9. Arts Education
9.1 Visual Arts
Mrs. Pearl Kam
Introduction & Curriculum
Our Visual Arts curriculum encourages students’ participation in art making as well as art criticism in
order to nurture an attitude for aesthetic judgment. The curriculum also develops students’ generic
skills for life-long learning.
Teaching Approaches & Strategies
Our teaching-&-learning activities have been designed in accordance with the four key learning targets
set by EDB, i.e. developing creativity and imagination, developing skills and processes, cultivating
critical responses and understanding arts in context.
In general, the thematic approach has been adopted in our curriculum planning. Students chose their
own themes and then developed ideas in their portfolio research workbooks. They draw inspiration
after exploring their surroundings and making sketches, and through this process they become more
confident in pursuing their objectives, and finding meaning and focus in their art making.
Other Learning Experiences
Shenzhen Art Trip
This was the first time we organized an outbound art trip. We went to Shenzhen, a place that might
not be a popular travel destination for some of our students. During the 2-day-1-night guided tour,
twenty-eight students and three teachers visited the F518 Idea Land, the OCT Design Museum, the
OCT Harbour, the Dafan Painting Village and the Nanshan Holland Flower Town. We also
watched a hi-tech water show and participated in a printmaking workshop at the Guanlan
Printmaking Base which was actually a Hakka tribe village. We were amazed by the rapid
development of art and design in our neighbouring city. The participants, particularly those of the
junior forms learnt to be independent and to behave in a decent and respectful manner during the
trip.
Visual Arts Club
The Visual Arts Club organized a number of interesting activities during the Art theme week,
entitled “Art, Nature and Harmony”. We had a crepe paper flower workshop conducted by our
Committees and a hot craft demonstration by a team of professional guests. In our Library, the
University of Hong Kong exhibited the reporting banners of their SMArt Programme which
exposed secondary school students to the creative workshops of integrating Science, Mathematics
and Art. The funniest element of the theme week was the Art Jam session by the non-visual-arts
Teachers. Their creative sketches were made public to the whole school during lunchtime.
Workshops
Following the hot craft demonstration, we organized a wood burning craft workshop. The
professional team helped each participants comprising students and non-art teachers make a
cool-looking key chain to bring home.
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Exhibitions
In the largest exhibition of the West Kowloon Cultural District Office this year, the "M+ Sigg
Collection: Four Decades of Chinese Contemporary Art", we arranged a guided tour for our
students. Another external show we visited was the Exhibition of Secondary School Students'
Creative Visual Arts Work by the Education Bureau.
Inside the School, apart from the aforementioned SMArt event, we held an Exhibition of the
Winning Entries of Respect Teachers Comics Competition.
Talks
We arranged three talks this year. The art therapy introductory talk titled “Creativity Healing”
was conducted by Dr. Alice Cheung, an Art Therapist, for S2. The interactive talk “Developing
the Potentials of Creativity” was conducted by Mr. Peter Li, a noted designer, for S3. The
“Science in Art” talk was conducted by Dr. Benny Ng of the Science Faculty of the University of
Hong Kong for S4.
Internal competitions
Our department continued to organize the Mini Bazaar Logo Design Competition. One winning
entry was made the official logo of the bazaar in 2016.
External competitions
We are pleased to note the following achievements in external competitions:
International Honorable Mention: 1 student
International 1st Class Honour: 3 students
International 2nd Class Honour: 4 students
International 3rd Class Honour: 3 students
International Selected Prize: 1 student
Top 100 Global Winners: 1 student
International Merit: 3 students
International Certificate of Recognition: 1 student
China 3rd Grade Honour: 1 student
Hong Kong 1st Runner-up: 4 students
Hong Kong Form 4 Award: 1 student
HK Merit/ Outstanding: 3 students
The satisfaction and success of the Art Department is gained through the efforts of all the DGS
students and the support of the school stakeholders. We would like to express our heartfelt gratitude to
every one of them.
9.2 Aesthetic Development
Mrs. Y. Chan
The focus of Aesthetic Development in the NSS curriculum is to help students develop a heightened
awareness of and appreciation for art and beauty through an exploration of the creative processes
involved in music, drama and visual arts.
In Secondary Four, students experimented with script-writing and producing a ten-minute play.
