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Queen Elizabeth's Grammar School Horncastle

Arts

The arts faculty covers art and design, drama and music – meet the teachers.

Art

Our classes give students the chance to study various artists, practice differing artistic methods and express their creativity. The art department is open on Thursday lunchtimes to all students and Monday lunchtimes for KS3 students wanting extra support and space to practice. View our students’ artwork on Instagram.

Art trips are organised to inspire our students. Year 8-9 visit the Yorkshire Sculpture Park and Year 10-11 visit exhibits in London as well as attending architecture and photography workshops at Lincoln University.

GCSE students are set coursework based on chosen artists, they then have the freedom to develop their project in their own style. The exam is set so that students choose a theme to influence their project ending in a two-day (10 hour) examination to produce their final piece.

Drama 

Drama is introduced in KS3 and is an option for GCSE and A-Level students. Students use poems, pictures or even news articles to explore themes and roles and prepare performances from extracts of published plays, both individually and in groups. They take on roles of the director, critique and actors.  

The school organises its own productions for students to get involved in, weekly drama clubs and trips for to live theatre in Lincolnshire and beyond.

Music

All students study music during Year 7-9 and is an option for GCSE and A Levels. Lessons are taught through practical performance and composition projects, covering music from all periods from classical through to modern pop. All students are taught to read music and creativity is encouraged individually and through group projects. The department is open at lunchtime and after school for students to record or practice music.

Students can sign up for music tuition here for piano lessons and by contacting the Lincolnshire Music Service for all other instruments.

Support is offered via staff, the Sixth Form music committee and older students in leadership roles that help run rehearsals, lead sections and conduct.

Outside of lessons, our staff run three choirs, a jazz band, an orchestra, string ensemble, and flute choir. Concerts are regularly programmed at the school including a carol concert, spring concert and Choir Fest (joint with other HET schools). We also put on a bi-annual musical production in collaboration with the drama department – recent performances have included The Wizard of Oz and Chicago. Our students also run their own music activities. For example, Year 11 have their own student-led choir and our popular lunchtime open mic sessions provide opportunity for soloists and small groups in all year groups to perform in an informal setting to their peers.

The school also supports the Music for Youth Regional Festival, Lincolnshire County Youth Orchestras and the Voice It Music Industry Day.  Our most recent trips have included the GCSE & A level music students visiting University of Sheffield and the Senior Choir singing in the Music for Youth Prom at London’s Royal Albert Hall. Many students are also members of the local music centres, amateur theatre companies and some attend the Royal College of Music Junior Department on Saturdays. We are a partner school with the Lincolnshire Music Service and have been nominated to become a member of Music Mark, which is only available for those that are committed to high-quality music education.