Arts Award
Musicademy is a registered Arts Award centre. The Arts Award is a new award of a similar calibre to the Duke of Edinburgh award and is run by the Arts Council England and Trinity Guildhall. The award is a nationally recognised qualification, of a similar level to GCSEs and A Levels. As such it is recognised by Universities under the points system.
There are three levels - Bronze, Silver and Gold. Students can start at whichever level is appropriate for them. From October 2006 Musicademy will run Arts Award courses alongside our normal instrument and vocals courses.
Students can choose to concentrate only on music for the award or can combine it with other visual or performing arts. Those taking part can be beginners or highly skilled in their art form - the idea is to track individual progression in and knowledge of the arts. We feel that the Arts Award is an excellent, holistic, alternative to the traditional music exams and we are delighted to make the award available to our students and other local young people.
The Bronze award enables the development of a young person in their enjoyment of the arts both as a participant and as an audience member. Additionally they research an artist (or musician) and share their interests with others, all with the support of our tutor/advisor. Progress is recorded in an arts diary. 15 contact hours with the advisor are recommended - we achieve this through ten 1.5 hour sessions. Students should also expect to put in 15 hours of independent learning. Students' work is assessed by our advisor (Marie Page) and is externally moderated by Trinity Guildhall.
The Silver award is a significant step up from the Bronze award and is considered by Universities as a Level 2 (GCSE) equivalent qualification. There are two units. The first - Arts Practice - encourages the young person to set themselves a personal challenge in their art or music. They develop a critical understanding of their art form and its role within the community. The unit helps students to explore their options for future development in the arts.
The second unit is called Supervised Arts Leadership. The student plans and delivers a practical arts project that involves individual leadership, responsibility for a specific area of activity, working under professional supervision. Examples could be arranging a concert or workshop or perhaps running a club helping teach others.
Progress is recorded in an arts portfolio. 25 contact hours with the advisor are recommended - we achieve this over two terms with weekly sessions. Students should also expect to put in 25 hours of independent learning.
The Gold award is considered by Universities as a Level 3 (A Level) equivalent qualification. It helps to deepen the students' knowledge and experience of the arts. They take part in the arts, research the world of the arts and take individual responsibility for leading an arts project. The award means that the student will try out a new artform and make new art work or music. Participants work alongside artists and find out about current issues which affect the arts. Students plan, deliver and evaluate an arts project, which includes a public audience.
There are four parts to the first section of the Gold Award:
- New arts experience and creating new work
- Getting involved in the arts world and developing your skills
- Go to really good arts events, find out about the artists/musicians and their careers
- Get political! Argue your case for an issue in the arts
The second section of the Gold Award gives students the opportunity to take responsibility for an arts project either leading a team or working independently.
Progress is recorded in an arts portfolio. 35 contact hours with the advisor are recommended - we achieve this over two to three terms with weekly sessions. Students should also expect to put in 40 hours of independent learning.
Arts Award Course Fees
The Arts Award is facilitated in very small groups with a minimum of two students per group. In the groups the students agree tasks that will help them achieve their award, formulate an action plan, complete their diaries/portfolios and share their experiences (and performances) with others.
The Musicademy Arts Award advisor is Marie Page. Marie is a qualified teacher and has been trained as an Arts Award advisor by Trinity Guildhall. The advisor's role is to facilitate the individual students' development, agree targets with the student and do all they can to equip the student to achieve the award.
| Award | Advisor support hours | Fee |
| Bronze | 15 hours over 1 term | £220 |
| Silver | 25 hours over 2 terms | £365 |
| Gold | 35 hours over 2 to 3 terms | £510 |
A small additional fee is payable for course materials (£4-£6.90 per award) and for moderation (£12-£25 per award).
Arts Award courses will be held at the Musicademy office in Chorleywood on an afternoon to suit participants - please call us on 01923 282878 for more information.