NSSCO Integrated Performing Arts 6150 study plan
NSSCO Integrated Performing Arts 6150 · Give each week a clear focus.
8 weeks · About 7 hours per week
Elements and Principles of the Performing Arts (music, dance, drama, and visual/spatial awareness) & Performance Skills and Technique (voice, movement, instrumental/vocal work, stagecraft)
Define and give one live example of each element of music (pitch, duration, dynamics, timbre, texture, structure) and each element of dance (space, time, energy, body, relationship).
Identify the principles of composition (balance, contrast, repetition, variation, unity, climax) in one recorded music excerpt, one dance clip, and one short drama scene, writing three sentences per principle.
Warm up the voice daily for 10 minutes using breathing, resonance, and articulation drills, and log the effect on tone and projection.
Rehearse and record a 2-minute solo performance (song, monologue, or dance phrase) and annotate it against at least five elements and three principles.
Your checkpoint
A one-page annotated analysis sheet of your recorded 2-minute solo, naming five elements and three principles with timestamps.
Performance Skills and Technique (voice, movement, instrumental/vocal work, stagecraft) & Composition, Choreography, and Devising
Build a personal movement vocabulary of 12 gestures and travel steps, then combine them into a 45-second phrase with clear beginning, development, and ending.
Apply safe vocal technique to a text of 150 words, marking breath points, stress, and pause, and perform it twice with different dynamic intentions.
Devise a 3-minute group or solo scene from a given stimulus (a news headline, a proverb, or a photograph), using improvisation then selection.
Notate your composition using a simple score (movement map, text score, or graphic notation) that another performer could follow.
Your checkpoint
A short written or graphic score of your devised scene or dance phrase plus a rehearsal recording of the final version.
Performance Skills and Technique (voice, movement, instrumental/vocal work, stagecraft) & Composition, Choreography, and Devising & Rehearsal Process, Ensemble Work, and Directing
Structure a 20-minute rehearsal plan with warm-up, focused task, run-through, and notes, and run it with at least one other person.
Give and receive feedback using a three-part frame (what worked, what to change, how to change it) for three separate moments in a run-through.
Direct a 2-minute extract, making at least three deliberate staging choices (levels, focus, spacing, tempo) and justifying each in a director's note.
Refine ensemble timing by rehearsing an entrance, an exit, and a unison moment to a fixed count or beat.
Your checkpoint
A rehearsal log for one session including the plan, timings, feedback given and received, and three directorial choices with reasons.
Cultural and Historical Contexts of the Performing Arts, including Namibian and African traditions & Performance Analysis, Appreciation, and Evaluation
Compare two Namibian or Southern African performance traditions (for example owambo wedding songs, Herero omakuru praise poetry, Nama ≠nâu dance, or Caprivian makishi masquerade) on function, participants, costume, and audience role.
Explain how at least three African performance forms have adapted to urban, church, or festival contexts, citing specific examples rather than general claims.
Analyse a recorded professional performance using a four-part frame: intention, execution, audience response, and cultural context.
Write exam-style short answers (4-6 marks each) on context questions and check them against a mark-scheme style checklist you write yourself.
Your checkpoint
A 400-word comparative analysis of two Namibian or African performance traditions, with a short exam-style question and model answer attached.
Performance Analysis, Appreciation, and Evaluation & Arts in Society: Entrepreneurship, Audience, and Community Engagement
Evaluate three contrasting performances (one live or recorded music, one dance, one drama) using consistent criteria: technique, interpretation, design, and impact on audience.
Draft a one-page audience development plan for a school or community show, naming the target audience, two channels, and one measurable attendance goal.
Cost a small production budget covering venue, sound, costume, printing, and transport, and calculate the break-even ticket price.
Pitch your production idea aloud in 90 seconds to a listener and revise it based on their questions.
Your checkpoint
A one-page production pack combining the audience plan, budget with break-even ticket price, and a 150-word evaluation of one performance.
Health, Safety, and Professional Practice in the Performing Arts & Performance Skills and Technique (voice, movement, instrumental/vocal work, stagecraft)
Produce a risk assessment for a rehearsal or performance space covering floor surface, sound levels, lighting, trip hazards, and emergency exits.
Demonstrate and describe a safe vocal and physical warm-up and cool-down, explaining two injury risks performers commonly ignore.
Explain performer rights and professional conduct: contracts, fees, punctuality, consent for recording, and safeguarding of minors in a school production.
Run a full technical and dress rehearsal checklist, including sound check, cue calling, and backstage discipline.
Your checkpoint
A completed risk assessment and technical rehearsal checklist for a real or simulated 30-minute performance.
Rehearsal Process, Ensemble Work, and Directing & Integrated Practical Project / School-Based Assessment & Composition, Choreography, and Devising
Assemble your integrated practical project: a 5-8 minute performance combining at least two art forms, with a stated intention and target audience.
Rehearse the project three times, recording each run and noting one specific improvement per run.
Write a 300-word programme note and a 250-word reflective commentary explaining your devising choices and how they meet the intention.
Prepare answers to likely examiner questions about your process, influences, and evaluation of your own work.
Your checkpoint
A complete project portfolio: performance recording, programme note, reflective commentary, and rehearsal notes with three dated improvements.
Elements and Principles of the Performing Arts (music, dance, drama, and visual/spatial awareness) & Performance Analysis, Appreciation, and Evaluation & Cultural and Historical Contexts of the Performing Arts, including Namibian and African traditions
Consolidate all nine domains into a one-page summary sheet of key terms, definitions, and one example each.
Complete two timed mock papers or question sets under exam conditions and mark them using your own criteria checklist.
Re-teach your weakest two topics aloud in five minutes each, without notes, to test genuine recall.
Review flagged uncertain facts and confirm each against a reliable source before the exam.
Your checkpoint
Two completed timed mock papers with self-marked scores and a list of the top five facts to review on exam morning.
Milestones
Week 2: You can perform a 45-second movement phrase and a 150-word spoken text from memory, and your notation score is clear enough for someone else to follow.
Week 4: You can name and compare two Namibian or African performance traditions on function, participants, costume, and audience role, and score at least 70% on your own short-answer checklist.
Week 6: Your risk assessment and technical checklist are complete and specific, and you can explain two injury risks and three performer rights without notes.
Week 7: The integrated practical project is fully recorded and documented, with three dated rehearsal improvements and both written commentaries finished.
Week 8: You score at least 70% on both timed mocks and can re-teach your two weakest domains aloud from memory.