I hope everybody has recovered from last week’s epic performance! It was utterly wonderful and all parents, friends and family who came to see I hope you were as blown away as me.

So this term Foundation have been doing some great work so I thought I would highlight the curriculum. they have been studying boomwhackers.

What are Boomwhackers?!

A boomwhacker is a lightweight, hollow, color-coded, plastic tube, tuned to a musical pitch by length. Boomwhackers are used as musical instruments in the percussion family. They are fantastic starter instruments and we are aiming to get here:

Well… maybe not quite however they are getting close! Foundation students have learned all about tempo and dynamics and can tell the difference between the notes. They are doing a fantastic job, please ask at home about what they have studied in Music because they will be sure to tell you!

Have a fantastic weekend everyone and enjoy the sunshine.

Miss Abi

 

 

 

Welcome to the Performing Arts blog 2019!

Term 1 has been absolutely fantastic and I have love meeting all the classes and starting the Performing Arts Program. As a new teacher in the school it has been a pleasure to see how the students have progressed and I am really looking forward to next term.

Here is a rundown of what each year group has been doing this term.

 

Foundation

 

The students have really enjoyed being introduced to various instruments in different Music lessons. Students have looked at guitars, ukuleles, percussion instruments and the piano. We have looked at in detail these instruments and learnt songs and some dances for each instrument. Students have also had a go at playing xylophones, boomwhackers. It has been noisy and there has been some great music made.

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We have done lots of percussion work with shaky eggs, triangles, claves and tambourines. Students have been introduced to different notes through the boomwhackers.

 

 

Years 1&2

 

This term Drama has been the focus and we have been understanding how to tell a story through a derelict house called Darkwood Manor.

Students have done a lot of collaborative group work and been introduced to the concept of ‘teacher in role’ as a character. The students then react in character to the scenarios. It has been challenging though the students’ imaginations have been incredible. Students have learnt what a roleplay is, how to change their voices and movement to become a character and other dramatic techniques such as absent focus (looking out to the audience and pretending what is there) as well as still image and slow motion.

 

Years 3&4

 

Students in years 3&4 have been philosophizing the quirky fairy tale ‘The Paper Bag Princess.’ The Paper Bag Princess tells the story of an unconventional princess named Elizabeth. She begins happily in her castle preparing to marry Prince Ronald. Unfortunately, a dragon swoops down, burns down the castle and everything with it, and kidnaps Prince Ronald. Elizabeth thus dons the glorious paper bag and sets off to save Ronald. When she encounters the dragon, Elizabeth outwits him by asking him to perform feats of strength until he passes out. Elizabeth then passes the dragon and goes to save Ronald. However, when Ronald sees Elizabeth in a paper bag, rather than beautiful princess clothes, he is aghast. Ronald yells at Elizabeth to come back when she looks like a “real princess”. Our heroic Paper Bag Princess swiftly replies by saying, “You look like a real Prince, but you are a bum.” She takes off her crown, and gleefully dances into the sunset.

This term we have focused on what the conventional Princess may look like and philosophizing and questioning traditional gender roles of a fairy tale. We have explored this through studying various characterization skills and thought clearly about voice, movement and character. The students performed the entire story last week and have shown very clear progression in their acting and performing skills.

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Years 5&6

Year 5 & 6 have had an introductory unit to Drama this term and looked at various ingredients of Storytelling and how to make storytelling interesting to an audience. We have explored what a climax of a story should look like and how contract is characters add to dramatic tension. Students have looked at various tribes in the Amazon rainforest and devised explorer characters from their imagination. The explorers went to the amazon rainforest. We have used various techniques to add detail to character such as hot seating and questioning everybody in their characters. Student used role on the wall to further details thoughts and feeling of the character.  Students have used these characters in various scenes and roleplays this term and devised scenes using new Drama techniques learnt. Students have explored the contrast of split scene, thought tracking, narration and still image. They have begun to make detailed and extensive scenes with their character.

Last week students auditioned for the whole school production which is happening on August 15^th 2019. Rehearsals will start very soon after students are assigned their roles in Term 2.

 

Choir

Choir has started and we have had some lovely tunes and harmonies coming from the Performing Arts room on a Wednesday morning! Choir is currently at 8.30am on Wednesdays and all students from years 1-6 are welcome. Watch this space for a concerts.

 

Have a lovely Easter and break everyone, see you bright and ready for Term 2!

 

Abi