Newsletter Date Performing Arts Newsletter TWELTH September 2016 Issue 12 Burnmill Road Market Harborough Leicestershire LE16 7JG T: 01858 440770 F: 01858 440771 E: [email protected]W: www.rsacademy.co.uk ROBERT SMYTH ACADEMY Contributors Mrs Petersen Mrs Routledge Mr Hughes Lily Preston Layout Ava Forbes Mr Hughes Editors Mr Hughes Mrs Petersen Welcome to the latest Performing Arts Newsletter! This issue will see us reflecting on what happened within the faculty during the previous summer term, as well as reflecting on academic success and other achievements outside of the curriculum. Last term we said a fond “farewell” to our drama teachers Claire Parsons and Kyle Eastwood, who joined us initially to help out for a term last year and enjoyed it so much that they stayed for the whole year! We cannot thank them enough for all they have done and both staff and students will miss them. We are saying “hello” though to our new full-time drama teacher, Amanda Syngajewski! Amanda is already a hit with the students and is settling in very well to life in the faculty and the academy. Results this year in the faculty were excellent and we were all very pleased that all the hard work paid off. In A level music, 43% of students achieved the A* grade and in music technology A level, 63% achieved A*/As. In A level drama we had a lot of students bring up their AS grades with all students achieving a C grade in the subject. AS stand-out results were in music with 81% achieving A-C. GCSE grades made a huge leap in drama with 87% of students achieving A*-C, which is now well above the national average. Dance made big gains again as well with 90% A*-C. GCSE music maintained its consistent percentage of 93% A*-C. Music, dance and drama had at least 52% of students make 4 Levels of Progress or more, a great achievement. The last edition of the newsletter marked the end of an era as ‘The Ideal Marketing Company’ ended its sponsorship and our ‘Learning Technologies Coordinator’, Chris Wells, who formatted and assembled the newsletter every term, left the academy for pastures new. We need to say a massive “Thank you!” to ‘Market Harborough and The Bowdens Charity’ who have stepped in to help fund the newsletter on a temporary basis this academic year. We are though still on the lookout for a more permanent sponsor for the newsletter. If this is something that you think you might be interested in doing, then please don’t hesitate to contact me on [email protected]and I can answer any questions. Ex-student, Ava Forbes is helping to compile this term’s edition whilst studying for her second year of her Media degree at Newcastle University. If anybody is interested in helping to compile the newsletter then they too should contact me directly on the email above. Without the help of these people, this newsletter would simply not exist. We thank them wholeheartedly. Last academic year saw our Performing Arts twitter account created. If you’d like to receive up to date developments of happenings in the faculty, then please join us by following @RSAPerfArts. Arts Week 2016 Our annual ‘Arts Week’ is back and will commence week beginning 10th October. Arts Week gives students from all key stages across the academy the chance to take part in an arts activity not found within their curriculum lessons. Arts Week is a joint initiative between the ‘Art and Design’ and ‘Performing Arts’ faculties and has been running in its current form for 4 years. This year we have on offer: Dark room photography, Origami, Theatre Devising, Music production, Salsa dance, Commercial dance, Paper Pokemon, Fashion illustration, Parsnips Youth Theatre and many others. Some workshops are tailored for specific key stages so there should be something for everyone. You can sign up for workshops in Student Services, but be quick because places are limited. Robert Smyth Academy Performing Arts Newsletter
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Welcome to the latest Performing Arts Newsletter! This issue will see us reflecting on what
happened within the faculty during the previous summer term, as well as reflecting on
academic success and other achievements outside of the curriculum. Last term we said a fond “farewell” to our drama teachers Claire Parsons and Kyle Eastwood,
who joined us initially to help out for a term last year and enjoyed it so much that they stayed
for the whole year! We cannot thank them enough for all they have done and both staff and
students will miss them. We are saying “hello” though to our new full-time drama teacher,
Amanda Syngajewski! Amanda is already a hit with the students and is settling in very well to
life in the faculty and the academy.
Results this year in the faculty were excellent and we were all very pleased that all the hard
work paid off. In A level music, 43% of students achieved the A* grade and in music technology A level, 63% achieved A*/As. In A level drama we had a lot of students bring up
their AS grades with all students achieving a C grade in the subject. AS stand-out results were
in music with 81% achieving A-C. GCSE grades made a huge leap in drama with 87% of students achieving A*-C, which is now well above the national average. Dance made big
gains again as well with 90% A*-C. GCSE music maintained its consistent percentage of 93%
A*-C. Music, dance and drama had at least 52% of students make 4 Levels of Progress or
more, a great achievement.
