Supporting the Creative Arts

Malton School’s Academy of Performing Arts (MAPA) was delighted to be awarded £2,400 funding from We Are IVE this academic year. We Are IVE is the Arts Council Bridge organisation for Yorkshire and the Humber, working closely with individuals and organisations across the arts sector to make sure all children and young people have access to great arts and cultural opportunities.

Working closely with IVE, MAPA has used the funding to access bespoke arts practitioner support. Over the course of this academic year, the aim is to provide all GCSE and A level arts students with the opportunity to attend at least one workshop to support their coursework and exam preparation.

This term, Stevie Cairns, an arts and dance practitioner, has visited school twice working closely with Year 12 and Year 13 students as they prepare for one of their Performing Arts study units. The aim of her workshops was to encourage students to develop their second area of specialism as they planned and created a fairy story to tour around local primary schools. Bringing all her experience and passion to the workshops, in the first session Stevie encouraged students to explore different art forms, and in the second session worked with students to consider the broader context in which they would be presenting their performance.

A music focussed workshop will take place later this month, again as a result of the We are IVE funding. Mr Lee, Drama Teacher, said of the funding, “It has been fantastic to be able to welcome arts practitioners into school to work directly with our students. As well as bringing a wealth of experience and learning which our students benefit from, they are also able to share their personal stories of working in the arts sector, again encouraging and inspiring our students.”