Independent Arts Supplement

EXEC

State of the arts

A guide to improving your arts facilities – and building them from scratch

Lease and deliver

Smart schools are using their music and drama facilities as a source of extra funding

Top tips

Techie must-haves Essential products and plans for the best arts facilities

Update 57 NEWS The latest news and developments in music, drama and arts education In practice 58 CASE STUDY The mother of all theatres Surrey’s Notre Dame School builds a major new performing arts centre Focus on 60 PROCURE AND PLAN State of the art A guide to improving your arts facilities – and building them from scratch 64 FUNDRAISING Lease and deliver Smart schools are using their music and drama facilities as a source of extra funding 66 TOP TIPS Techie must-haves Essential products and plans for the best arts facilities

Editor's comment A

s more schools turn to the International Baccalaureate for curricular inspiration or just look to broaden their offering, the popularity of extracurricular subjects, like art, drama and theatre, continues to gain momentum. Indeed, a stellar arts programme is often a prerequisite for most private schools, particularly when it’s a priority for parents and their children. State-of-the-art art (forgive the alliteration) facilities can really set you apart from the masses and single out your school as going above and beyond the call of educational duty.

Many schools know all this too well. However, with innovations in technology and trends in building design emerging on a regular basis, schools have to stay one step ahead if they expect to compete.

In this arts supplement to Independent Executive magazine, we focus on just what school leaders – from bursars to headteachers and trustees – can do to improve their arts programme. In our case study on page six, we interview Notre Dame in Surrey, which has just undertaken the building of an impressive new performing arts centre, to rival any local theatre company.

With this in mind, we address the value of top-class art facilities and theatres in their ability to raise money for the school – both through leasing and performances for the local community. But before you can do this, you have to know what to buy, and this is where our article on page 60 comes in handy. Here we explore trends, innovations and ideas in the world of the arts that you can implement in your school. If technology’s your bag, we have a top-tips advice article on the must-haves to ensure all runs smoothly.

So have a read through this add-on to your usual Independent Executive and get ready for your school’s time in the limelight.

EDITOR

ARTS SUPPLEMENT > NEWS

Children should study art until 16

TOP STORY

SIXTH-FORMER SUCCEEDS IN SAATCHI PRIZE A student from St Edmund’s School, Canterbury rubbed shoulders with leading figures in the art world when one of her paintings was shortlisted for the auspicious Saatchi/Sunday Telegraph Art Prize for Schools earlier this year.

The 17-year-old Emily Betham attended the awards ceremony at London's renowned Saatchi Gallery where her painting, Reflection of a Chandelier, was one of 19 runners-up to the eventual winner.

Her painting was chosen from 12,000 entries submitted by schoolchildren around the world. She commented: "I was very impressed by the quality of all the other shortlisted paintings. There were some incredible exhibits. It gave me quite a buzz when I heard people saying nice things about my painting."

Arts patron, Charles Saatchi, is renowned for launching the careers of many of the highest profile contemporary artists. The Saatchi School’s prize promotes young talent and is open to pupils aged up to 18.

A shortlist of 20 is selected by a panel of judges for exhibition at the Chelsea gallery. The prize-winning pupil receives £2,000, while the art department of his or her school is awarded £10,000 to spend on art or computer equipment.

This year’s judges were artist Marc Quinn; Alistair Hicks, art adviser to Deutsche Bank; children's author Kaye Umansky; Rebecca Wilson, Saatchi Gallery associate director and Alastair Smart, Sunday Telegraph arts editor.

The private view showcased some exceptional talent with a variety of styles, subject matter and use of media.

Emily added: "Although I missed out on winning the competition I thought it was a fantastic achievement to be one of the final 20 and to have my painting exhibited in such a prestigious London gallery. My painting was hung in a prominent position and immediately drew attention to the visitors as they entered the exhibition."

She explained that although normally preferring to paint architecture and people she relished the challenge of the competition and her theme of mirrors and reflections.

