Culture and Sport - Macao Yearbook

Macao Conservatory
Culture Culture and and Sport Sport
A subsidiary of the Government’s Cultural Affairs Bureau, the Macao Conservatory is a public
educational institution that provides lower secondary education, vocational education of higher
secondary level in dance, music and drama. The Conservatory comprises a School of Dance, School
of Music, and School of Drama. It is a local education institute that trains competent professionals
in the performing arts, and strives to discover and nurture local performing arts talents. Additionally,
the conservatory offers the public a range of training courses in various performing arts disciplines.
It regularly organises various kinds of dance performances, concerts and drama performances, to
offer its students opportunities to display their skills and gain stage experience. It currently has
over 2,000 students and over 120 teachers.
The School of Dance is a formal arts school that offers career-oriented education. It co-launched
the full-time course in classical dance techniques in collaboration with the Shanghai Dance School,
to foster knowledge and creativity in local dance talent. It offers students comprehensive and
systematic professional dance training, as well as cultural courses equivalent to junior secondary
and senior secondary education. Additionally, the school provides general training courses in
Chinese dance and ballet to primary and secondary students, and a two-year introductory dance
course to pre-school children. To offer students diverse training in dance, the school has broadened
its curricula by adding Chinese Dance Course for Youth, Modern Dance Course for Youth and
Adults, Latin Dance Course for Children and Youth, and Jazz Dance Course for Youth and Adults.
The School of Music is a formal arts school that offers career-oriented education. It is Macao’s
largest music education institute in terms of disciplines and numbers of professional teachers and
students. It co-launched the course in music techniques in collaboration with music schools such
as the Middle School of the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing, offering systematic and
professional music education to those who wish to enter the music profession. The school also
provides students with a systematic and comprehensive basic education and popular education
in music. Students can choose from courses in Chinese or western music, with major and minor
studies. The school has also formed a concerto group, an ensemble group, a choir and a student
chamber orchestra to enhance students’ abilities to play in ensembles and nurture their teamwork.
The School of Drama is the only formal school in Macao offering basic training in stage
performing arts. Through systematic, standardised and extended training, the School of Drama
offers various drama courses to discover and nurture local performing talents, and to promote
artistic appreciation among the public. Its programmes for the academic year encompass Theatre
for Children, Theatre for the Young, Presentation, Playwriting and Directing, and Introduction to
Drama, providing its students with a comprehensive arts education in drama. Every year, the school
stages several performances at schools, for practice, and large open activities, in a bid to facilitate
students’ learning in situ. To provide a more professional drama education, the school established
the Macao Conservatory Youth Repertory Theatre Group in 2009. This integrates teaching, learning
and acting to provide continuous and regular training throughout the year. It also produces a variety
of performances, to comprehensively assess students’ performing abilities.
Throughout the year, the Macao Conservatory invites leading experts and scholars from around
the world to conduct thematic lectures, workshops, short courses and master classes to broaden the
insights and vision of its students, whilst providing artists and art lovers with opportunities to have
close contact with the experts and enhance self-learning and improvements.
341