Stories behind 50 Creative Arts Offers
Creative Arts are a central part of our philosophy of holistic education at Dulwich International High School Suzhou. In this article we’re going to look at three different aspects of the creative arts at our school, examine what they contribute and explore some of the incredible offers that our students have received.
Creative Arts: Art and Design
Dulwich International High School Suzhou is a leader in holistic Art education in China, and our Art department is like no other, drawing on a broad experience from both industry and education. The focus is on nurturing our student's creativity and interests by providing a safe learning environment where every student can develop and grow. Our values are hinged around the pursuit of excellence through kindness, respect, and patience.
Our school’s Art Department has gone from strength to strength over recent years, consistently achieving stunning exam results, and getting places at top Arts Universities around the world. This applies to students on both the Fine Art and Graphic Communications pathways.
One of the recent highlights was the wonderful news that Flora W, a year 13 student at our school, has received a total of nearly a quarter of a million US Dollars in art scholarships from a range of top schools and colleges in the UK and America. Look out for an exclusive interview with Flora W. next week!
Creative Arts: Music
Dulwich International High School Suzhou has a history of producing excellent musicians, alongside its formidable academic and artistic programs and, in recent years, has seen musicians further their musical studies at top institutions across the world. In the past two years, musicians from our school have been offered places to study music at schools such as Berklee College of Music in Boston, Peabody Institute of Music in Baltimore and Leeds Conservatoire of Music and Drama in the UK.
This summer, we are proud that one of our students will be entering the composition school of the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester UK. Renowned as one of the best music schools in the world, RNCM has produced world-renowned names such as Peter Maxwell Davies, Howard Jones, Ben Thapa and Harrison Birtwistle to name but a few, and this year the school will be adding another excellent composer.
Mr. Samuel Mulliner, Director of Performing arts at Dulwich International High School Suzhou, believes studying the arts has a lot to offer.
“Dulwich International High School Suzhou has developed into a school that prides itself on supporting the arts for all students; providing opportunities for them to grow in all areas of musical, dramatic and artistic development and, supporting students to better themselves in everything they do. We are proud of those students who are willing to embrace the opportunities provided to them and consider continuing their musical journey beyond the school.
Having a degree in an artistic subject such as music opens many doors for students; it proves their ability to work in a team (such as a musical ensemble), demonstrates their ability for individual learning and creating high-quality work. These are all areas that set them up for life beyond academia.”
Creative Arts: Drama
Drama is the one subject in our school that routinely combines all the elements of the creative arts together in spectacular performances. These are the unequivocal highlights of the school calendar, and they provide unforgettable experiences for our students. Research clearly indicates that students who study drama are more proficient in reading, writing and mathematics, and that they are happier and more engaged with their studies. Drama at Dulwich International High School Suzhou enables students at every grade to investigate and deepen their understanding of Creative performance.
Exploring their creativity encourages students to communicate more effectively and enables them to develop resilience and self-awareness. Students grow in poise and focus, overcoming anxiety in front of others. This builds the skills necessary for future leaders who are comfortable presenting, leading others and communicating at all levels. Drama helps our students gain a richer understanding of themselves, their community, and the world around them.
Through developing confident, creative, collaborative, communicative, compassionate, and critical thinkers, we enable young people to thrive at university and beyond, so that they make a positive difference in the world. Dulwich International High school believes the performing arts are as vital in your child’s education as their academic studies.
A Blank Stage Comes Alive!
Cherry C. first learned that Theatre Design was a potential career when she took her personality test in Year 11, and it came up as her first choice. She worked at a local theatre during the holiday and loved watching the whole play come together knowing she was a part of it. “It was like a blank stage that came alive!” The aspect of exploring creativity to bring a project to fruition is what most excites her about the university course. “The walls and ground are all black, the classrooms are like the Blackbox. We can put a lot of imagination into that.” Cherry is leaning toward accepting the “Royal Central School of Speech and Drama” for a degree in Design for Performance.
Aaron is planning to attend a university in the United States to further explore his interest in film. He credits his love for film studies to his experiences at Dulwich, where he met many imaginative students, with whom he had inspiring discussions. Aaron is most interested in the possibilities of film to explore social issues and new ideas. He is looking forward to the independence he will find at university, as well as the potential to learn. “I want to learn. Life is about learning. I have skills in scriptwriting and shooting, but there is a long way to go.”
We wish our students every success for their bright future!
