The Arts

Music

Choir (Grades 1-12)

At the International School of Luxembourg, Choir is offered from Grade 1-12. Each Choir performs several times a year. Choir members learn a wide variety of music including jazz, classical and popular songs. Members do not need to audition.

Students involved in choral activities are also given the opportunity to audition and perform in the annual AMIS International Festivals. These festivals bring together music students from international schools around the globe for an intensive four days of music-making that culminate in a gala concert. Many of our students also take part in the Solo and Ensemble Festival held annually at The Hague.
 

Band (Grades 4-12)

From Grade 2 onwards, students learn to play the recorder as part of the regular music programme during the school day. With these technical and note reading skills already in place, learning to play a band instrument becomes much easier. Therefore, students are eligible to join band starting in Grade 4. The International School of Luxembourg is one of the few international schools that offer the opportunity to begin band in fourth grade.

At present, approximately 90% of fourth grade students choose to be a part of the programme. By the end of the first year, many of the beginners have become proficient enough to play with the Wind Band. Students are also given the opportunity to begin an instrument in Middle and High school.

Students are also given the opportunity to audition for the Association for Music in International Schools (AMIS) festivals that are held throughout the school year across Europe and the rest of the world. Many of our students also take part in the Solo and Ensemble Festival held annually at The Hague.

Theatre

Theatre is a practical subject that encourages discovery through experimentation, the taking of risks and the presentation of ideas to others.

It results in the development of both theatre and life skills; the building of confidence, creativity and working collaboratively.

Through the study of theatre, students become aware of their own personal and cultural perspectives, developing an appreciation of the diversity of theatre practices, their processes and their modes of presentation. It enables students to discover and engage with different forms of theatre across time, place and culture and promotes international-mindedness.

Within class time, theatre students learn to devise and perform original work. They also explore published texts from the classical and modern repertoire, in group work and alone. To complement their studies they have the possibility to attend festivals and workshops hosted by the International Schools Theatre Association (ISTA).

In the co-curricular programme, students in the Upper School have the opportunity to audition for both plays and musical theatre productions. On top of acting, opportunities for student leadership exist for all productions; including backstage manager, sound engineering, light design, costumes, set building and design, and make-up.

Additionally, both Upper and Lower School students have the opportunity to participate in privately run creative drama classes (Dramaworks) which lead to certificates from the esteemed London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA).

Visual Arts

The visual arts are an integral part of everyday life, permeating all levels of human creativity, expression, communication and understanding.

They range from traditional forms embedded in local and wider communities, societies and cultures, to the varied and divergent practices associated with new, emerging and contemporary forms of visual language. They may have socio-political impact as well as ritual, spiritual, decorative and functional value; they can be persuasive and subversive in some instances, enlightening and uplifting in others. We celebrate the visual arts not only in the way we create images and objects, but also in the way we appreciate, enjoy, respect and respond to the practices of art-making by others from around the world. Theories and practices in visual arts are dynamic and ever-changing, and connect many areas of knowledge and human experience through individual and collaborative exploration, creative production and critical interpretation.

Several opportunities exist for students to continue to develop their skills in the visual arts after school, including:

Art Club Grades 2-5: Students create both 2D and 3D works of art that focus on experimenting with construction, technique and expanding our imagination to new possibilities.

Digital Art Club Grades 6-8: Students learn the basics of Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop to generate creative thinking and ignite passion for art.

High School Art Club Grades 9-12: This club will concentrate on exploring drawing in a variety of techniques and media. For those students thinking about a career in the arts this is an ideal opportunity to create works to enhance their portfolio for college.