39% Percentage of children who learn an instrument

Emily, who plans to study international relations at university, praised her art teachers at St Edmund's who had always been quick to encourage and nurture her artistic aspirations throughout her schooling.

She said: "From a very young age the teachers placed a big emphasis on art work and I really enjoyed it. I decided to concentrate on painting at GCSE and A-level but out of school I also enjoy sketching, photography and making my own jewellery."

Emily, who also represents the school at tennis and is an accomplished dancer, added: "Although I am not planning on a career in the art world, to have my painting exhibited at the Saatchi Gallery has been wonderful."

A government-commissioned report by Classic FM's Darren Henley has urged ministers to consider enforcing arts in the curriculum up to age 16, due to worries that the coalition is not doing enough for the cultural education of Britain’s children.

In his review, Henley suggests including a sixth group of subjects in the English Baccalaureate (EBacc) to include arts like dance, drama, design or music, which are not currently included in the programme.

The findings, published last month, say: "There remains a great deal of patchiness in provision of cultural education across England." While in some places education in the arts is "truly excellent", it says, in other areas, standards need to be improved.

The report goes on to warn that arts subjects risk being devalued. Henley said the introduction of the EBacc was a "significant contributory factor in causing these concerns", while underlined that there is no suggestion that the learning of cultural education subjects should be placed above the need for every child to become proficient in reading, writing and mathematics.

British children are “culture starved”

SEND IN YOUR STORIES We are always looking for local school news. If you have a story to share, editor@edexec.co.uk

Millions of British children have never been to an art gallery, theatre or museum, a new study has found.

According to research by Visit Birmingham, four in 10 children have never been to an art gallery, while 25% of parents have never brought their kids to the theatre.

When asked why not, one in five parents said it was because they thought their child would not be interested and half of parents said they relied on schools to educate their children about culture or history.

A quarter said they could not afford to visit attractions and 28% said they did not have the time, while 18% believed their child was too young.

Meanwhile half said they were more likely to take their children to take in the culture while on holiday.

THEY SAID “All children and young people, no matter what their background or family circumstances, should have the opportunity to develop their creativity, their relationship with society and to contribute to the economy in ways that are beneficial to them as individuals and to society" Classic FM boss Darren Henley in his review of the arts curriculum

INDEPENDENT EXECUTIVE | MAR/APR 2012 57

ART SUPPLEMENT > CASE STUDY

Photography: Roger Crundwell, partner, Tuke Manton Architects

Masters of performance

Notre Dame School in Surrey recently replaced its old hall with a new multimillion-pound performing arts centre, including a 370-seat theatre, new drama studio and support spaces. Julia Dennison speaks to financial controller Tracy Jones about the motivation behind the project and the opportunities it brings

58 INDEPENDENT EXECUTIVE | MAR/APR 2012

ARTS SUPPLEMENT > CASE STUDY

N

otre Dame School in Surrey was known for its outstanding music and drama, but did not have the facilities to support it. Staging events in a dilapidated hall was less than ideal, particularly when parents were paying money to give their daughters the best education they could at a school with 400 years’ experience educating girls.

It was with this in mind that Notre Dame School decided to invest in a new performing arts centre.

TEAMWORK WORKS The old hall, built in the 1960s, was long overdue for redevelopment, to meet the requirements of a modern drama and music curriculum. This was clear to the parent body, Friends of Notre Dame, who approached the school’s leadership team a few years ago with the idea to have it replaced in order to do Notre Dame’s well-respected drama and music offering justice. They also offered to fundraise for the project, which set the ball rolling for the redevelopment. The school’s Governing body was also keen for the new building, as it felt it would enhance both the senior and junior schools alike.

The next step was to appoint a project subcommittee comprising key stakeholders, including heads of departments and deputy heads of both schools to thoroughly research the requirements for the multifunctional space.

