Introduction
The Arts in the New Zealand Curriculum is the core curriculum statement for the essential learning area of The Arts. It identifies the skills, knowledge, and understanding that students will develop as they learn in the arts in years 1–13, and it outlines ways in which this learning contributes to developing the essential skills and the attitudes and values described in The New Zealand Curriculum Framework.
The Arts in the New Zealand Curriculum is structured on the four disciplines of Dance, Drama, Music, and the Visual Arts. Within each discipline, achievement objectives are identified for four interrelated learning strands: Developing Practical Knowledge in the Arts, Developing Ideas in the Arts, Communicating and Interpreting in the Arts, and Understanding the Arts in Context. Developing skills, knowledge, attitudes, and understanding in one discipline does not imply a similar development in another. Separate sets of achievement objectives for each discipline recognise that each has its own body of knowledge and means of inquiry.
Learning in all four disciplines is essential for a comprehensive education in the arts. The Arts in the New Zealand Curriculum provides students with opportunities to express themselves through making and presenting art works. Students will also respond to and interpret others' art works and learn about diverse art forms from both within and beyond New Zealand. Such learning includes developing an understanding of art forms in relation to the tangata whenua, to biculturalism in New Zealand, and to the multicultural nature of our society and its traditions.
Under the umbrella of the National Education Guidelines, The Arts in the New Zealand Curriculum includes mandatory requirements for the essential learning area of The Arts (see pages 90–91). In years 1–8, students will study all four disciplines. In years 9–10, students should continue to learn in all four disciplines; as a minimum requirement, they must study at least two disciplines. In years 11–13, The Arts in the New Zealand Curriculum provides the basis for specialist teaching and learning programmes in the arts disciplines.
