The Juilliard-Nord Anglia Performing Arts Programme Collaboration

Since the announcement of The Juilliard-Nord Anglia Performing Arts Programme in February, we have been working hard on this exciting collaboration that will enhance the learning of every Nord Anglia student.  

In March, the British International School of Chicago held its programme launch at the Art Institute of Chicago. The evening included performances by BISC students from the wonderful primary choir, secondary school chamber group and jazz ensemble, as well as atmospheric music provided by our talented guitarists in Year 12. Juilliard alumni and cellist Claire Bryant performed, and her music and words inspired not only the students but also parents. Everyone was left feeling very excited about next academic year.

“Claire was so interesting to talk to. I didn’t realize how varied life as a cellist would be," said Adam Neal, Year 7 cellist. 

The Vision

The vision for the collaboration is to inspire and equip Nord Anglia students with the skills, curiosity and cultural literacy to engage with performing arts throughout their lives. 

Initially, the Programme will be launched in ten inaugural schools with an embedded Music curriculum in September; eventually it also will incorporate Drama and Dance curricula across all of the Nord Anglia Education schools. 

The innovative music curriculum will enhance our current curriculum to enable all students from Early Years through Year 13 to embrace new ways of musical creativity and learning. The curriculum is focused on a Juilliard-curated repertoire of key works that open the doors to the exploration of a range of genres, historical periods, cultural origins and styles. 

Through the exploration and deeper understanding of the arts, students will be able to discover their own connections between many aspects of their lives.  With the development of students’ cultural literacy, they will gain insights into how the arts, society, and different cultures influence each other.  

Developing the Curriculum

The curriculum development team includes music curriculum specialists from The Juilliard School as well as members of Nord Anglia’s Education Team and a number of music heads and teachers from across Nord Anglia’s schools. The team has held a number of inspirational, challenging and productive meetings to define the key concepts of the curriculum, resources and, most importantly, the content of repertoire.

To support the exciting curriculum, Juilliard is creating a ‘Toolbox’ of resources containing a wealth of materials designed to enhance teaching and learning. 

Running concurrently to the key works repertoire is the philosophy that music theory can and should be taught through keyboard skills from an early age.  The concept of teaching from Year 1 upwards using keyboards as a medium will be an exciting new challenge for many schools and resources to support this are being developed by Juilliard faculty member, Dr. Michael Shinn, the head of the school’s keyboard studies programme.

Juilliard is also developing a comprehensive training programme to support Nord Anglia’s music teachers in delivering the new curriculum. Over the summer, the inaugural schools’ Heads of Music and music teachers will participate in the course which will be delivered by Juilliard’s team in New York.