Malta - Malta Visual and Performing Arts School (MVPA)
The school
The Malta Visual and Performing Arts School (MVPA) is a Secondary School (for 11 to 16-year-old students) that specializes in the Performing Arts – Art, Dance, Drama, Media, and Music. Every scholastic year, ten 11-year-old students are chosen for each of the above special subjects (except for Media where only 8 students are chosen) through an interview by different boards set up for this purpose. What is special in this school when compared to other Middle and Secondary Schools in Malta, is that students have eight lessons every week in the ‘option’ chosen. In the end of Year 11 (16-Year-olds) successful students obtain extra certificates in their respective subjects. Another speciality of this school is that students of the different options are also given lessons to explore the other Arts in relation to the artistic expression of their choice. Besides these lessons, students also have lessons in all the other subjects just like any other Secondary school. As a result, they have every opportunity to continue studying academic subjects of their choice if they decide to stop specializing in the Arts.
Performing arts at school
Students perform during curricular activities. Being a specialized (Performing Arts) school, part of the assessment goes for performances. One of the curricular activities is a performance which involves all the students of all the Arts in all the five year-groups together. Drama Students for Drama, Dance students in choreography, Art students in designing backdrops and props, Music students for singing and assembling an orchestra and Media students in charge of all the publicity material and the recording of the performance (photos and videos). All is done under the professional guidance of the respective teachers, as an important exercise of the students’ coursework. Students also take part in extra-curricular activities like Prize Days and participate in national competitions.
Why PERFECT?
This school is involved for obvious reasons:
1. The students here are among the best students in the Performing Arts on the island;
2. The school is well equipped to participate in such an interesting project and students can benefit a lot from this experience;
3. These Art forms are only taught as ‘specialized subjects’ in this school and hence some of the most reputable teachers in Performing Arts in Malta especially in Drama, Dance and Media teach here;
4. Students get the opportunity to meet their counterparts beyond the islands’ shores and they are highly motivated to participate;
5. The experience of this project can provide this school with the opportunity to organise similar projects between different schools in Malta in the future.
The students involved
Students involved are in Year 7, aged between 11 and 12 years old.
The School Team in PERFECT
– Ms. Melissa Frenznick – Dance
– Mr. Clint Chircop – Drama
– Ms. Melissa Frenznick – Dance
– Mr. Clint Chircop – Drama
– Mr. Donald Camilleri – Art
– Mr. Evan Plumpton – Music
– Mr. Edmond Camilleri – Drama
This project has been funded by the Erasmus+ programme of the European Union. Convention No. 2021-1-IT02-KA220-SCH-000027801.