| Victorian College of the Arts Secondary School | |
|---|---|
| Location | |
| Melbourne, VIC, Australia | |
| Information | |
| Type | Performing Arts School |
| Established | 1978 |
| Founder | Lenton Parr and Jack Pitt |
| Principal | Colin Simpson |
| Grades | 7–12 |
| Enrolment | c.340 |
| Campus | Inner urban |
| Affiliations | Australian Ballet School Diving Australia Gymnastics Australia National Institute of Circus Arts Tennis Australia University of Melbourne |
| Website | www.vcass.vic.edu.au |
Victorian College of the Arts Secondary School (VCASS), is a state government selective school in Victoria, Australia; a leading school and trainer of talented young dancers and musicians. Located in Southbank, within the Melbourne Arts Precinct, VCASS teaches students from Year 7 to 12. As of 2010 it has an enrolment of approximately 340 students.
Dancers and musicians are accepted after annual auditions. Music and Dance students share academic subjects, but follow either a specialised music or dance training program for half the day. The school also provides academic classes to secondary students from other institutions including the Australian Ballet School,[1] Tennis Australia, National Institute of Circus Arts,[2] Diving Victoria and Gymnastics Victoria.
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Instigated by the former tertiary institution Victorian College of the Arts (VCA), as a separate and complementary institution, VCASS was founded in 1978 by Lenton Parr and Jack Pitt (as the Victorian College of the Arts Technical School). This was the same year that the tertiary VCA commenced its dance faculty, and VCASS was conceived as a preparatory school for the tertiary dance and music courses. For most of its history VCASS shared its campus and buildings with the tertiary VCA at 234 St Kilda Road, but in June 2009 moved to new purpose built premises at 57 Miles Street, Southbank.[3] The former VCA is now The Faculty of the VCA and Music of The University of Melbourne, which retains ties to the Secondary School through a Memorandum of Understanding.
The Dance curriculum is based on ballet technique, with classes in jazz, tap, modern styles, and other forms. It also incorporates fitness training and Gyrotonics. The Music curriculum is based on the Kodaly method of musicianship training, with a core emphasis on solo and ensemble performance. Music students focus on classical or jazz repertoire, and are tutored by professional musicians and educators from the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, Orchestra Victoria, University of Melbourne, Monash University, the jazz community and other areas. The Academic curriculum leads into studies and exams for the Victorian Certificate of Education.
VCASS hosts concerts and dance performances throughout each year, the largest of which are the annual "Iwaki Concert" held at the Iwaki Auditorium (in the ABC Southbank Centre), and a dance season which has previously been held at the Malthouse Theatre and the Comedy Theatre, Melbourne. In 2010 the school returned to the Malthouse and regards this as its home theatre.
VCASS has an International Exchange Program, which annually sends a few students to study in England, Scotland and France. The schools involved are Chetham's School of Music in Manchester, the Dance School of Scotland in Glasgow, and Lycée Racine in Paris. In 2010 a new exchange program began with the Boston Arts Academy in the USA, and closer relations are developing with the School of the Arts, Singapore.
| Year | Principal |
|---|---|
| 1977–1985 | Founding Principal, Jack Pitt |
| 1985–1992 | Graham Goetz |
| 1993 | Acting Principal: Alistair Gunn |
| 1994–2004 | Sylvia Kolarik |
| 2004-current | Colin Simpson[4] |
In 2009 Colin Simpson won the 'Outstanding School Leadership Award' in the annual Victorian Education Excellence Awards.[5]
Some well known alumni from VCASS include:
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