Tue 01 Jun 2021 2 min read

#24 The Creative and Performing Arts at British School Muscat

Kai Vacher

Why the arts are crucial for our students’ future.

Can you name a leading international school that hasn’t got a lively and dynamic culture of the arts at its core? The creative and performing arts are at the centre of a British education which is now increasing in demand in many countries around the world. Art, dance, drama, music, creative writing, flim, media, design and technology help to create the heart and soul of our school. They are also vitally important to the education experience for all our students. They are where students find new ways of expressing themselves and understanding the world.

Geoff Barton, a leading UK educationalist, in his article ‘The Arts in School’ using research from the Cultural Learning Alliance, explains that ‘children who study the arts do better, they are more likely to attend university and are more employable. Studying the arts can improve a young person’s cognitive abilities by up to 17% and contribute to raising young people’s attainment in Maths and English. Arts subjects are vital to a balanced curriculum. They are academically rigorous and have equal weight, status, value and importance to other subjects. They are as essential as literacy and numeracy in equipping children with the skills for life.’

At BSM we see how teamwork, independence and leadership are all promoted by studying arts subjects, how they can give children a creative outlet to explore and express their emotions and deal with life’s changes. This can help to reduce stress and build resilience, raise self esteem and develop social skills. In this way the arts support a child’s health and well being.

The arts can help to nurture the creative problem solvers that the world will need in the future. Studying the arts along with science, technology, engineering and maths will provide our young people with both creative and scientific skills. Jobs that require creative intelligence are more likely to be resistant to automation and are less likely to be replaced by robots.

We are fortunate to be blessed with teachers at BSM who inspire our students’ interest in the arts. They spot a spark of talent, they encourage self expression, creativity, hard work, self discipline, creativity and innovation. I would like to thank the dedication, professionalism and support that our Art team: Ms McHenry, Mrs Myhill, Mrs Rayner and Mr Dilpreet Singh provide for our students every day. I would also like to extend our gratitude to Mr Jonson and Qais Al Sabahi for organising the artwork for this impressive digital exhibition.

In the coming weeks we are also looking forward to our Oscars Night, celebrating the work of our Media and Film students, the Choreography competition, where we champion the creativity of our dancers and the Eisteddfod and the BSM Big Song and Dance where we enjoy the musical achievements of students across the school. I am so proud of all our student’s creativity and performance across this suite of outstanding events. Their accomplishments in these subjects are vital in helping them grow and develop the skills necessary to build their future.

Kai Vacher, 1 June, 2021

 

View The Collection 2021

Images below are from BSM’s Collection 2021.


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