At Hume Valley School we have an inclusive Performing Arts program, offering students from Juniors to Secondaries, an opportunity to participate in drama, dance, music and choir. Performing Arts give all students an opportunity to creatively express themselves and to play, practice and perform frequently throughout the year. These performances include public and in class demonstrations.
Drama – This year our drama class performed a musical rendition of Cinderella in front of the whole school and parents. The students worked hard in the 6 months leading up to the performance to make sure that they knew their lines, mannerisms, songs and dance routines.
Instrumental – Music for students in Middles and Secondaries who are interested in participating in specialised sessions such as keyboards. Students, both new and those from last year, come to class with enthusiasm to learn new pieces and music theory. I’m very proud of their progress as instrumental music takes a lot of practice and patience before the end result can be achieved.
Choir – Our Choir performs regularly at school events, in the local community and at the annual School of Rock Festival. During choir sessions, students are working on improving their singing through vocal exercises and also have fun singing their favourite songs, karaoke style.
Dance – Every week, a large number of girls come to Dance program to create and work on their dance routines using props such as hula hoops, scarves, hats and canes. The girls learn different styles of dance, such as hip hop, tap and contemporary, and perform at our annual school concert.
Juniors – During Junior classes, students learn about pitch, dynamics and tempo while dancing and playing various percussion instruments and games. Also, the children learn many favourite songs from the ABC with the help of pictures which makes the song easier to remember. The Junior classes are also working towards their end of year concert.
Primaries – This year, the Primary students learnt about four different styles of music – Calypso, Funky, Hoe Down and Boogie Woogie. The children also learnt about Silent Movies which were popular in the past and even created and recorded their own silent movie. Music can change our mood and feelings and the children had the opportunity to express how different styles of music made them feel.
Middles – Reggae, Pacific, Celtic, Latin, Blues and Jazz are all styles of music that our Middle students have enjoyed learning about. Special attention was paid to when and where the style originated and students experienced the many instruments and rhythms of these styles through playing in an ensemble.
Secondaries – The Performing Arts room has many wonderful technologies which students are able to use, but the most exciting of these has been the green screen which enables students to be anywhere and at any time, just by placing a picture on the green screen of their desired location. This year the Secondary students have been working on creating their own scripts and then acting them out with the help of the green screen.