The project manager was appointed and team of professional advisors were selected, including the contractor, with whom the school had worked successfully on other major building projects. The theatre consultant worked closely with the architect to come up with some concepts for a theatre space – resulting in the idea for a nonagonical shaped theatre, similar to Shakespeare’s Globe. “Originally we thought we needed a 700-seater theatre because there were over 700 pupils in the school,” remembers Jones. “But they talked us through that and we realised a 370-seat theatre would be a more useful space which would be better suited to pupils whose ages range from two and a half to 18.”

The contract sum for the project was £2.4m, but with all the preparation costs, including professional involvement, and fit-out, the project cost the school £3.4m, including VAT. This came from the school’s reserves, but the parent association fundraised to enhance the fit-out of the theatre.

“It’s professionally equipped, but they’ve given us bells and whistles as well,” Jones explains. Considering the professional result, £3.4m seems extremely good value. “We still can’t believe that we’ve got such a fantastic building for that price,” says Jones.

The resulting theatre has an appealingly intimate feel to it, which helps children who might be intimidated by a larger space, but the clever design means the school now has two separate teaching spaces, whereas before it only had one. Furthermore, the studio theatre, which doubles up as the theatre foyer, is attached to the existing dining area so it can be used for intimate events or for larger functions and activities – ideal if the school wants to invite the general public. “The key to the success was we had a very good team,” says Jones.

BUILDING IN FLEXIBILITY The need for a versatile space was paramount for the project. It also allows the girls to participate in more than just performing, but also directing, stage management and theatre design. “We wanted a multipurpose space,” she explains. “It was very cleverly designed because we had a very small building footprint and we’re on a greenbelt site with listed buildings – so it was a difficult planning application, but we’ve managed to have a three-storey theatre and a separate drama studio.” The school has since held fundraisers, luncheons and conferences in the spaces, and plans to invite the wider community in to use the space for events and even weddings, so it is in the process of applying for a public performance licence.

Notre Dame also has plans to buy a cinema screen to show DVD’s in the theatre as well.

“We’re finding the more we use it, the more different ideas we have as to how we can use it,” adds Jones.

We’re finding the more we use it, the more different ideas we have as to how we can use it FOR PROFESSIONAL, GET IN THE PROFESSIONALS What’s her advice for other schools considering a similar investment in the performing arts? Opt for professionals if you want a professional result. “Get the experts in who know what they’re talking about,” says Jones, “because we would never have thought about it by ourselves.” Secondly, she says, make sure you know what you want from the beginning so variations are kept to a minimum: “That makes a big difference to how the project’s run and what the final costs are.” She also reminds schools not to forget the on-going costs: theatres can demand high energy outputs, which can be costly. Finally, Jones recommends employing a professional theatre manager – hers, she says, “is worth her weight in gold”.

The performing arts centre was christened the Montaigne Theatre after the foundress’ uncle, Michel de Montaigne who was said to have had an influence on Shakespeare. The school held its grand opening in December, with a play about the life and legacy of its foundress, St Jeanne de Lestonnac, written by playwright David Kenzie, the head of drama’s partner. The director of music, Dr Robin Fenton composed the music. “It was absolutely perfect because it just rounded out everything,” says Jones. The school has since had a prep school performance of the Nutcracker and looks forward to many more performances. In short, Jones adds: “It has exceeded all of our expectations. It’s a huge wow for us.” 

INDEPENDENT EXECUTIVE | MAR/APR 2012 59

INSPIRED MINDS > FACILITIES

ALL THE WORLD’S A S TA G E

60 INDEPENDENT EXECUTIVE | MAR/APR 2012

INSPIRED MINDS > FACILITIES

Independent Executive takes a look at how readers can ensure their school's arts facilities are a league ahead of the competitors. Carrie Service explains what to consider when building a new theatre and where some schools go wrong

I

f you want to get the most out of your school theatre, you’ve got to treat it as just that: a theatre. A place for rehearsing music, dancing and acting, for honing and showcasing your school’s talent and entertaining parents and the local community. If you want your theatre to work hard for you, you have to show it some love and respect; not treat it as a combined PE hall, canteen, store room and general dumping ground. This is the advice of Andy Hayles from theatre consultants Charcoalblue: “All too often a school’s theatre is treated as a characterless, multi‐purpose space that needs to house dining, exams, assembly and the occasional production,” he says. “This results in a room that does many things, but none of them very well.”