Students from 4Y and 4Z were divided into twelve groups, out of which the best three English and
Chinese plays of the year were performed on stage in a finale performance. In Secondary Five,
students could opt to specialize in one of the following six areas: English Drama, Chinese Drama,
English Musical, Stage Make-up (conducted by an external guest tutor), and last but not least, Set and
Prop Design. Through these workshops, students were introduced to practical skills that were essential
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to producing an effective drama. To put the theories which they learned into practice, students
embarked on a long collaborative process to produce three twenty-minute long plays – an English play,
a Putonghua play, and an English musical. The plays were showcased on Drama Night, which was
held on 29th April 2016, so that parents, teachers, and other students could come and celebrate the
fruits of the Secondary Five students’ labour. In Secondary Six, students had the opportunity to learn
to read documentary films through a critical lens.
A hearty vote of thanks must be extended to the School Council, our Headmistress Mrs. Lau, parents,
the AV team and technicians. Without their support and guidance, the AD programmes would not have
run so successfully in the last academic year.
9.3 Music
Miss G. Chiang
2015-16 has been a year of many challenges and rewarding experiences. Learning of the subject has
continued to extend beyond the classroom, in the form of competitions, performances and service to
the community. We have seen the most busy performance schedule yet, and our musicians have
achieved excellent results in local and overseas competitions.
1. Learning
General Music class is offered to junior form students, with a focus on building a listening
portfolio in a span of three years. Supplemented by concert reports and performance tests, we
encourage students to put into practice the listening skills acquired in class. Students also
participated in ensemble music-making as part of their annual assessment, which built towards
the final creative project in S3, where they compose and perform an original pop song assisted
by their iPads.
To further encourage students to pick up new instruments, this year we launched a new
instrumental scheme alongside our existing instrumental classes. Returning students have the
option of taking individual classes at their own expense, while newly admitted girls may opt
for group classes with tutors from the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra at a low cost,
subsidized by the School. We have seen an increase in beginner musicians, particularly Brass
players and Double Bass players.
Over the Christmas and Lunar New Year holidays, we held training camps for the Concert
Band, String Orchestra, Symphony Orchestra, Senior Choirs and the Chinese Orchestra, where
girls continued to hone their technique and musicianship, while fostering a strong camaraderie
with fellow musicians.
2. Serving
Playing music does not mean a lot if we do not share it with others. In the past year, we have
had the opportunity to share our joy in music with our neighbours and our community. At the
invitation of Queen Elizabeth Hospital, we began a regular service session, sharing music at
the Hospital lobby on Thursday afternoons. From the two initial sessions in February, it
developed into a monthly occasion for girls to share their talents, playing pieces from standard
classics to musical favourites and popular hits. On 27th August 2016, the Senior Choir also
sang at Queen Elizabeth Hospital’s “Baby Friendly Hospital Designation Ceremony,” singing
music dedicated to motherly love.
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3. Performing
Among the larger music ensembles, we continued with our six Choirs, three Orchestras and
Concert Band, and this year we see an increase of chamber ensembles. Besides the two
Madrigal teams, we have two Piano Quartets, a String Quartet, two Wind Ensembles, a Brass
Ensemble and a Guzheng Ensemble. Our busy schedule began with the String Orchestra
performing at the PTA AGM in the September 2015, and the Senior Mixed Choir singing the
National Anthem at the Flag-raising Ceremony on the National Day. In November 2015, the
Senior Choir was invited to sing at the Open Day of the Government House, while the
Symphony Orchestra, led by our Performing Arts Director Mr. Leung Kin-Fung, performed
with Russian Pianist Ilya Itin as part the HKGNA Music Festival. In the same month, the
Chinese Orchestra took part in the ECNU Hong Kong Alumni Concert, and the String
Orchestra had a music exchange with the Singapore Chinese Girls’ School Band. At our own
Thanksgiving Service, all girls’ choirs joined forces with the Orchestra to sing praises to our
Lord, performing the anthem “Homeland,” while the String Quartet played at the Speech Day
reception.
In December 2015, the Intermediate Choir was invited to lead the carolling event at Kowloon
Cricket Club, and into January 2016, we prepared for our annual performance at Shenzhen
Concert Hall’s “Beautiful Sunday” series, bringing two choirs, two orchestras and the Concert
Band across the border to perform to a full house. As we returned from Shenzhen, the
Madrigal groups and the Mixed Choirs sang at the DBS Pre-competition Concert, and in
February 2016 we organized our own Pre-competition Concert for girls’ choirs and chamber
ensembles.
