25 Feb Adapting the Arts: Music and the Performing Arts in Rolle and Gstaad
Spending the winter between both campuses this year has allowed a more prominent role for the Performing and Visual Arts during second term when naturally winter sports tend to take priority. This, combined with the current health measures, has called for alternative ways to maintain ensembles, group activities and assessment, assuring that Roseans continue to be motivated to discover and nurture their interests and talents across all areas of the curriculum.
In the Music Department, students are busy preparing for the new ABRSM Performance Grade exams, which are filmed and sent off to London for appraisal and grading. In addition, several piano students have been entered for the Concours Suisse de Musique pour la Jeunesse and are busy practising for the upcoming competition later this term. Junior Music continues both as individual lessons and classes between Schönried and Rolle, making use of videoconference technology when necessary, and larger Senior ensembles have been creatively adopting new ways to rehearse together at distance, including multitrack online videos. The School of Rock bands rehearse (minus their vocalists), hoping to be able to perform live again next term. Should this not be an option, they are already well-adapted to filmed performances, as evidenced during the Fête de Noël showcase at the end of last term. The Paul & Henri Carnal Hall Tech team is busy supporting Roseans’ digital projects, as well as working closely with new student society, the Rosey Television Company. Meanwhile, Rosey’s talented actors and actresses now find themselves on a virtual world stage in an online Digital Theatre Workshop from ISTA, working with other schools from around the world.
We look forward to live group performances in the future, but until then we can be confident that the creativity of our students and staff will find other opportunities for sharing performances and communication experiences.