Art is a vast field. It encompasses activities linked to the senses, to the emotions it brings to the viewer. Art can be sculpture, painting, music, dance, photography, video, drawing, cinema… Today’s sought-after activities in art often concern modern or contemporary art. However, when it comes to dance, your child can always choose classical dance. In Arras, the Pôle Culturel Saint-Pierre, on rue de la Douizième, welcomes young and old alike, in its completely renovated former hospice of the same name. This space for artistic education houses the cultural office and a number of associations, including the renowned Conservatoire à Rayonnement Départemental d’Arras. fter a few years in a nursury in Arras you can introduce your child to musical education, from the age of 5. The Arras Conservatoire offers a wide range of activities. It offers 3 courses: drama, music and dance.
Drama as a degree or non-degree course
Drama is the practice of theater. Children are directed by a professional teacher. To begin with, your child can follow a discovery course, which takes the form of an introductory workshop. Sessions teach them how to listen to each other, stage play, body position in a space and concentration. From 8 to 10 years old, 1h of theater per week; for 11-13 year olds 1h15 and for 14-16 year olds 1h30 of theater per week. A theater workshop is offered for 16-19 year-olds and adults, with 2h and 2h30 respectively per week. Your child can also follow a diploma course in dramaticart, following his or her discovery course. This is followed by 3 cycles, from age 15 onwards, based on an entrance test.
Each course lasts 1 to 2 years. The further your child progresses in his or her personal project towards professionalism, the more diversified the offer. In addition to theater classes, your child will take singing and contemporary dance classes. All this prepares them for higher education, should they wish to make a career of it. The Conservatoire also offers a CHAT class (Classe à Horaires Aménagés Théâtre) to give students the chance to supplement their general education at collège or lycée. Whether in an introductory workshop or as part of a professional training course, students practice improvisation, but also work on ancient or contemporary texts. At the end of the year, they perform their work in front of an audience.
Contemporary or classical dance
As with theater, the Conservatoire offers a discovery program, with dance initiation starting in kindergarten (45 minutes a week). Dance initiation (1h per week), from age 7, enables them to discover the style of dance they will choose the following year: classical dance or contemporary dance. Classes are group-based, with a maximum of 15 children. From age 8, they enter a cycle lasting 3 to 4 years, at the end of which they can obtain the1st cycle diploma if they pass the exam. At age 12, they follow the 2nd cycle for 3 to 5 years. At around 15-17, they obtain the Brevet d’Etudes Chorégraphiques. The 3rd cycle concludes the dance curriculum. It lasts 2 to 4 years and leads to a Certificat d’Etudes Chorégraphiques. Classical dance is taught for 1 to 2 hours 45 minutes a week in cycle 1; 3 to 4 hours a week in cycle 2 and 4 hours a week in cycle 3. In cycles 2 and 3, a contemporary dance workshop is included. Contemporary dance is taught for 1 to 2 hours a week in Cycle 1, and 2 hours a week in Cycles 2 and 3. 
Teaching music
Your child can join the Conservatoire from the age of 5. This is a musical awakening, which can be a continuation of what he or she has learned at nursery school, for example. The next stage is initiation, where pupils discover various instruments in practice. From the age of 7, your child can start the 1st cycle with :
- 30 minutes’ instrumental tuition per week, in private lessons or for a maximum of 3 students,
- a musical training course from 1h to 1h30, fun,
- a 30-45 minute vocal and/or instrumental ensemble lesson.
This first cycle lasts 3 to 5 years. The 2nd year of the 1st cycle is punctuated by participation in orchestras for certain instruments. Around the age of 12, your child can continue his or her training in Cycle 2. This may or may not lead to a diploma, and students are expected to perform more on the instrument chosen in Cycle 1, with :
- an individual instrument lesson lasting 30 to 45 minutes,
- a 1h30 musical training course,
- a vocal and/or instrumental ensemble class.
In the 3rd cycle, depending on your child’s or teenager’s plans, the training may or may not lead to a diploma. He or she can follow the Cycle d’Enseignement Professionnel Initial (initial professional training cycle) and the amateur cycle, on a diploma course, or the non-diploma amateur cycle.
It consists of :
- individual instrument lessons from 45 minutes to 1 hour,
- a musical training course of 1h30 to 2h,
- a vocal and/or instrumental ensemble class.
It’s important to know that music lessons can be taken in CHAM classes: Classes à Horaires Aménagés en Musique. Students take courses that complement those they are preparing for at collège or lycée. 
Location of the Conservatory
In the heart of old Arras, the conservatory has a large surface area. It is located near the Église Saint-Géry at 2-4 Rue de la Douizieme. Here’s how to get there (map) :
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