THE DEVIL IS IN THE DETAILS So where are schools going wrong? Hayles thinks that schools are not thinking about the essential logistical requirements when they design their theatre space: “The audience often has to cross the stage to get to their seats or in order to access the control room you have to drag out the entire retractable seating unit. Sometimes, even the most eager young theatre technician is banned from focusing lights due to health and safety and mum and dad are sat on wobbly seats, straining to hear their child’s voice in a too‐large and too‐reverberant room.” Hayles has found that these problems more often occur in state sector schools, where any designing and planning has been controlled by the local authority and determined by schemes such as the Building Schools for the Future programme. However, schools in the independent sector have the freedom to take full control of their design and planning and should make the most of this he says: “The great joy of working in the independent sector is just that: You are independent! A school that teaches drama to a high level and regularly sends students to the drama colleges will not need the same theatre space as a school that has a thriving extracurricular programme of musical theatre, but no drama offered at GCSE.” Although seeking help from professional consultants is not always necessary when refurbishing certain parts of a school, theatre design can be particularly complicated and it could be worth getting the experts in. There are so many seemingly small details such as the ones listed by Hayle that can be easily overlooked. It’s important

INDEPENDENT EXECUTIVE | MAR/APR 2012 61

INSPIRED MINDS > FACILITIES

not to underestimate the significance of things such as accessibility, acoustics and general layout.

If these elements aren’t just right it can really spoil the overall effect and results in wasted money and time, creating a disappointing end result.

Hayles believes that size matters when it comes to building your theatre and suggests building your control room slightly oversized to allow for teaching of small groups. This gives you some flexibility to make use of the space when nobody is working on sound and lighting and use of the stage area isn’t required. You don’t have to recreate the Globe to produce good quality performances either says Hayles: “Smaller is probably better - an intimate space, with clear acoustics, and a full house is far more gratifying than a half-full, muddy sounding, impersonal space at a grand scale.”

STEP UP There is one area of performing arts that seems to be booming at the moment, with shows like Got to Dance, Pineapple Dance Studios and Britain’s Best Dance Crew as probable contributors to the craze.

Dance has become an increasingly popular part of performing arts and schools are starting to branch out to accommodate this, along with the change in style that has come with it, says Caroline Reilly from floor specialist British Harlequin: “Dance has become popular in an increasing variety of forms.

It is not just classical ballet anymore, but anything from hip-hop and street to Zumba.” With this in mind, a good place to start when revamping your performing arts studio is to get yourself a good quality floor that will stand the pressure of all this dancing and stomping around, says Reilly: “One of the essential requirements for any form of dance is a suitable dance floor, preferably sprung, with a vinyl surface on which they won’t slip or fall when wearing dance shoes, socks or bare foot.” Hayles agrees and says that sprung floors are robust too: “Semi-sprung floors give you resilience for dance and movement; but will also take a nail or screw for scenic use without damaging the floor.” This will cover all bases in terms of the style of dance your pupils are using it for, be it tap, jazz, ballet or hip-hop, while at the same time meeting health and safety requirements. It could also help to protect pupils from sustaining long-term injuries from all that overzealous jumping around as sprung floors act like shock absorbers, easing the pressure on the knees, where traditional hard floors do not provide this benefit.