In March 2016, the String Orchestra and Wind Ensemble was again invited to play at the
SEYSA Annual Gala Dinner, while the Chinese Orchestra played at the Hong Kong Flower
Show 2016 at Victoria Park. During April and May of 2016, we began with our internal
Easter Concert, featuring solo musicians who won prizes at the annual Music Festival, and
continued with the Music Festival Winners’ Concerts for our larger ensembles.
Towards July 2016, our musicians prepared for the annual summer performances, including
the Flag-raising Ceremony on the 1st July, DBS Homecoming Concerts, DGS Summer
Concerts, and not least, the Music Tour to Guangzhou. This year, our Summer Concerts
featured all musicians and in particular, winners of the annual Concerto Competition - Megan
Tang (Soprano), Macy Yau (Violin), and Elise Liu (Marimba). In the second concert, we were
joined by old girl Nicolette Wong as guest pianist, and the newly formed DOGA Orchestra in
an evening of instrumental music. Soon after completing the two concerts, our instrumentalists
went on a three-day tour to Guangzhou to participate in the Second School Orchestra Festival
of Four Regions Across the Straits, joining talented musicians from four cities to perform at
the Guangzhou Xinghai Concert Hall.
4. External Competitions
Competitions may not be the ultimate goal in aesthetic education, but has long been a
motivational force for students who seek excellence. In December 2015, the Chinese
Orchestra took part in the Hong Kong Youth Music Interflows Chinese Orchestra Contest, and
won a Gold Award in the Secondary A category. In January 2016, the Guzheng Ensemble
took part in the Youth Music Cup – 2nd Mainland China, Taiwan & Hong Kong Youth
Guzheng Competition 2016 (青樂杯 - 第二屆兩岸三地青少年古箏比賽) in Xiamen, China,
and won the Gold Award in the amateur ensemble category.
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The 68th Hong Kong Schools Music Festival took place from 22nd February to 23rd March
2016, and among the many school entries, our ensembles won 9 First places, 7 Second places
and 3 Third places. They were also awarded the following:
Best Mixed Voice Choir of the Year (First Division)
Best Girls Choir of the Year (First Division)
Best Junior Choir of the Year (First Division)
Most Outstanding Secondary School Choir of the Year (First Division)
Our students also took home 21 Firsts, 25 Seconds and 30 Thirds in the individual items.
In April 2016, our String Quartet was invited by the HKSAR Education Bureau to represent
Hong Kong at the 5th National Arts Showcase of Primary & Secondary School Students (全國
第五屆中小學生藝術展演活動) at Qingdao, organized by Ministry of Education of the PRC.
They achieved excellent results and won the First Level Award among over 20 youth
orchestras from across China.
In July 2016, two of our musicians took part in the 70th Llangollen International Musical
Eisteddfod 2016, at Wales, UK. Elise Liu of 5W, our concerto competition winner, was
selected the Hong Kong Schools Music and Speech Association to represent Hong Kong at the
Llangollen music festival. She competed in the International Young Musician category (Under
25), and came First with her Marimba solo. Rachel Ng of 4Y also took part in the festival, and
came First in the Vocal Solo Under 16 category.
Over the summer, the Senior Choir rehearsed constantly to prepare for the 3rd Singapore
International Choral Festival (10th – 13th August 2016). The 52 DGS choristers, accompanied
by teachers and old girls, participated in a choral workshop with Finnish conductor Dr. Kari
Turunen, an outreach performance at the Asian Civilization Museum, and a choral exchange
with choirs from Hong Kong, Xinjiang, Nanyang Girls' High School and Hwa Chong
Institution. Meanwhile, the choir competed and were awarded Gold Medals in two categories:
Equal Voices 19 years and below, and Musica Sacra. With God's abundant blessings, we were
selected as a Grand Prix finalist and eventually captured the Champion and Special Conductor
Prize with a performance of a commissioned piece by Hong Kong composer Austin Yip, and
the famous Chinese folk song "Picking Tea Leaves.”
As we prepare for another academic year, we are constantly reminded by the many blessings that have
been dowered upon us, and the immense support from parents, students, colleagues and old girls. Last
but certainly not least, thanks must be given to our Headmistress, Mrs. Stella Lau, for her unfailing
guidance and support for our musicians. We look forward to bringing more exciting programmes and
experiences to our students in the years to come.
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