Sierra Leone Primary School Syllabus (Class 5) - Music & Expressive Arts (Entertainment Industry)

This document details the Music and Expressive Arts syllabus for Class 5 in Sierra Leone primary schools, drawing from the official syllabus document provided by the Ministry of Basic and Senior Secondary Education (MBSSE).

Class 5: Music & Expressive Arts (Entertainment Industry)

Specific Learning Outcomes: By the end of Class 5, learners will be able to:

• Music History and Performance: Display musicianship skills in performing indigenous and foreign music while appreciating the works of great western and local musicians. Add flavor to classroom singing with descant recorder and other instrumental accompaniment.
• Visual Arts: Use different initiatives in creating printouts and drawings of objects in the environment. Express knowledge and skills in representing details about real-life situations (e.g., the family, the home, etc.) in drawing and painting. Display decorative skills in adding aesthetic value to items in a community.
• Dance: Describe and display dance skills associated with masquerades and other types of local dances for presentation at a school ceremony.
• Practical Arts & Technology: Exhibit models of new initiatives in printing and technology using imaginative, creative, and innovative skills and techniques in practical arts. Practice skills and techniques in printing and design to create Styrofoam blocks.
• Drama and Oral Literature: Demonstrate and appreciate oral literature, as well as the history of some prominent West African playwrights/musicians/dancers. Undertake community theatre programs using comedians and other acting styles to show accurate stage management techniques.

Teaching Syllabus Outline:

The provided syllabus document outlines the following learning areas for Class 5, integrating music, dance, drama, and visual arts with a focus on the entertainment industry:

• History of Western and Indigenous Musicians and their Works: Appreciating and performing works by composers like Bach, Handel, Haydn, and local musicians such as Dr. Oloh, Chris During, Amie Kallon, and Isata Nyambey. Developing understanding of basic music rudiments (clefs, key signatures, bar lines) through playing instruments like the descant recorder or keyboard. Adding harmonies to classroom singing.
• Collage on Blown Balloons: Creating spherical shapes from balloons and decorating them with colored paper using cooked starch as adhesive.
• Oral Literature of Sierra Leone: Identifying and distinguishing types of oral literature. Developing a repertoire of oral literature from Sierra Leone. Discussing and appreciating the values and benefits of oral literature. Presenting different types of oral literature.
• Basic Forms (Solid Shapes): Defining and identifying different forms (sphere, cylinder, cone). Producing designs incorporating at least three basic forms.
• Theatre Skills and Techniques in Acting: Performing improvised alternative endings to oral literature accounts using techniques like Stanislavsky and Meisner. Acting short scripted plays and engaging in community theatre activities as a problem-solving technique with accurate stage management skills. Appreciating and performing excerpts or whole works of West African playwrights.
• My Family (Imaginative Composition): Defining the ideal family and its members. Describing family members through artistic drawing. Drawing to show family composition.
• African Traditional Dance Expressions: Demonstrating confidence in using expressions in dance to convey themes and other elements. Identifying and performing indigenous dances of Sierra Leone. Watching, practicing, and imitating local masked dancing patterns and styles. Exploring the creation of masked dance regalia.
• My New Creation: Imagining and drawing a bizarre machine, explaining its powers and qualities.
• Rehearsal of Project Work: Preparing and presenting artistic skills in music, dance, and drama for an audience.
• Prints from Styrofoam/Potato/Mango: Creating printing blocks and designs. Printing on paper or fabric.

This syllabus aims to provide a holistic arts education, fostering creativity, cultural understanding, and practical skills relevant to the entertainment industry.