Byng Arts Program

A community of young artists and their mentors

Byng Arts Mini School offers an intensive program designed for students who wish to direct their energy and passion towards the fine arts, work within a community of students who share their interests, and maintain strong academic achievement.  

We promote academic and artistic excellence through curricular and extra-curricular activities in Visual Arts, Literary Arts, Orchestral Strings, Concert Band, Choir, Media Arts and Drama.

All students in Byng Arts participate in special events, which feature community artists, musicians and performers. These events strengthen the collaboration between Byng and the professional arts community.

The Byng Arts program operates as a school-within-a-school and is a community of staff, students, and parents within the larger artistic and academic communities in Vancouver. Successful applicants to Byng Arts will be students who not only direct their energy and passions towards the Fine Arts, but who are also curious, self-motivated, and have demonstrated a record of strong academic achievement.

Students in Byng Arts will have a Fine Art specialization in one of the following areas: Band, Choir Drama, Media Arts, Strings, or Visual Arts and after Grade 8, further opportunities are available in Literary Arts. Students attend several of their academic classes together as a cohort of motivated learners -- English, Social Studies and Science classes are especially streamed for this reason and students must attend these classes with their classmates as part of the program. In addition to an enriched curriculum, all students in Byng Arts participate in events, which feature community artists, musicians and performers. These events strengthen the collaboration between Byng and the professional arts community. Student participation is recorded in their Byng Arts Passport and is a mandatory part of their program at Byng Arts.

Program Fee $100

This fee is charged to cover the costs of Byng Arts events, the passports, and to support the academic and fine art specialty courses through additional supplies, field trips and guest speakers.

Program Features

Juniors (Grades 8 to 10)

· Streamed in: English, Social Studies, and Science

· Streamed in their fine art specialty where possible and beneficial

· Integrated with the main school in: Mathematics, Language, other fine arts and/or applied skills electives

Grade 8 Options

· Audition areas: Band, Choir, Drama, Media Arts, Strings, or

Visual Arts

· Take an additional fine art (with approval from the Registrar) by deferring the language requirement

· Write entrance exams for enrichment in Math and French

Course Selection for Grade 8

#	Courses	Grade 8
3	^1Core	Byng Arts English 8 Byng Arts Socials 8 Byng Arts Science 8
1	PE Elective	PE8Boys or PE8Girls
1	Fine Arts Specialty	Band, Choir, Drama, Media Art, Strings, or Visual Art - Based on Audition Results
1	Applied Skills Rotation	5-6 Classes that students rotate through each term (Past courses have included Woodwork, Metal Art, Foods, Sewing, Photography, Media Arts & Animation)
1	^2Mathematics	Math8 or Math8Enriched
1	^3Language	FR9 or higher or ^4another elective from Table A below

Notes
1. Core Byng Arts courses, English, Social Studies, and Science

2. Students have the option of taking a math placement exam. Strong students in the area of Math may be given the opportunity to enroll in an enriched class or in the rare case move up a grade in Math.

3. Students from French Immersion will be placed in an advanced class of French at the Grade 11 level made up of strong French students in Grades 8 and 9.

4. Alternatively students who have been given permission by the Byng Arts Coordinators to take another elective may select from Table A instead of French 8. Students are encouraged to explore other Fine Arts disciplines.

Course Selection for Grade 9 and Grade 10

#	Courses	Grade 9	Grade 10
3	^1Core	^2Byng Arts English 9 Byng Arts Socials 9 Byng Arts Science 9	^2Byng Arts English 10 Byng Arts Socials 10 Byng Arts Science 10
1	PE Elective	PE9, Dance 9 or Fitness	PE10, Dance 10 or Fitness
1	Fine Arts Specialty	Chosen from Table A below
1	Fine Arts Elective	Chosen from Table A below
1	^3Mathematics	See Mathematics Department listing
1	^3Language	FR9 or higher or ^4another elective from Table A below	FR10 or higher or Spanish 10

Notes
1. Core Byng Arts courses, English, Social Studies, and Science

2. Check course prerequisites. Students are responsible for selecting the appropriate level of mathematics and language.

3. Students who have been given permission by the Byng Arts Coordinators to take another elective may select from Table A instead of French 9. Students are encouraged to explore other Fine Arts disciplines.

