The Performing Arts Program at FNPS draws upon music, dance, drama and media.  Below is an overview of the learning that takes place in the Performing Arts Program.

Prep Students will be:

• exploring movements of different body parts in response to various stimuli.
• extending single movement ideas into sequences and learning movement patterns.
• developing awareness of and taking responsibility for safe dance practice.
• describing the movements and phrases created and how feelings are expressed by moving in particular ways.
• practising matching pitch to sing in tune and experimenting with speaking and singing voice to recognise the differences
• practising techniques for singing songs and playing classroom instruments
• using movement and body percussion accompaniment to enhance performance of a song
• talking about how voices, instruments and movement are used in music they make and hear
• using their own experiences and observations as a basis for creating imaginary worlds and characters using available objects as props
• communicating using facial expression and movement to explore and show a character’s feelings
• presenting scenes the class has developed in response to a stimulus such as an image or a poem
• describing the ideas in a story the class has presented through drama
• experimenting with technologies to capture sound and images
• exploring with sound recording technology to create and record sound effects.
• producing and presenting a media artwork for a particular purpose
• describing ideas in media artworks they make and view

Year 1 students will be:

• trialling ways of safely using the whole body and different body parts, bases and zones to communicate ideas, experiences and feelings.
• practising fundamental movements and technical skills and devising a range of body shapes and travelling movements.
• rehearsing learned dance sequences, discussing feedback and making changes to enhance communication with the audience.
• recognising that dance can show that people have different feelings about the world based on their experiences.
• using voice and body percussion to experiment with the elements of music and creating contrasting musical ideas
• practising and performing music, learnt aurally and through reading from invented and learnt symbols
• following cues when performing songs and short instrumental pieces they have learnt
• describing shapes and patterns in music they have composed or performed
• taking part in small-group improvisations and story-telling, focusing on experiencing the roles and situations they create
• communicating verbally by using the voice to explore and show role and situation
• following cues and use voice and movement to link action, ideas and stories in their drama
• talking about how voices, movement and space are used in drama they make and see
• experimenting with image, text and character
• using digital cameras to capture still or moving images and reviewing captured images
• capturing and sequencing images and text in a multimodal presentation that demonstrates a range of stories
• identifying the artistic intentions in media artworks they make and view

Year 2 students will be:

• using questions to explore ways of using forms and elements and using stimulus materials to explore ideas for dance.
• exploring movement possibilities and making choices about ways of communicating emotions or observations.
• performing a dance created for the class focusing on using appropriate facial expressions and maintaining safe dance practices
• recognising and describing patterns of movement in dances they make, perform and view.
• exploring contrasting tone colours on the same instrument
• using movement and body percussion to create accompaniments for songs, chants and rhymes
• accurately playing and singing rhythmic and melodic phrases and patterns using their voices, tuned and untuned instruments
• describing how the different use of elements of music creates moods, effects or contrast
• using observations from drama they view to explore possibilities for drama they will make
• practising movement within a space to create the difference between their performance space and the audience space
• considering meanings and interpretations when rehearsing and performing sequences of ideas to communicate stories
• discussing ways drama can show people’s different feelings about the world, based on their experiences of the environment and other people
• experimenting with media technologies in still or moving images to tell a story
• selecting images, sounds and text to organise the structure of a story
• producing and presenting a media artwork for a particular purpose
• identifying how media language and technologies are used to tell stories

Year 3 students will be:

