Why the Arts?

“The Arts are fundamental to the learning of all young Australians. The Arts make distinct and unique contributions to each young person’s ability to perceive, imagine, create, think, feel, symbolise, communicate, understand and become confident and creative individuals” (Australian Curriculum, assessment and Reporting Authority, 2010, p 3)

Throughout their schooling careers, every student should have access to various forms of education, including the arts. The Queensland Studies Authority (2007, p 1) advised that students use their creativity, imagination and senses to express ideas about social, cultural, historical and spiritual contexts through Dance, Drama, Music, Media and Visual Art. They recognise that there are many different arts disciplines and that people may choose to work as artists or use their expressive capabilities in other areas of their recreational and working lives. With this in mind, each child should be given the opportunities to excel and pursue careers in whichever field they desire. But what if our schools have yet to fully utilise the arts?

The students of Mt Morgan Central State School have many opportunities to participate in a variety of art experiences. But without proper facilities, the school has not been able to fully implement a long term arts curriculum. With the School of Arts receiving a $500,000 make over this year to have its structural integrity preserved and the stage re-build to health and safety standards, now is optimal time for students to develop identity, confidence, social participation and Inclusion through the arts in their new acquired space (Australian Curriculum, assessment and Reporting Authority, 2010, p 3)

My Vision

As a graduate of the Creative Industries from the Queensland University of Technology in Brisbane, I have developed a vision for the Arts in Mt Morgan Central State School. Having previously visited the school to do dance workshops, which was a very positive experience for both students and teachers, I have developed a whole school vision for the implementation of the Arts as a full time curriculum study in Mt Morgan Central State School.

As the school at them moment only has a full time music teacher, it will be difficult to implement all of the Arts thoroughly without qualified teachers available. This is where i have researched into external curriculum that offers a qualification on completion which can be taught by any teachers. Trinity College London not only aligns with the vision of the current Queensland Arts Syllabus, but also with the values and philosophies of Mt Morgan Central State School.

Trinity College London is an international examination board across 60 countries around the world. Their exams and assessments are designed to help students progress; to mark an achievement at each stage of their development, and at all levels of competence, on a journey towards fulfillment of their own individual talents and abilities. Students will participate in examinations in speech, drama, music and dance each year, progressing into a high level with each passable exam. The examinations can be done it individually or in groups, which aligns with the schools value of teaching social justice; students must cooperate and collaborate if they are to successfully move on to the next grade or difficulty.

Allowing the students to actively engage in contrasting channels to express themselves individually and as a group, the students will be able to communicate through arts elements, techniques, skills and processes, working creatively and imaginatively. The language of Art will assist teachers in getting to know their students as the Arts work as a means of understanding one another and communication through various qualities.

Trinity College London will assist in these means of communication and at the completion on the student’s course; they will receive a qualification highly valued by colleges, universities, and employers all over the world. This qualification will enhance the student’s chances of getting accepted into university and broadening the opportunities for the students of Mt Morgan. 

Mt Morgan Central State School’s motto is ‘always the best’ and if we want our student to be the best, we have to offer the best. This is why Trinity College London will play an integral part in providing for our students future.

CLICK HERE TO VISIT THE TRINITY COLLEGE LONDON HOMEPAGE.

Information for Parents

Mt Morgan Central State School has a strong mission statement ‘always the best’ and as a teacher it is our job to ensure your child is getting an exceptional education at our school. But without the offer of the Arts, your child might never know their full potential and practicians available for their future. At a rapid rate, the creative industries are becoming more and more an essential part of our everyday lives. With developments in media, marketing and performance opportunities, we don’t want your child to miss out on such a successful aspect of our country today.

The implementation of Trinity College London, your child will begin the exploration of developing identity, confidence, social participation and inclusion. Trinity College will provide a creative channel for your child before Mt Morgan Central State School has acquired qualified teachers to teach full time Arts.

Your Child will explore:

• the realm of personal experience

• the realm of our relation to others and the society we experience

• the realm of people, places and objects which lie beyond our direct experience.