Table A Fine Arts Specialty Classes & Electives (*Instructor permission required)

Animation, Beginners Strings, Junior, Intermediate, *Senior
Band, Beginner, Junior, Intermediate *Junior Honours, *Senior Honours Orchestra

Band, *Senior Wind Ensemble *Junior Symphony, *Senior Symphony
* Jazz, Intermediate, Senior Music Composition
Ceramics, Beginners, Advanced Sculpture, Beginners, Advanced
Choir, Junior, Intermediate, Senior, Metal Art & Design, Beginners

*Honour Choir Photography, Beginners
*Byng Arts Drama 8 *Byng Arts Advanced Media Arts 8

Drama 9 Drama 10
*Theatre 9 *Drama Coaching 10
*Honours Art 8 *Honours Art 9

*Honours Art 10 TV Production, Beginner, Intermediate

Visual Arts, Levels 1 to 5 Jewelry Art & Design, Beginners

Graphic Arts Textiles

Seniors (Grades 11 and 12)

features fewer streamed courses to allow greater specialization

· Streamed in English, Socials and intensive courses in the student’s fine art specialty

· Integrated with main school in other courses

· Work experience with arts organizations

· Articulation with post-secondary programs

· Specialization in Fine Arts courses towards an Honours, Major, or Minor certification

Course Selection for Seniors

• All Byng Arts students must be enrolled in the following during:
  - Grade 11: Byng Arts English 11, or *English 11 Enriched
  - Grade 12: Byng Arts English 12, or *English 12 Adv Placement

Note: Descriptions, prerequisites and a downloadable course guide can be found on-line at http://byng.vsb.bc.ca/.

Students must be sure that graduation and entrance requirements for post-secondary institutions are met before selecting further Fine Arts or Applied Arts electives. Students should consult with the Byng Arts Coordinator for advice.

Typical Course Selections for the Focus Areas

In general, Senior Byng Arts students focus on one of these areas. (*Instructor permission required)

Honours Art – [Visual Arts] *Honours Art 11 *Honours Art 12 2 other courses taken from Table B Music - Honours Orchestra - [Strings] *Senior Strings 11/12 *Honours Orchestra 11/12 (Junior or Senior) Music - Band *Senior Band 11/12 *Jazz Band 11/12 Music - Symphony - [Band or Strings] *Symphony 11/12 (Junior or Senior) 2 other courses music courses in Strings or Band Music – Choir Choir 11/12 (Junior, Int. or Senior) *Honour Choir 11/12

Literary Arts - [Literary Arts] *English 11 Enriched *English 12 Advanced Placement English Literature 12 Creative Writing 12 Media - Television & Film - [Drama] *Advanced Film Production 11/12 Film Actor’s Process/Acting 11/12 Film Studies 11/12 Video Production 11 Drama - Stage - [Drama] *Theatre Company 11 (2 credits) *Theatre Company 12 (2 credits)

Table B Senior Fine Art Electives by Focus Areas (*Instructor permission required)
Drama Film Actor’s Process/Acting 11/12 *Theatre Production 11 or 12 (Tech) Media Arts Animation, Beginners or Advanced Film Studies 11/12 TV & Video Production, Beginners or Advanced Film Actor’s Process/Acting 11/12 Music Band, Concert, Junior, Intermediate Choir, Junior, Intermediate, Senior, *Honour Music Composition 11 or 12 Band, Jazz, Intermediate, *Senior Strings, Intermediate, *Senior	Visual Arts Animation, Beginners or Advanced Ceramics, Beginners or Advanced Jewelry Art & Design, Beginners or Advanced Metal Art & Design, Beginners or Advanced Graphic Design Photography, Beginners or Advanced Sculpture, Beginners or Advanced Visual Arts, Levels 1 to 5 Yearbook 11/12 Textiles 11/12 Literary Arts Creative Writing 12 English Literature 12