The last edition of the newsletter marked the end of an era as ‘The Ideal Marketing Company’
ended its sponsorship and our ‘Learning Technologies Coordinator’, Chris Wells, who
formatted and assembled the newsletter every term, left the academy for pastures new. We
need to say a massive “Thank you!” to ‘Market Harborough and The Bowdens Charity’ who
have stepped in to help fund the newsletter on a temporary basis this academic year. We are
though still on the lookout for a more permanent sponsor for the newsletter. If this is
something that you think you might be interested in doing, then please don’t hesitate to
contact me on [email protected] and I can answer any questions. Ex-student, Ava
Forbes is helping to compile this term’s edition whilst studying for her second year of her
Media degree at Newcastle University. If anybody is interested in helping to compile the
newsletter then they too should contact me directly on the email above. Without the help of
these people, this newsletter would simply not exist. We thank them wholeheartedly.
Last academic year saw our Performing Arts twitter account created. If you’d like to receive
up to date developments of happenings in the faculty, then please join us by
following @RSAPerfArts.
Arts Week 2016 Our annual ‘Arts Week’ is back and will commence week beginning 10th October. Arts Week
gives students from all key stages across the academy the chance to take part in an arts
activity not found within their curriculum lessons. Arts Week is a joint initiative between the ‘Art
and Design’ and ‘Performing Arts’ faculties and has been running in its current form for 4
years. This year we have on offer: Dark room photography, Origami, Theatre Devising, Music
production, Salsa dance, Commercial dance, Paper Pokemon, Fashion illustration, Parsnips
Youth Theatre and many others. Some workshops are tailored for specific key stages so there
should be something for everyone. You can sign up for workshops in Student Services, but be
Page 3 Performing Arts Newsletter TWELTH EDITION 2016
Big Band & Soul Patrol at Music for Youth Music for Youth is the largest youth music festival in the UK. Over 60 regional festivals are held throughout the country
during February and March each year featuring about 1600 groups and over 20,000 young people from primary school
age up to the age of 21. Both instrumental and vocal ensembles of all sizes and musical styles can enter the festival.
There are no ‘winners’ but each group receives written and oral feedback on the day from two music mentors who are
themselves professional musicians. Although it is not a competition as such, there is the chance to progress from the
regional festival through to the next stage. From the 1600 groups that perform in the regional festivals across the country
about 300 are chosen for the National Festival held in Birmingham in July each year. This year RSA had entered five
groups into the regional festivals: Soul Patrol, Big Band, Jazz Band, Versatile Voices Choir and Percussion Ensemble, and
we were delighted that both Soul Patrol and the Big Band were invited to the National Festival as we usually only get one
group through each year.
On Friday 8th July, just 24 hours after returning from the Barcelona tour, the
RSA Big Band performed at the National Festival at Birmingham Town Hall.
The band played 3 pieces: ‘What Were You Thinking’, ‘My Funny Valentine’
and ‘Back to the Basement’. They performed extremely well and received
some excellent feedback from the adjudicators. The video from the
performance is available to view on our academy website at:
http://www.rsacademy.co.uk/?p=46619
Well done to all the performers (soloists indicated with a *):
Andrew Martin* – flute
Natalie Crook*, Jane Earland & Alice Riches – alto saxes
Esme Butler Davies* & Kim Jeffs – tenor saxes
Holly Barnett – baritone sax
Molly Sykes*, Sophie Burleigh, Maddie Oakland, Josh Watson -trumpets
Joe Horspool* & Tom Jenkins – trombones
Taylor Burton* – piano
Jake Cartwright* – guitar
Jake Bentley – bass guitar
Jonny Nicholson – drum kit
Lyle Burton – auxiliary percussion
On Saturday 9th July it was Soul Patrol’s turn to perform, their venue also being the Town Hall in Birmingham. The band
played three original songs written by three of the Year 13 band members: ‘Rhythm & Music’ by Jake Cartwright and
Georgia Whittle, and ‘Naïve’ and ‘The Funk’, both composed by Taylor Burton. The band received some outstanding feed-
back from the adjudicators who described the band as ‘classy and cool’ and commended them for really getting the audi-
ence going. It was quite funny that they mentioned that they ‘could see the band touring’ as we had just returned from the
tour to Barcelona 48 hours previously!
The video from the performance is available to view on our
academy website at: http://www.rsacademy.co.uk/?p=46627
Page 5 Performing Arts Newsletter TWELTH EDITION 2016
Musical in a Day—Outreach Wednesday 22nd June saw Robert Smyth Academy host a Performing Arts day for Gifted and Talented year 7 students
from across the south of Leicestershire. Gartree High School, Welland Park Academy, Manor High School, Thomas Estley
Community College and Lutterworth High School all sent students who were gifted in Performing Arts subjects to Robert
Smyth to learn the opening of the musical ‘Little Shop of Horrors’ in one day.
The day consisted of three individual workshops focussing on the
three disciplines of Performing Arts: Music, Dance and Drama. Each
workshop focussed on students exploring each discipline within the
context of the opening Prologue, a song, a dance and two scenes
from the musical. Drama teacher Claire Parsons was directing the
drama workshops and had a group becoming ‘human scenery’, one
group acting out the characters and another group providing us with
two human based ‘Audrey II’ plants, the villain of the musical.