AS YOU LIKE IT As mentioned, having a multifunctional space as your theatre area is not always ideal. It can lead to your performing arts space becoming more of a neglected hotchpotch of clutter with no real defined function than the inspiring place to perform it should be. But there is no getting around the fact that some schools just simply do not have the space for a dedicated theatre or music suite and will inevitably have to use an area that has more than one identity. There are ways of creating a multifunctional space, without compromising on aesthetics if you are sympathetic

62 INDEPENDENT EXECUTIVE | MAR/APR 2012

to the space you are working with, says Hayles: “If your estate and reserves allow, dedicated spaces for music and drama will hugely benefit your students. If space and money are tighter, it is possible to wrangle combined uses, but some are more complementary than others. For example, a concert hall function will match a chapel’s requirements more closely than that of an intimate theatre space.”

If your school’s budget can’t stretch to a purpose-built theatre, there are other clever tricks you can deploy to convert your hall or gymnasium into a suitable dance area in a matter of seconds.

“For situations where the space is not dedicated to dance and drama, then a roll-out floor can provide a solution where the benefits of a cushioned floor and vinyl surface can be available during the class and rolled up and stored afterwards,” says Reilly. It’s a matter of staying organised and fitting out your space with proper storage areas so that roll mats and other equipment such as speakers and music systems can be hidden from view, transforming the space seamlessly from one function to another. Schools should note that there is no fixed formula for creating a perfect theatre. Every school is different, particularly in the independent sector. Find an option that caters to the number of pupils you have, be that 150 or 1,050. Always be sympathetic to the building you are in and remember: to thine own self be true. 

INSPIRED MINDS > FUNDRAISING

Performing for success Many independent schools and academies have impressive performing arts facilities and some are starting to see the potential financial rewards that they could provide. George Carey looks at what schools are doing with their artistic assets and how to make the most of them

T

he need for schools to increase their income has never seemed greater and wise use of performing arts facilities is one revenue stream that is certainly worth considering. Some schools are embracing the idea and enjoying success with it. It can be a great way to strengthen relations with the surrounding community and put some much needed money into school coffers.

When attempting to raise funds in this way it is important for schools to think commercially, which may sound like an obvious point but it is often the case that they don’t. “One of the most important factors is effective marketing,” says Ian Humble, director of Athis, a company that advises schools on how to take full advantage of their assets. He continues: “While schools may be very experienced at marketing their educational prowess, marketing for commercial reasons is a completely different ball game. Many schools marketing departments don’t know how to market in this way, but are unwilling to admit it.”

64 INDEPENDENT EXECUTIVE | MAR/APR 2012

INSPIRED MINDS > FUNDRAISING

One mistake that schools can make is to advertise these facilities in their brochures or somewhere not instantly obvious on the school website. Instead, they should be advertising in places specific to the product or service that is on offer. A school recording studio that is available for hire should appear on music websites or in local bars that play host to bands looking for recording space. It is this kind of mind-set that schools often don’t get into and it can mean the difference between success and failure for such ventures.

Once schools have managed to attract the right audience, it is important to establish that the ancilliary facilities on offer are sufficient.

For example if a school has a hall that will accommodate 200 people for plays but is in a city centre and only has 20 parking spaces, then it will not be able to cater for that type of audience, regardless of the size of the hall. Another problem can be single-sex schools catering for events, when toilets can prove to be insufficient, it may be the case that extra facilities have to be rented for such occasions. If such expenditure makes it possible for money-making enterprises to go ahead, then it is entirely necessary.

One of the most important factors is effective marketing It is also important if you are to make a profit, to ensure that you have appropriate staff. A common error made by schools is paying an existing member of staff as much as triple-pay to run a fundraising scheme, such as renting rehearsal space, outside school hours. It is more cost-effective and often provides a better level of service to have two or three members of dedicated staff, according to demand, who can also attend to administrative duties during the day and will not expect extra pay to work in the evenings.

An important area to get right is diary management, which must be overseen by someone with commercial sensibilities. Often schools will have peak evening hours fully booked during the week but no bookings in slightly more awkward times either side.

