Year 8 Themes Module: An InspirationWork based on Kenyan Arts and Culture Some of our visitors perform for Year 8 students
The Arts have always been a feature within all our different cultures. In this module, year 8 students will be looking at Hampton Academy´s link school in Kenya, Mivukoni School, and the differences in their Arts and Culture. Students later on in the module will learn how Kenyan children are involved in the social and religious rituals into their adulthood through arts performance.
To start the module Hampton Academy ran an impact session, which took all 157 year 8 students off their normal timetable all day on Friday 6th January 2012 and allowed students to experience a full day of Kenyan Dance and Music. Throughout the day students learnt about how Cultural dance styles can be creative and inspirational to them as a performer and a choreographer.  Students were given the opportunity to get involved in the performance  
The day was planned and delivered by ‘Irie Dance Theatre´ which is an African Dance and Music company, and students as part of the programme experienced a talk on Kenyan arts and culture and an introduction to the link Hampton Academy has made with Mivukoni School. Students were privileged to see a slide show of photographs from two of our teachers, Miss Davidson and Mr Edmead, who visited Mivukoni School last year.
After a successful morning and the module having been set in context, students were already quoting reflections on the differences between arts, culture and life of Kenyan students and that of British students: “We are so lucky and have so many opportunities here at Hampton Academy"“It takes something like this talk to make us realise that often we take things for granted"“I didn´t realise that the Kenyan arts were so interesting and exciting, I am looking forward to learning more throughout today and this module"
Students next experienced a series of workshops where they were involved in learning Kenyan dance routines and Kenyan drumming ready for a whole year group performance of 157 students at the end of the day. Students also worked in small groups as a company to design a company name, logo, slogan and pitch for if they were to run their own company.
All students performed at the end of the day and went away enthused and excited by a new culture of arts that they will now progress further in their themed lessons. 'An Inspiration'Lisa Wasley |