Welcome!
Personal
Krissi Carter ATCL, BMus (Hons), PGCE, FCoT
Krissi was born in Hong Kong and studied at South Island School and the Hong Kong Academy for the Performing Arts. She went to Lancaster University at the age of 18 to study Music and Music Technology. The course modules that she took included Music Technology (including web design), Conducting, Performance (Percussion), Baroque Music (Performance and history), Medieval Music (Symbolism and proportion/ Transcribing medieval notation), Music Techniques (Theory and Aural) and Sonic Art (Analysing soundscapes). She also studied Culture, media and Communication during her first year.
Krissi also has extensive performance experience. She has performed solo on the piano and the marimba at many different venues in Hong Kong and the UK from concert halls to ex-governor of Hong Kong Lord Chris Patten's house. She has been in several bands as a drummer and played drums on music videos at MTV (UK).
Please see the 'Performing' section for more information.
Krissi is currently based at Addington High School, Croydon as an Advanced Skills Teacher in Music.
School
Krissi is based in Addington High Schooland is in her seventh year of teaching there.
During her time at Addington High School, Krissi has been awarded the Jack Petchy Leadership Award and Chartered London Teacher Status.
Background
Addington High School is an 11-18 mixed community school with 840 pupils. The majority of pupils live in New Addington and Fieldway wards. There are areas of significant socio-economic deprivation. 83% of pupils are from families classed as hard pressed the lowest of five categories in the Index of Multiple Deprivation. 43% qualify for Free School Meals.
Visual and Media Arts Specialist Status
From 1st September 2007 the school secured designation as an Arts College emphasising Visual & Media Arts under the national Specialist Schools programme.
Music at Addington High School
Most pupils come to AHS with very little or no previous musical experience. All KS3 pupils have one hour of music lessons per week and GCSE, BTec First Certificate and BTec First Diploma courses are offered at KS4. All pupils are welcome to take music at KS4 regardless of ability. Krissi also teachers Level 3 BTec Creative Media to KS5 pupils. Over 1/4 of the pupils at Addington High School participate in musical instrument lessons and extra-curricular activities. Music lessons are free for all pupils.
We hold several concerts every year as well as enrichment activities to enhance pupils' learning. Examples of these include the Gospel Singing Workshop and the school's Radio Station, Believe and Achieve FM.
For more information please visit the following sites:
My Podcast:
http://krissicarter.podomatic.com
Photographs of events: http://picasaweb.google.com/krissicarter
My Blog:
http://krissicarter.blogspot.com
AST Work
If you work in a Secondary or Primary school in Croydon and think that it would be useful for an AST to help you or work with you in any of the following areas, please contact me:
Teaching
Performing
Krissi began playing the piano when she was 5 years old and was awarded the Trinity College, London diploma (ATCL) at the age of 13. From the age of 11, she studied tuned percussion at the Hong Kong Academy for the Performing Arts (HKAPA) and was awarded her ABRSM Grade 8 certificate for percussion in the same year as her piano diploma. She decided to also take on the Clarinet during her time at the HKAPA and played for the HKAPA's senior wind band. Krissi joined her first rock band as a drummer
when she was 15 and taught herself how to play the drumkit from there. She has recorded several albums with various bands through playing drumkit and piano. At the age of 16, Krissi was invited to join a professional orchestra, the Hong Kong Sinfonietta Orchestra where she played percussion. At 18, she moved over to England to go to Lancaster University where she
was awarded her degree in music and music technology, BMus (Hons) . During her time in Lancaster, she joined a pop band in 2000 and a metal band in 2001. With the bands, she played gigs around
the north of England including outdoor festivals, pubs, clubs and was broadcasted and interviewed live on radio stations which gained her session work on the drums. The bands split up in 2003 and Krissi stopped playing in bands for over 2 years. Taking a break from the band scene, she ventured into the world of club dance music and played djembe drums/ congas at several dance venues around London, Liverpool, Lancaster and Hong Kong. She also helped to run and organise a techno night, in Lancaster
and Liverpool . Towards the end of 2005, she played with several experimental, jazz and alternative rock bands but finally settled with Swing/Blues band 'Soulstep' in London with
whom she has played several gigs and recorded two music videos at the MTV (UK) studios. Have a listen to a selection of tracks using the iPod player below!
Photographs
Tomorrow, tomorrow!
Pick a pocket or two...
