Performing Arts at Oak Park Primary

Performing Arts is interwoven into many aspects of society and exposure to the arts is fundamental to a child’s creativity and overall development. Our aim is to nurture the whole child and the arts play an essential role in a child’s development.
 
At Oak Park Primary School students have weekly Performing Arts lessons and explore the subject areas of Drama, Dance and Music over a two-year curriculum cycle. Performing enables our students to explore their creative selves and build confidence, which compliments other areas of academic studies and also increases a sense of wellbeing.
 
DRAMA
Drama is taught is a positive, immersive environment. The focus is to collaborate and enabling the experience to naturally unfold. At Oak Park Primary School drama lessons are not a place for the select few to “shine”, drama allows opportunities to learn together through play and experience situations in a safe and supportive environment. We read picture and/or chapter books and use dramatic devices such as Tableaux, Hot Seating and Conscious Alley to empathise with characters and live the situations in the stories. Students learn to trust their peers and build respect amongst in the classroom.

DANCE
Students engage in safe dance practices, learn to choreograph their own dance routines and build confidence performing with others. We use dance to show meaning of stories and gain appreciation of dances from cultures around the world. Dance is also excellent for overall fitness and increases a child’s coordination, balance and footwork which can also compliment sporting skills.

At Oak Park Primary School, all students have had dance lessons since they were in Foundation/Prep and it is not usual for us to celebrate milestones at school with whole school dances (like Flash mobs) or have students of all ages come together on a Friday lunchtime to dance to our favourite songs with choreographed moves created by us.

MUSIC
Students explore aspects of music through singing, games and playing a variety of percussion instruments. Music lessons in piano, violin, guitar, drums and vocals are independently offered at our school and more information can be accessed via our school office staff.

PERFORMANCE OPPORTUNITES
Oak Park Primary School has a bi-annual concert which encourages all students’ involvement in rehearsals and the creative process, culminating in a two-night performance at The Clocktower Theatre in Moonee Ponds. This year is a concert year and we are thrilled to announce that we are performing The Lion King Jnr as our concert theme this year!
In the alternating year, students have the opportunities to perform at the School Fete, senior students participate in Tournament of the Minds, State School Spectacular and/or the Wakakirri Story Dance Challenge.