Head of Music, Helle Petersen and singing teacher, Debbie Smith
were on hand to take the singing workshop where students learned
two of the songs from the musical in two-part harmony.
Head of Dance, Marie Routledge and year 12 RSA student, Helen
Spacie led the dance workshops where students were taught a very
lengthy 3-minute dance routine which they all learnt from memory. A
fantastic achievement in itself!
The day culminated with all of the elements of the workshops being
put together to create an opening dance/song and first scene from the musical, which was directed by Claire Parsons.
The day was organised by RSA Gifted and Talented coordinator, Rachael Eddy and Head of Performing Arts, Nick Hughes
in liaison with the ‘Learning South Leicestershire’ group of schools.
Rachael Eddy said this about the day “It was fantastic. This was a group of students who absolutely threw themselves
into what was a fun and fast paced day. What I really noticed was how much fun the Performing Arts staff has together –
a great mix of brilliant teaching and enthusiasm. And how great to see so many 6 th form students happily giving up their
time by helping out in the workshops.”
Hopefully all the students will take away many positives from the day and understand that hard work, perseverance and
team work always yields outstanding progress and results. The whole day was a huge success with all students thoroughly
enjoying their day away from their regular schools to explore and be challenged in the Performing Arts. Who says the Arts
don’t benefit young people? Not us. #bacc4thefuture
Dance—Student Successes Congratulations to Charlie Tatman who started his professional dance training at Urdang Dance Academy
in London on Monday 5th September. The dance department wish him the very best of luck in his training.
Congratulations to Megan Ferguson who started training at Ballet Rambert in London, a fantastic
achievement.
Congratulations to Lydia Smith who performed with the English Youth Ballet in Giselle.
GCSE Dance Results Whoop! Whoop! Wow!! Well done to all GCSE Year 11 dance students! 90% A* - C and 50% A* - A! A really outstanding
achievement to a fantastic group of young dancers. It was an absolute pleasure teaching you!!
. Page 6 Performing Arts Newsletter TWELTH EDITION 2016
Year 10 Grimm’s Fairy Tales On the 23rd of June, the talented year 10 GCSE drama group put on a night of
mystery, fantasy and magic in the Max studio. The night was based on the
Grimm’s Fairy tales. Many people think that the Grimm’s fairy tales are just the
ordinary Disney fairy stories, but they are wrong. Grimm’s fairy tales are darker
and more twisted; they are the original stories that were told hundreds of years
ago. Back then they were used to teach lessons like, “do not talk to strangers”
or “always do what your mother tells you to”. To make sure listeners got the message they used gruesome and horrifying descriptions which embedded in
the listener’s mind. This made sure the listeners would never be as dangerous
or reckless as the characters in the stories.
Year 10 were split into groups and given scripts of the original tales. The scripts
they were given were Ashputle, The Golden Goose, Little Red Cap, Hansel and
Gretel, Musicians of Bremen and Snow White. Each group could interpret them
in any way they wanted to, some groups took the scripts into darker place while
some went for a more light hearted approach.
This performance was open to the public and many people came. The audience
consisted of 40-50 people. Some comments from the audience were, ’this was
one of the best shows I have seen in a while, the year 10s were amazing, I
would definitely watch it again.’ - Georgia Stuart-Jones Year 11. One parent
stated ‘Wow! I didn’t know they were so talented.’
Awards for Young Musicians Applications are now invited for awards of up to £2,000. AYM believe that all talented young people deserve the chance to
progress in their music making. That’s why they’re awarding up to £100,000 in grants each year to exceptional young
instrumentalists aged 5-17 in need of support. As well as receiving flexible funding towards the costs of their musical
development, award winners will benefit from individually tailored support which may comprise mentoring, workshops and
master classes with professional musicians, the chance to observe rehearsals with professional orchestras and other
musical partners, and performance opportunities.
For info and to apply for an Award visit http://www.a-y-m.org/how-wehelp/ awards/.
VAT off Instruments Students who wish to purchase a new musical instrument for use with their musical studies in the academy can take
advantage of the scheme offered where the cost of purchasing the instrument will not include VAT. Students have to purchase the instrument through the academy and a form must be completed and signed by authorised
Academy staff before purchasing the instrument. No VAT refunds can be given retrospectively. Further details and an application form can be downloaded from the academy website under ‘Parents’ -> ‘Letters home’ or contact Mrs Petersen
for more details.
RSA Dance Company News
Welcome to all of our new members! Together we are hoping to build on the success of last year’s performance at Curve
Theatre. The company will once again be entering the Mass Movement Youth Dance Platform 2017, with applications
due in December. If successful the performance will take place at Curve Theatre on Saturday January 28th. We are also
hoping to perform at Curve in February with Studio 79’s dance festival ‘New Creations 2017’.