Each will assist in the development of self-growth and a means of better expressing and understanding. These ‘realms’ work in conjunction with the schools Protective Behaviour Strategies which continues to be implemented with students, teachers and parents in education students on the appropriate behaviour to exhibit, their relations with students and the effect they have on others.

Both Mt Morgan Central State School and Trinity College London have a principle of inclusivity and equity which will be exhibited throughout the program. The Melbourne Declaration on Educational Goals for Young Australians (2008, p 5) advise that as well as knowledge and skills, a school’s legacy to young people should include national values of democracy, equity and justice, and personal values and attributes such as honesty, resilience and respect for others, all of which are learned throughout the Arts. This is why an Arts program such as Trinity College London, will be beneficial for your child as not only a form of creativity, but as a life experience to carry with them throughout their years of self growth.

What Do The Arts Entail?

Students will experience and study the following five art forms to develop their arts practice and aesthetic knowledge:





Creativity is present through all aspects of the Arts. So too is design, a creative problem-solving process which is used throughout contemporary life and is integrated across all five art forms. Design is influenced by and influences our understanding of society, culture and the environment. All individuals can engage and participate in the Arts, as artist, audience and user – and much more than they realise. We will be aware, though often not consciously, of the aesthetic dimension of the design of the objects we use, the public spaces we travel through and the music that acts as a soundscape of our daily lives.

Shape Of The Australian Curriculum - The Arts (Final Draft 2010, p 4)



This is just a very basic table showing what tasks the students will undertake. More information can be found in the following links:

The Arts: Essential Learning By The End Of Year Seven.

Performing Arts Syllabus 2010

Mt Morgan School of Arts

"A single building, rather than the institution it served, was the place in town for a vast range of entertainment and activities. The School of Arts, built on government reserved land gazetted in 1895, provided space and facilities for the 'mental and moral improvement' of the middle class. This was the philosophy of the Schools of Arts, but at Mt Morgan as elsewhere, their institution developed according to the community it served"
Leisure and Entertainment: Aspects of Popular Culture At Mount Morgan.

Read More about Aspects of Popular Culture at Mount Morgan Here

School of Arts Saved!- Newspaper Article On School of Arts Makeover

Information for Teachers

The structure of the Trinity College London Syllabus has been written so that it is understandable by a wide range of instructors and their students. In alignment with the Queensland Arts Essential Learning, students use the essential processes of ways of working to develop and demonstrate their knowledge and understanding (Australian Curriculum, assessment and Reporting Authority, 2010, p 3).


These 'ways of working' which the students will use, can be incorporated into other subjects for students to develop their collaboration skills. Examples could be modernising English books into performances, writing songs to assist in remembering numeracy, creating a dance about the planets can all be creative ways to allow students to indulge and demonstrate their knowledge and understanding of subjects through different channels. This also ensures that we, as teachers, adhere to all learning styles.


"The Arts have a special relationship with learning, in that the Arts can be learned and can be used as a tool by which to learn about something else."
Shape Of The Australian Curriculum - The Arts (Final Draft 2010)





Dancing Across The Curriculum







Here are some useful links.

Shape Of The Australian Curriculum - The Arts (Final Draft 2010)

The Arts: Essential Learning By The End Of Year Seven.

Performing Arts Syllabus 2010

Acting And Speech Syllabus 2010

Communication Skills 2010

Musical Theatre Syllabus 2010

Trinity College Australia

Reading Material

Lively learning: Using the Arts to Teach the K-8 Curriculum
By Linda Crawford

To Conclude

The implementation of Trinity College London in alignment with the Queensland Arts Syllabus in Mt Morgan Central State School will prove as a very beneficial head start to students before teachers are acquired for a full time arts curriculum. With the new acquired space of the School of Performing arts, now is a better time than ever to implement a successful and beneficial arts scheme to enrich our student’s potential at school and beyond. 

The arts not only allow students to discover how to express themselves and how to manage their behaviour more efficiently, but they also have a principle of inclusivity and equity which aligns with the democratic classrooms the Arts entail. By introducing an Arts program, the students of Mt Morgan Central State School will have more opportunities to be ‘always the best’ and to develop identity, confidence, social participation; lifelong lessons they can carry with them throughout the rest of their lives.