The former head of one of the UK’s leading drama schools is setting up a new accredited arts course in Malta, with the aim of providing young people with professional experience in the arts.
The Arts Leadership Certificate, which will be equivalent to an Intermediate-level qualification, is run by non-profit arts organisation 2Mozarts.
The course is launching with a pilot project in the current academic year and aims to achieve full accreditation by May.
“Most of the arts awards available to young people seem to emanate from the UK and focus on a single art form,” said John Baraldi, who previously served as director of East 15 Acting School in Essex for nine years.
“We wanted to create something specifically multi-arts and relevant to young people in Malta.”
The course will run over 10 months and include both contact work with arts professionals and independent work in at least two art forms.
Participants will undergo work placements with arts institutions, research and review work by contemporary arts companies, participate in a major public arts project and create their own body of work.
“I’ve seen many people coming for auditions thinking their arts awards are going to get them into drama schools, when what they really are is personal development programmes,” Mr Baraldi said. “This award is actually going to be led by professionally trained artists.”
We wanted to create something specifically multi-arts and relevant to young people in Malta
The course will be taught in mixed groups, including non-traditional learners, high-flying academic achievers, immigrants and people with a disability.
For the pilot project, participants will be working on a community arts show entitled The Great Book of Malta, which will be exhibited at St James’ Cavalier in May.
“We’re covering every street and local shop, looking for everyday stories of hidden heroes, the people who don’t often get recognition,” Mr Baraldi said.
The project will be based primarily on photography and interviews with the local community, initially in Ħamrun, but could also spin off into multimedia theatre and music performances.
Students will also be responsible for liaising with galleries and handling budgeting and publicity.
“Hopefully the young people will learn to think creatively, while gaining confidence and awareness of the community around them and achieving something artistically on a professional level,” Mr Baraldi said.
In the longer term, the team behind the course hope to expand the project, starting at O-level and continuing on to A-level, allowing participants to follow the course for a three-year period.