• completing structured improvisations using choreographic devices of unison, canon, contrast and repetition.
• developing body awareness and technical skills of body control, accuracy, alignment, strength, balance and coordination.
• using expressive skills of projection and focus to communicate dance ideas to an audience.
• comparing dances in their local community to dances of other people, times and locations
• varying the use of the elements of music to create different effects
• exploring given rhythm and pitch patterns, structures or timbres to improvise and create music and record compositions
• rehearsing and performing music using a range of techniques including technologies to enhance mood
• discussing aspects of music they are composing and how their music has been influenced by music they have listened to or previously performed
• exploring and experience a range of roles and situations that they initiate and develop
• exploring roles and situations by trialling the use of language, such as choice of words, expressions and tone
• applying story structures in their drama, including roles and events linked through cause and effect and dramatic tension
• comparing the expectations and requirements of performers and audience in different cultural settings and apply learning in their own performances
• creating a sequence of images, sounds and text using multimedia
• experimenting with camera placement and settings to frame the subject, using basic shot types
• storyboarding and filming a short sequence
• describing representations and interpreting meaning in media artworks from different contexts

Year 4 students will be:

• using the devices of contrast and repetition to explore and generate new movement ideas in response to stimuli.
• practicing combinations of fundamental locomotor and non-locomotor movements.
• using production elements such as costume and props to communicate ideas and feelings in a dance.
• comparing the expectations and requirements of performers and audience in different cultural settings.
• identifying and explain features in music using terminology and a range of notation
• practising reading traditional and invented notation in music they rehearse and perform
• refining compositions and performances based on peer and teacher evaluations
• comparing music in their community to music of other cultures, times and locations
• experimenting with tension, and create dramatic meaning to sustain improvisations and process dramas
• developing sensory and spatial awareness when creating dramatic action
• planning and rehearsing their drama for a live or virtual performance
• comparing drama in their community to drama of other people, times and locations
• experimenting with tension to create and sustain meaning in the structure of a media artwork
• practising recording sound on a variety of devices to explore volume
• using responsible media practices when making media artworks
• discussing with others the meaning of their own media artworks using appropriate language

Year 5 students will be

• using dance-making processes such as abstraction and improvisation to create movements and patterns to become a sequence.
• participating in structured improvisations to build technical skill in body control, accuracy, alignment, strength, balance and coordination.
• developing expressive skills of focus, clarity of movement, confidence and facial expression to present dance ideas in performance for an audience.
• discussing the purpose of movements, elements of dance, production elements and use of projection and focus to affect the mood of the audience.
• identifying and describing features of rhythm, melody and structure that create effects in their improvisations
• exploring rhythm, pitch, texture and expressive elements
• considering the layout and sound quality of performance spaces when planning live performances
• providing and responding to feedback to refine performances and compositions
• exploring physical, fictional and emotional spaces to create characters and situations and imagined feelings
• rehearsing, interacting and negotiating with others in interpretation of scripts to create characters and their relationships
• creating narrative and tension to communicate dramatic meaning
• reviewing their own drama, outlining how they used elements of drama and narrative structures and the consequences of collaborative processes.
• exploring different relationships and showing different perspectives on characters by framing images
• designing and creating an animated sequence that personifies inanimate objects
• designing a storyboard that reflects a key scene in a sequence
• identifying story structures or particular technical or symbolic elements

Year 6 students will be

• exploring stimulus or analysing other dances to devise a variety of movement possibilities.
• preparing and presenting a work in progress, developing and asking questions to check whether intended ideas have been perceived by the audience.
• applying the elements of dance to communicate dance ideas to an audience.
• expressing opinions about the way dancers communicate their intentions through use of technical and expressive skills.
• exploring options for interpreting dynamics and articulations in music they sing and play
• using listening responses to guide development of compositions and performances
• applying the tone colours of instruments and sounds from different times, places and cultures
• identifying the features of music from other contexts
• manipulating dramatic action and using available technologies to create different meanings
• altering voice and movement to show changes in mood and atmosphere, and to create images, effects and an engaging delivery
• using evaluative questions to refine drama during rehearsal
• identifying the features of drama from different times and places.
• selecting combinations of media materials to represent the same person, location or idea differently
• editing images or soundtrack of a story to change or emphasise meaning
• considering the ethical implications of using different cultural images in publishing media artworks
• describing protocols about acceptable and unacceptable use of borrowed material