Because more convenient hours will always be more popular, that needs to be reflected in the price if there is to be any hope of filling the other times.

In Humble’s opinion, schools must grasp the need to invest in projects and approach them in a commercial manner for them to be successful: “Lots of schools see this kind of thing as a diary issue and approach it on a year by year basis but this is entirely wrong. Many independent schools have been around for hundreds of years and plan to be in existence as an educational institution indefinitely; they would never plan that side of things on such a short-sighted basis. They should plan to be trading indefinitely as well, and prepare accordingly. The schools that do will be the ones who succeed commercially.”

One school that is making use of its recording studios is Cantebury Academy. The school opened its doors to budding musicians in the community on 2 March and headmaster Phil Karnavas is well aware of the importance of marketing. “The official opening with the 1970s Rock legends Caravan was intended to gain maximum local publicity before we began to hire out the facilities,” he said.

It is one of a range of initiatives that the school has opened to the community that have proven to be beneficial.

The message is clear, if you want to make significant and sustainable profits from your school’s performing arts facilities, then the process must be approached in an entirely business-like manner. Extensive preparation and some capital expenditure will be neccessary along with a slight ruthless streak. If you can provide a good level of service at a reasonable price then there is no reason that money can’t be made. Think of yourself more as Gordon Gekko than Michael Gove. 

INDEPENDENT EXECUTIVE | MAR/APR 2012 65

INSPIRED MINDS > TOP TIPS

In the mix

TOP FIVE TECHIE MUST HAVES

1

3

MUSIC TEACHING SOFTWARE Focus on Sound has two software programmes for music teachers.

Focus on Sound: Instruments, as you might expect, concentrates on teaching pupils about different instruments from around the world. It features high quality professional photographs, recordings and videos so that pupils can get a real feel of what the instruments look and sound like. Focus on Sound: Techniques introduces nearly 350 music terms used in describing compositions and performing techniques. Each term is illustrated with an example of a manuscript or other graphic, and most are accompanied by a recording. It gives simple, straightforward explanations of terms such as heterophony, polyphony and the like. This program is ideal for teaching A level or GCSE music and contains the music terms used by Edexcel, AQA and OCR exam boards. It also contains more basic terms useful for teaching Key Stage 3.

RECORDING/EDITING SOFTWARE There are lots of music editing software packages available that can be used for music and other performing arts. NCH Software offer various professional music recording softwares for Windows or Mac which are completely free to download. Each programme is specifically designed for particular recording tasks including general audio recording, music mixing, and editing. If you’re not sure which one is best for you simply download each one and try them out.

SOUND EFFECTS Want to give your school production that something extra? Why not try one of the many sound effects libraries available to download for free such as SoundFX Now. It features thousands of sounds suitable for anything from comedy to horror (even applause, should you be lacking). There is no lengthy registration process or download fee, and you can search and listen online before you download anything. ď Ž

66 INDEPENDENT EXECUTIVE | MAR/APR 2012

APPS If you are fortunate enough to have access to a tablet computer for your music lessons, why not take advantage of the array of instrument tutorial apps that are out there?

Pianists can choose from Pianist Pro for the ipad; xPiano and Virtuoso Piano Free to name but a few. For guitarists why not try Guitar TabApp which searches for tablatures online by band and allows you to save and edit them.

For teaching the drums take a look at G-Stomper and DigiDrummer Lite or BeatBox Free. For teaching younger music theory, why not try KidMusicalToys as an interactive alternative to using text books.

AMPLITUBE IRIG The AmpliTube iRig is a nifty little gadget which allows you to play your guitar through your iPhone, iPod touch or iPad. You can plug your guitar or bass in to your mobile device creating a completely portable amplifier for guitar lessons and practice. It features mono input designed for electric guitar, bass and other instruments and a stereo output for connecting to headphones, amps and speakers. It works with the AmpliTube app which is free to download.