Performing Arts

At Coromandel Valley we value the rich opportunity to work alongside students to build soft skills, communication, self esteem and confidence, risk taking and having a growth mindset. The performing arts program gives many avenues for students to develop these personal development skills in an encouraging and fun environment built on fun and practical experiences both within the curriculum as well as extra curricular opportunities.

The Arts is also seen as a vital avenue for students to experiment, explore and create through a wide range of arts experiences, giving opportunity for practicing their critical thinking through self reflection and response to their own and other’s forms of art. Through responding to and exploring music globally and historically to current times, students gain a broad understanding of identity and self expression.

The performing arts curriculum teaches students to develop confidence and self esteem, knowledge and understanding of the elements of drama and music, a sense of curiosity and achievement as well as the confidence to explore and create through improvisation, composition and script writing. Students are given opportunity through drama and music to express themselves, consider others perspectives and challenge their own thinking.

Junior Primary Drama and Music:

Students from foundation to year 2, partake in weekly lessons where they are introduced to the elements of music and drama through practical experiences based around play and games.

In music, students develop gross and fine motor skills through whole body movement to music, using tuned and un-tuned percussion instruments, scarfs, ribbons, parachute and singing with movement to a wide variety of musical genres and styles. Through interdisciplinary units, students connect with;

• Weather: through creating soundscape compositions.
• Our Senses: through analysis and response to music of the orchestra and using their imaginations, students create their own music to engage the audience’s senses.
• Light and Sound: through exploring and experimenting with ‘Foley art’ and putting sound to movie scenes.

In drama: students participate in games and activites based on whole body movement and facial expression, vocal projection and dialogue. Students create Freeze frames, drama from scripts and improvisation on a variety of themes. Students explore the use props, costumes and masks to build characterisation and role.

Middle Primary Performing Arts:

Students from year 3-5 partake in weekly performing arts lessons where students further develop skills in planning and sequencing, communication, goal setting and self reflecting while working individually and collaboratively.

In music: Student focus on reading rhythmic notation, understanding beat and meter as well as form and structure. There is also more opportunites for responding to musical examples from other countries and cultures around the world and genres of time, where students explore other perspectives and challenge their thinking. Through interdisciplinary units, students connect with;

• Traditions: Students respond to music from around the world which is used in a variety of different celebrations and traditions.
• Space and Earth: Students create rap music and atmospheric music based around a space theme with the use of ICT, digital music recording programs.
• Communities: investigating community music, students create their own community music groups depending on their own passions and interests, including promotion, organisation and directing a rehearsal with their peers.

Students also look specifically at reading and playing rhythm notation, melody on tuned percussion and voice and basic fundamentals of playing the Ukelele.

In drama: Students further develop their understanding of the drama elements through building plays, using goal setting and self reflecting to further develop their skills.

• Communities: Students explore the purpose of drama within communities globally.
• Stories: Students explore characterisation and create short scripts and plays based on stories they have written.
• Historical events: Students create plays based on their knowledge of the Australian Goldrush, exploring characterisation and situation. 

Upper Primary Performing Arts:

Students in years 6-7 attend weekly performing arts lessons where they record their knowledge, skills, responses and creative processes in journals. Students work individually and collaboratively with an emphasis on student agency where students follow their own particular experiences and interests within the areas of drama and music. Students are encouraged to explore their own values and identity while also considering other’s perspectives.

In music: Students further develop understanding and skills in notation and structure in the popular music genre. Through deeper understanding of the artist’s expression of identity through music and lyrics, students create their own music and perform in small groups. Students create a piece of music using chords, rhythm, lyrics and melody in the popular genre and perform or record for an audience.

In drama: Students use drama as a mode of communicating a particular topic or issue of individual interest or concern. Students develop script writing skills, rehearse and perform or record using props and costumes. Students reflect and respond to their performances and the effect on their audience.