The Arts - Aiglon College

The Aiglon Arts Faculty works across the domains of visual art, drama and music to offer students an immersive experience in both appreciating and producing art.

Students can be involved with the Arts Faculty through academic programmes in all years, or they can enjoy our range of co-curricular art activities. We have students who go on to study artistic subjects at top institutions and many others who simply enjoy creative expression for years to come.

MUSIC

Through inspirational teaching and exceptional music-making we enable our students to fulfil their musical potential and provide them with the requisite skills for a lifetime filled with the boundless joy of music.

Music at Aiglon Overview

Visual Arts

Aiglon's Art Department aims to equip students with the skills to enjoy, produce and engage with the visual arts throughout their lives. As a subject, its value includes encouraging individual creativity and innovative thinking.

DRAMA

Within Aiglon’s vibrant Drama Department we look forward to guiding students through the world of theatre both within and outside the classroom. From dedicated workshop classes to our annual productions, everyone has a role to play.

Highlights

Private Piano Lesson — Private Music Lessons
Music is at the heart of our daily life at Aiglon, and over 50% of students enjoy private lessons each week. With top instructors, students have the opportunity to achieve a high level of competence. Many go on to study music after leaving Aiglon while others continue as a hobby.

Arts Trips to London
Art students across all disciplines have the opportunity to travel at least once per year to London for a dedicated arts trip focused on exploring theatre performances, art galleries and special workshops.

Junior Instrument Programme
All junior school students are learning one of the following: violin, viola, cello, double bass, trumpet, French horn, trombone, flute, clarinet, orchestral percussion, and even one harpist!

This successful programme sees the vast majority of students enjoying the challenge of learning an orchestral instrument. Each student can be provided with the loan of a starter instrument by the school, and has a 25-minute lesson once a week and an evening practice session of half an hour.

School Theatre
No matter if drama is being studied as an academic subject or not, Aiglon drama performances are a popular activity for all students. We host multiple performances each year and everyone is encouraged to be involved.

Arts Programme Overview

Music

Through inspirational teaching and exceptional music-making we enable our students to fulfil their musical potential and provide them with the requisite skills for a lifetime filled with the boundless joy of music.

In the junior school, every child plays an orchestral instrument, taught in an individual weekly lesson. In addition, they have a weekly curricular music lesson, which focuses on singing, learning to read music and the application of the musical elements through composition and improvisation. Students also have a weekly whole-school singing session on a Friday morning which is used as preparation for the singing in Junior Chapel omni-faith services. The final piece of their music jigsaw is the weekly instrumental ensembles which brings the Juniors together as a wind band or string group to experience the joy of making music together.

Senior school students have the opportunity to continue the work done in the junior school, but through GCSE and IB music. At this point, curricular music becomes optional. However, with almost half of Aiglon's students learning an instrument, it remains a popular choice. The curriculum is enriched by a busy calendar of events, musical activities, concerts, competitions and trips, so those students whose academic education has moved away from music still get access to high-quality music outside of the curriculum.

Music enjoys a high profile at Aiglon, from those students who are taking early diplomas, to the whole school singing on a Thursday morning. Everyone is encouraged and everyone is welcome.

Aiglon Live Music

With over 1,000 followers on YouTube, Aiglon's channel is a favourite place for families and visitors to see what's on offer as part of Aiglon's extensive music programme. Regular, live performances features as part of school assemblies and special events.

Visit our music playlist

AIGLON YOUTUBE CHANNEL

Visual Arts

Aiglon's art department aims to equip students with the skills to enjoy, produce and engage with the visual arts throughout their lives. Art has immense value as a subject in encouraging innovative thinking and creativity, both skills that are transferable to all parts of life.

Our curriculum aims to ensure that all students have the opportunity to produce creative work, to explore ideas, techniques and processes, and to immerse themselves in culture and the language of art through gallery visits, artist workshops and exhibitions. They develop the confidence to express themselves through their own art-making while reflecting upon both contemporary and historical sources.

All students in years 5 to 9 receive formal art lessons once a week by our team of experienced and enthusiastic professionals. Many then choose to continue this study with us through GCSE art and design and then onto IB visual arts. The IB visual arts is a popular pathway that enables students to access undergraduate courses at university. Many of our students go on to study courses such as architecture, fashion and other arts-related subjects at world-class universities.

For students who join us in year 11, there is the option to follow the Pre-IB visual art curriculum, an Aiglon-devised hybrid course that enables students to develop and hone the appropriate skills required to access visual arts as part of the IB diploma. All students have the opportunity to participate in the many after school art activities and the regular competitions we promote.

The IB visual arts programme encourages students to challenge their own creative and cultural expectations and boundaries. It's a thought-provoking course in which students develop analytical skills in problem-solving and divergent thinking while working towards technical proficiency and confidence as art-makers.

The art department plays an important role around the campus, and there are many exhibitions and celebrations of student work to enjoy. Nothing fills us with more joy and pride than seeing our students make progress and expressing themselves.

Exhibition Books

Each year, students in both IB and IGCSE/Pre-IB Art have the opportunity to create a showcase book alongside their exhibitions. We publish these books each year in print so that the students can enjoy their accomplishments for years to come—and of course to highlight their wonderful accomplishments from the year.

View this book

VIEW ADDITIONAL BOOKS

Drama

Within Aiglon’s vibrant Drama Department we look forward to guiding students through the world of theatre both within and outside the classroom.

Through the academic curriculum, all students in Years 5 to 9 take one class where they are able to workshop different styles of theatre and acquire a presentational, creative and collaborative theatre skill-set. In years 10-13 that skill set is further developed and widened if students elect to continue with the subject to IGCSE and IB.

Co-curricular involvement in Drama can be pursued through auditioning for the annual Junior or Senior School Productions. Equally, a student can elect to follow activities related to set building and painting, technical support for productions, or involvement in costume and make-up related to ongoing productions.