.

Last year, the restrictions meant that we created a special film The Nutcracker – An Unprecedented Adventure, rather than a live Christmas production. With its vibrant costumes and different locations, this proved to be a highly memorable experience for all. Year 6 leavers also presented two ambitious filmed performances of Shakespeare’s Macbeth and A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

Past Christmas productions in The Shed, have included the exciting musicals Joseph and his Amazing Technicolor Dream Coat and Darwin Rocks and most recently, the extravaganza Alice the Musical. The pupils certainly enjoyed the experience of performing in our wonderful School theatre, with its tiered seating and professional lighting and sound. Finally, Pre-Prep performed their charming Nativity A Bundle of Joy in the Corinthian Room to conclude 2021. How do you prepare children for performances? Ideally pupils prepare for performances during their lesson time and rehearsals are incorporated into planning several weeks before. All pupils will have lines of a playscript, (or poetry) or perhaps song words to memorise and it is essential these are taken home to practice. Closer to the performance, lessons naturally transform into full rehearsals.

If we are lucky enough to be performing in The Shed, we may change the timetable in order to get used to working in the much larger space. Pupils will be able to put all their skills into action such as learning to engage with an audience, which can be quite daunting to start with. Pupils have to practice being silent backstage or behind the curtain when not downstage in front of the audience. Also working with the exciting lighting and sound requires extra rehearsals, as does using props and wearing costumes, so a dress run is always essential.

How do the skills learnt in the Arts in Prep School lead to greater success in the Senior School? The Arts ‘umbrella’ encompasses Art, Music and Drama and these subjects are all certainly thriving in the Prep School, as evidenced by all the different performances, number of instrumental lessons and uptake of clubs, as well as the stunning artwork displayed on every wall. There are a plethora of skills pupils learn in these subjects. Of course I hope the children take all these skills and experiences and they help them to succeed in the Senior School. The possibility that I may have helped or inspired them in some way during their time in Prep School fills me with pride.

On Friday 10 December, Pre-Prep performed two uplifting performances of their Nativity, A Bundle of Joy. The pupils processioned into the Corinthian Room, their sparkling costumes illuminated and glowing in the darkness. After gliding down the aisle, the play began.

The narrators had learnt all their lines by heart and told the story beautifully and the audience were treated to some wonderful acting by the cast.

You may have heard of most nativity characters, but not Grumble; the grumpy, grumbly donkey who travelled with Mary and Joseph to Bethlehem after Caesar’s decree. Bethlehem market was very busy with traders and the amusing innkeepers had no rooms available (although surprisingly, they did have wi-fi).

In the fields, the naughty sheep refused to go to bed. When a heavenly host of angels appeared and Angel Gabriel relayed her important

message, the shepherds trembled with fear. Everyone, including the Three Wise Men and their disgruntled camels, followed the moving Star to the stable to gaze with awe and wonder at the baby Jesus.

The Pre-Prep pupils sang beautifully throughout, joining in with all the actions. There were several stand-out

songs including There’s No Room For You, We’ve Got Good News! and the poignant solo in Poor Shepherds. Mrs Wilkinson had also created some fantastic costumes, including an ingenious ‘star umbrella’ with integral lights.

This charming performance filled everyone with Christmas cheer and was certainly bundles of fun!

Cokethorpe Prep managed to bring Lewis Carroll’s zany world to life and wowed parents with two incredible performances of Alice In Wonderland in The Shed.

All the nonsense of ‘Wonderland’ was beautifully captured in this engaging, and exciting production. Each pupil from Year 3 to 6 had both a speaking role and a fantastic costume created by our Costumier. The audience enjoyed the humour as well as the catchy songs, including numerous solos and dances.

The musical culminated in a spectacular finale as the whole cast sent cards cascading over Alice. There were many stand-out performances, including eleven Alices portraying the different stages of her amazing adventure. However, it was the sheer joy and energy from the whole of Prep School which resonated and their delight to be performing once again was clear to see.

Alice In Wonderland captured everyone’s curiosity and imagination in an experience that will reverberate for a long time.