By Dariga Atayeva, Year 11
The LGB Express interviewed Ms. Allison Bryan about her new position as head of the ENCORE Performing Arts Program across the Ecolint foundation. Many thanks to Ms. Bryan for her time on this.
How has your position changed from last year?
I have been the head of performing arts, responsible for music, theatre, and dance in the secondary school curriculum. My new position is in fact extracurricular rather than curricular. The new head of performing arts is Mr. John Davies. He is now responsible for curricular music theatre and dance. My new title is head of the ENCORE performing arts academy which directs the after-school dance classes, drama groups, LAMDA exams, and shows. All these activities are now available not only to the secondary school but to the whole campus and in fact the whole Ecolint foundation.
Do you miss teaching students in classes?
Yes, I do. That’s what I miss the most. I have a fantastic team of teachers across the foundation but it’s true that this year I have less contact directly with students, so I am looking for ways to keep these ties alive and strong, whether that’s covering for classes, volunteering or just being present during breaks to connect with students. But now we are only launching the academy; next year it could be that things evolve and I will be able to get back in the classroom!
Would you say that the new ENCORE academy provides more opportunities this year?
We have similar activities to last year but we are harmonizing and unifying the activities across the foundation. The ENCORE performing arts academy has actually added dance to its portfolio! We have four main strands of activities: dance class, drama groups, LAMDA exams in the performing arts – and also in the performing arts adjacent activities such as public speaking, the musical theatre club, the French theatre club, and in the second half of the year the French cultural pageant. What is new, however, is that we opened the classes to external students. LGB students are already inviting their friends from other schools.
Who would you recommend the after-school ENCORE activities to?
There are plenty of students who do multiple after-school activities. They might alter between public speaking, dance, and the many activities provided. Some students, like those who were in the Once on this Island show last year, don’t have time to do a show this year but they are making time to get involved in the after-school activities. There are also possibilities to get involved in some activities that are more advanced, like the advanced dance and voice academy.
There is something for everyone at all levels. Sometimes there are students who are passionate about the arts, not because of professional aspirations but just because it is one of those must-have experiences to help them become the well-rounded individuals they want to be. Sometimes, their schedule is packed but they know that they have certain requirements for university, and they can’t fit in as many arts as they want in their school day; for those students, after-school arts is a great way to not only tick the box but get what they don’t have time for during the day. Also, if they want to do a specific type of dance study with a specific type of teacher they can contact the academy and find a time. If they are curious to do public speaking but, in the curriculum, public speaking is only available for the moment to year 10, they can check out the after-school activity available for all year groups on multiple days. Performing arts students who love to do plays can take year 10 and year 11 theatre. However, for those students not taking performing arts in the curriculum they can, as I said, check out the extracurricular theatre clubs.
What are your goals for Encore?
My goals for ENCORE are to extend and enhance the performing arts experiences that the students are already getting throughout the day. I want to highlight and reinforce the value of the performing arts. Performing arts are absolutely essential for young people to develop into healthy whole functional adults. The ENCORE Performing Arts Academy is a key provider of these essential experiences for young people.
Link to the academy site: https://sites.google.com/ecolint.ch/encore-performing-arts/welcome
Some responses have been edited for clarity.
