Co-Curricular Activities
CO-CURRICULAR
ABOUT DANCE IN PYP
The dance program at DBIS ensures that students understand dance as a set of practices with their own histories and theories. Students experience dance as an individual and collective exploration of the expressive possibilities of bodily movement and at the same time create, participate in, and reflect upon dance forms and styles from a range of cultures and traditions, both familiar and unfamiliar.
While the emphasis is on the fact that students enjoy the process of dancing and express themselves on the stage and among their peers, we ensure that children also learn about the cultural aspect of various forms of dances.
Dance forms such as Bharatanatyam and various Indian folk traditions help children understand their own heritage better whereas Jazz and its other western counterparts helps them peek into the Western traditions and empowers them to be global citizens.
The health and physical benefits of practising dance cannot be ignored as fat as children and their upbringing is concerned. Most dance forms, especially the classical ones like Bharatanatyam and Jazz increase strength, flexibility, coordination and endurance in those who practice them regularly.
The ‘Mudras’ that students learn in Bharatanatyam also increases stamina, improves body balance, concentration and provides for a healthy heart. Western dance forms, on the other hand, help in developing core, leg and arm strength because of their full-bodied athletic nature.
Through the PYP dance curriculum at DBIS, children are made to discover that these dance practices integrate physical, intellectual, and emotional knowledge. This results in the children recognising that dance can be used to create dialogue among the various traditions and cultures and also in their school’s environment, their society, and the world at large.
AIMS AND BROAD OBJECTIVES
The aim of the Jazz Dance qualification is to provide a flexible, progressive mastery approach to the knowledge, skills and understanding required for Jazz Dance. The purpose of pyp graded qualifications is to motivate and encourage students of all ages and levels through a system of progressive mastery to develop and enhance skills, knowledge and understanding in a safe and consistent way. The qualifications are beneficial for learners wishing to progress at their own pace through smaller steps of achievement. These qualifications are suitable for learners in the Under 5 to 12 age group.
DBIS students began the journey of urban farming in 2017 adopting the farm to fork concept at a tender age. The progam was initially offered as an optional extra curricular activity where students of various grades got hooked on.
The following year, the program was introduced into the curriculum where the basic concepts of agriculture were covered. As a hands-on activity the students were taught about germination, growing sapplings and a variety of microgreens. Difficulty level was always in progression.
In Year 2, most students graded Urban Farming/ Gardening activity the higest score. They looked forward to this class most. Since they were familiar with basics we took it one level higher (literally) by creating a vegetable / herb garden on the school roof-top. Creating the raised beds, growing sapplings, tending to the garden, learning the art of composting, making natural pesticides and finally watching everything flower & fruit.. the whole experience was exhilarating for every student!
Year 3, As we all experienced kitchen gardening the previous year.. we wanted to make year 3 equally exciting. We took the challenge of converting a corner of the school parking area into a beautifully landscaped food garden. We created raised beds in various shapes, made trellises. Our senior grade 9 students formed a Nature Club in school. The labourous work was carried out by them. We also had a corner of the green house converted into an oyster mushroom farm.
The pandemic soon struck and our activity took a pause. However, the love for nature, respect for agriculture and an intrigue about growing food has been instilled in our mind forever.
MUSIC
Music education is a vital aspect of the school curriculum. It is a pivotal part of the student education process.
At DBIS music is currently offered from the early years program upto Grade 8.
EY & PYP
The music curriculum is designed to educate students in the elementary basics of music and hone their performance skills. They are encouraged to listen, improvise, create and perform right from the early years. The music room is stocked with a variety of percussion instruments to help engage our budding musicians. The rhythm activities and music games organised, sustains student interest in the music process and generates a commendable enthusiasm for opportunities to perform.
Being an IB institution, the music department regularly collaborates with other subject facilitators to co-design learning engagements that help to build conceptual understanding of units offered within the schools Program of Inquiry.
CAIE
From grades 6 to 8 students are offered a choice of musical instruments. They have to choose between the guitar and digital keyboards and are taught by the school’s in-house facilitators. Emphasis is laid on music collaborations and opportunities are offered for performances during school events.
THE BOSCO SERENADE
DBIS is proud of its budding student choir, comprising about 40 students across grades 3 to 8. The choir was honoured to perform in the STOPGAPS Children’s Choir Festival (October 2021).