EDUCATION: Corelli Academic School of the Arts
Corelli School
– the Arts Education Epicentre
Fun. Young. Creative. Confident. These are characteristics increasingly valued by business and society, and it is arts education that is bringing them out.
The Corelli Academic School of the Arts in Browns Bay is this arts education epicentre. The only primary and secondary school of the arts in New Zealand, Corelli is helping our youngsters develop their creative talents with inspiration and passion, which leads them to better grades and academic achievement
Having won several Cambridge Top School awards, the Corelli School integrates dance, music, visual arts and drama into the everyday school routine.
Corelli student Jonah Hall attests to the importance of arts education in his school life and personal development.
“Coming from a public school, I felt I was unable to reach my full potential as a student. Since I came to Corelli, I have developed a strong set of both creative and academic skills and gained levels of confidence I’d never dreamed of before,” he said.
The Corelli School, which is modeled on highly successful arts schools in the USA and Europe, also wants to make the most of our youngest stars and give them their opportunity to shine. In the ten years the school has been operating, many past students have gone on to make names for themselves on the international stage. However, there are many more talented, creative young people in Auckland and further afield than can afford the school’s private fees.
Arts Principal David Selfe said he had a vision of The Corelli School being open to all young people of talent.
“In order to do that, we need a stronger financial base,” he said, citing other international arts schools such as the Juilliard School of the Performing Arts in New York which have substantial donor funding.
“We are a smaller country, but we have a high proportion of very talented, creative people. If we want a vibrant arts community in the future, we need to teach and nurture these talents from a young age,” he said.
With New Zealand’s burgeoning arts culture steadily on the rise with Fashion Week, a revived Auckland Art Museum, and the filming of blockbusters such as Spartacus, Auckland’s arts education needs to step up to the plate. The Corelli School is the best place for New Zealand to foster the potential of our youngest stars.
University of Auckland’s Head of Music Robert Constable agrees.
“The Corelli School does an excellent job of training students....For a small school it would be fair to say that it ‘punches well above its weight’.
Last year the Corelli Foundation was set up as a charitable foundation to support the school in its vision by gathering and focusing philanthropic donations for arts education.
The Corelli Foundation has already begun staging arts education awareness projects, most recently including a hoarding at AUT’s City Campus by Corelli students, who painted their dream of the future which nurtured a national arts community.
The Foundation will be formally launched at a performance event later in the year.
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Visit: www.corelli.school.nz. – Article by Danielle Whitburn.
Education: Kristin School
