Curriculum
Erika Cramp
From a young age music has been a very important part of my life. I have studied piano, clarinet and voice throughout my school career and completed a Bachelors of Music degree at the University of Pretoria in South Africa, completing my final dissertation on Music Education. I moved to London where I taught Primary Music for two years before moving onto the Langley Academy in Slough to become Head of Music for four years. During my time in London I also performed as a session musician in hotels and restaurants and performed and recorded in bands alongside musicians such as Keane and Mumford and Sons. I was also cowriter and music producer for a South African children’s Music Education Programme, Kiddibeat, which gives children from the age of 3 months until 6 years the opportunity to develop life skills through music. In 2009 my husband and I decided to move to Bangkok, Thailand in order to work and travel. It was there that I became Head of Music at Bromsgrove International School for 6 years before moving to Phuket with our two children, Jude and Chloe. I firmly believe that every child deserves the opportunity to experience the Arts, whether through Music, Dance, Drama or Art and Design, as it also helps them improve in other areas such as learning a new language and Math. I see education as holistic, where one subject compliments another.
At HeadStart we offer Art and Design and Music from Preschool to A level. Drama and Dance are currently offered after school and in our Academies.
Music is a universal language that embodies one of the highest forms of creativity. Here at HeadStart we engage and inspire pupils to develop a love of music and their talent as musicians, and to increase their self-confidence, creativity and sense of achievement. As pupils progress from Foundation to Primary to Secondary, they develop a critical engagement with music, allowing them to compose, and to listen with discrimination to the best in the musical canon.
Art, craft and design embody some of the highest forms of human creativity. At HeadStart we offer a high-quality art and design education which engage, inspire and challenge pupils, equipping them with the knowledge and skills to experiment, invent and create their own works of art, craft and design. As pupils progress from Foundation to Primary and Primary to Secondary, they are be able to think critically and develop a more rigorous understanding of art and design. They also know how art and design both reflect and shape our history, and contribute to the culture, creativity and wealth of our nation.