Culture
At Cannons Creek, we believe in the holistic development of the child, and therefore we encourage participation in Music, Drama, and Art at all levels.
Practical Music tuition is offered by specialist teachers in Piano, Violin, Flute, Recorder, Fyfe, Guitar, Drumkit, and Singing. Music is offered as a subject for Matric. Class Music is offered weekly as part of Creative Arts from Grade RR - Grade 9. Drama is taught from Grade 1 - 9, as a co-curricular in the Primary and High School, and as a matric subject from Grade 10. We host termly Music recitals where individual musicians can perform. The High School hosts an annual play, and house plays are a popular event where the Drama students direct and an opportunity is created for any pupil to take to the stage. Every two years, the Primary School puts on a production where all pupils Grade 1 - 6 have an opportunity to be on stage.
High School Culture
At Cannons Creek, we believe in the holistic development of the child, and therefore we encourage participation in Music, Drama, and Art at all levels.
Practical Music tuition is offered by specialist teachers in Piano, Violin, Flute, Guitar, Drumkit, and Singing. Music is offered as a subject for Matric, and as part of Creative Arts in Grade 7 - 9 to pupils who receive instrumental tuition at school. Pupils can enter the Trinity College or Royal Schools external exams as an option.
There are Marimba bands, String Ensemble, Girls’ Vocal Ensemble, and Glee Club, for musicians to join. Visual Art is taught as part of Creative Arts from Grade 7 - 9, and Design is offered as a Matric subject from Grade 10. Drama is taught from Grade 7 - 9, and as a matric subject from Grade 10.
The Cultural Showcase is a platform for the Music ensembles and our Drama pupils to showcase their talents and we host yearly Music recitals where individual musicians can perform. The High School hosts a yearly play, and house plays are a popular event where the Drama students direct, where an opportunity is created for any pupil to take to the stage.
Click here to read about our latest production.
Primary School Culture
“Since the beginning of time, children have not liked to study. They would much rather play, and if you have their interest at heart, you will let them learn while they play; they will find that what they have mastered is child’s play”.
We believe that every child has musical potential. They have music as an intelligence, but it needs opportunity and experience before it is drawn out. Here at Cannons we aim to instil a love and appreciation for music. We offer an environment where every child’s musicality is nurtured and developed in a safe and fun way.
In Class Music the children sing songs, say rhymes and poems, move to music, learn choreographed dances, play instruments, and listen to recorded music or live performances. The foundation for music literacy is laid and children learn to read rhythms and staff notation; their creativity is encouraged through opportunities to compose and improvise.
Our holistic approach to music education aims to develop children both as musicians and human beings.
Drama is a school subject that all students from Grade RR up to Grade 6 do for 30 minutes every week as a school subject. Typically people assume Drama is limited for the students interested in theatre or for the students that are typically more ‘dramatic’. That is true in some sense, but Drama also presents a variety of different skill-learning opportunities that can benefit every student.
We do not wake up with a script next to our bed in the mornings. Although a day can be planned, the details of the day will only present themselves in real time as the day unfolds. People respond differently to life's unknown moments and this unknown can cause underlying anxiety for some. This makes life one big improvisation and in Drama we practise improvisation skills. Drama is an amazing practice ground to learning basic communication skills that can make this unknown an exciting opportunity to connect and engage.
Our imaginations are so important. It is the showcase of our uniqueness that sets us apart. Our ideas and problem-solving are formed and generated in this part of our brains. It is such a shame if insecurity or shyness robs us of the opportunity to communicate confidently what we want to share and think. The imagination is like a muscle and as with every other muscle in our bodies, we need to practise it and stretch it to stay and become strong and fast. We practise the imagination through story reading, story crafting, generating ideas on the spot with improvisation games, role-playing as different characters in different situations, voice-overs, dress-up, puppets and many more other activities.
Read about our latest Production here.
Confidence and the ability to communicate clearly the unique ideas that swim around in our minds is a vital life skill. Through Drama games and activities, we give the students space to grow these skills by cultivating a safe environment to practise. With the little stage in the Drama Class, all students are given an opportunity to talk/perform/act with the rest of the class students forming an audience. The students are able to practise confidently standing up, being proud of themselves, how to celebrate one another and how to receive celebration. With group activities, the students also benefit from an opportunity to practise their self awareness and how movement, emotions and words affect others around them.
All of these are vital skills that integrate into every area of life.
There are also after school extra-mural Drama Clubs for students who are more interested in exploring the Theatre side of Drama, being in plays, taking part in the Eisteddfod, and growing more in-depth acting skills. These clubs become like little drama group families and the students absolutely love the experience.
Together let’s grow in confidence while playing and having fun.
