Artsmark

Artsmark Gold Award

“Clearly, you continue to place a high value on the Arts at Malvern St. James, and recognise their contribution to building your girls’ personal resilience, supporting them in taking risks and in developing a growth mindset. There is a firm commitment to promoting arts and culture within your through 4-18 setting, and to increasing pupils’ cultural capital…. The Arts have been utilised to increase pupils’ knowledge and understanding of diversity and to promote the values of tolerance and respect, including for those with protected characteristics”.

Arts Council England

We were thrilled to be awarded Artsmark Gold Award for 2023, recognising our outstanding Arts provision. Read More over on our blog.

Risk. Innovation. Initiative. All are key to the widely successful programme of Co-curricular opportunities within the Expressive Arts at Malvern St James. Across Art, Drama and Music a wealth of activities and experiences support our girls in a creative and collaborative approach beyond the classroom.

The Expressive Arts are very much a part of developing the whole child, with all pupils participating in Expressive Arts activities over the school year as participant, creative, reviewer and audience member.

Through lessons, clubs and whole school assemblies the girls are all exposed to and encouraged to take part in a broad and eclectic range of experiences.

Whilst all three creative disciplines work together to provide a holistic approach to the Expressive Arts, through whole school productions and events, each department offers a bespoke programme which appeals to every budding artist, actor or musician.

Malvern St James Girls’ School has been appointed as a Trinity Champion Centre 2023/24 by Trinity College London for the third year running.

In 2023 we were awarded Gold School status by the Coram Shakespeare Schools Festival.

Music

The Music Department at Malvern St James is housed in its own building set apart from the main school site where girls benefit from the use of over 20 practice rooms, a specialist percussion room and a large rehearsal space furnished with a Yamaha grand piano. Instrumentalists and vocalists are encouraged to join the school choir in Year 7 and 8, the MSJ Singers from Year 9, or the school orchestra.

In addition to these main school ensembles, the department offers the opportunity to join the A Cappella group, Training String Ensemble, Chamber Ensembles and Piano Society. Girls are positively encouraged to follow their own initiative and pupil -led musical activities and open -mic events are popular.

Performance is at the forefront of all that the Music Department strives to achieve through its extra-curricular provision and there are a wealth of opportunities throughout the year to engage and challenge our musicians. Most recently pupils performed in Will Todd’s Mass in Blue at Worcester Cathedral, a Year 12 pupil was the Worcester Winner in Mondiovesinion 2024 and will represented MSJ at the Le Vésinet Music Festival, France in June and pupils perform at more low key events such as drinks reception, charity balls and Farmer’s markets.

On a regular basis, girls perform at Malvern Priory in their Lunchbox Concerts or as part of their key services throughout the year as well as visiting local Cathedrals and Abbeys to sing Evensong. In school, the musical talents of our girls are celebrated through regular concerts, the main features being the themed Spring Concert in March, Young Performer’s Platform, soirees and recitals. Whether a beginner or advanced musician, Music at Malvern St James aims to excite, challenge and incite passion in all of our girls.

Art

The Art Studio is a creative space that’s sure to inspire you to roll your sleeves up and join an extra-curricular class. pupils can be inspired by the work of the School’s Artist in Residence as well as visiting Artists who specialise in print making and textiles.

The Art Studio is available most nights of the week, with staff on hand to support a wide range of clubs and activities, including textiles, pottery, skills in the Duke of Edinburgh Award and GCSE and A Level course work.

In addition, our programme of visiting Artists and weekend workshops allows girls to benefit from dedicated instruction from practicing artists in a diverse range of disciplines.

Drama

The curriculum is enhanced by theatre visits, working with local schools and external providers such as Frantic Assembly and the Department is working with Vamos Theatre on their mask performing residency.

Once the curriculum lessons have finished, more fun ensues! In Drama our varied extra-curricular programme offers something for everyone with each year group catered for in terms of performance and clubs. Much of the programme enables the girls to take risks, with leadership and creative opportunities rolling out each term.

Specialist Drama teachers produce and direct up to 10 productions a year, including an annual Prep Production and the School Play or Musical with the whole senior school being encouraged to participate. In 2023-4 Year 8 directed Year 7 and 8 in The Lorax, Year 9 put on Cinderella and Year 12 directed Year 10 in The Invincibles.

With teacher support, girls write and perform their own plays, devise scenes for performance and direct their own productions.

Despite being ‘outside’ the curriculum, the learning during these times is immense and the involvement is overwhelmingly satisfying as girls follow their passion or just enjoy. In turn this supports the physical and mental wellbeing of the school community. Year 7 and 8 pupils develop their personal progression in the Arts through their participation in the Bronze Arts Award during the annual Expressive Arts Week, which includes a wide range of arts, such as, photography, stage-fighting, Samba music, theatre technology, Bollywood, and Modern dance. In June 2024 the group put on Frozen from scratch in just 4.5 days, designing the set, costumes and lighting as well as performing.