Performing Arts
Beaumaris North Primary School
Prep
Transdisciplinary Theme
Where We Are in Place and Time
Central Idea
Music and stories from the past are still part of our lives today.
Our youngest performers are rocking and rolling back to the 1950s! In Scene 2, The Birth of the Beat, Prep students bring back “The Beat”, the very first gift in our story, with Lollipop and The Twist. These songs were popular when many of their grandparents were young, and they still get us moving today. It’s a lovely way for students to see that music from the past is still part of our lives.
In drama, Prep students have been answering a big question: What is drama? They are learning that drama is pretending and telling stories, something people have always done at home, at school and in the community.
Students have met Rocket and Sunny from our concert story. They have explored how each character might walk, talk and feel, and practised freezing in still pictures called freeze frames. Using their imaginations, they have also travelled to pretend places, showing where they are using only their bodies and faces.
These early skills of imagination, listening, taking turns and performing for others build the confidence our Prep students will need on concert night. Families can help by singing Lollipop together at home, and asking your child to teach you their best Twist!
Year 1
Transdisciplinary Theme
Where We Are in Place and Time
Central Idea
People have shared music and stories in different ways over time.
Year 1 students are twisting, shouting and surfing their way into the 1960s. Their concert scene, Voices Together, brings back “The Voice of Unity” with Twist and Shout and Surfin’ U.S.A. The 1960s was a time when music brought huge crowds of people together, and the message of this scene is that we are stronger when we raise our voices as one.
Our drama curriculum asks students to explore where, when and why people share stories through performance. Year 1 is building the basic skills storytellers have always relied on. They began with role and situation, learning how to pretend to be someone else, somewhere else. In the “hot seat”, students moved and spoke like characters from our concert story and answered questions in role. Using a line from the script, they practised changing the volume, pace and tone of their voice to show different feelings. More recently, they have explored movement and space through mime, levels and mirror activities with a partner.
As the concert draws closer, students will also learn to work as an ensemble, keeping in time and supporting each other on stage. Ask your child to show you how Rocket or Sunny might say “They’re here! They’re finally here!” in an excited, scared or sleepy voice.
Year 2
Transdisciplinary Theme
Where We Are in Place and Time
Central Idea
The past influences our present and future.
Disco balls at the ready! Year 2 is heading to the 1970s for Finding the Groove, where they bring back “The Spark of Belonging” with Dancing Queen and Stayin’ Alive. Through their concert songs, students are seeing their central idea in action. Disco moves and songs from 50 years ago still turn up in today’s music, dance and celebrations.
In drama, students are developing simple techniques that bring characters and situations to life. They have explored role and situation, created characters using voice and movement, and answered questions in the “hot seat”. They have also discovered how the way we speak changes the feeling of a line. Their latest focus has been movement and space, where they used mime, different levels and mirror work to show actions and ideas without words. Many of these techniques, like mime and still images, have been used by performers for centuries. This shows students how skills from the past continue to shape performance today.
Students are also learning that drama is part of our community. It’s in school assemblies and concerts, festivals and family storytelling. Our concert is a perfect example. Families can join in by finding the original versions of Dancing Queen and Stayin’ Alive and talking with their child about what music was like in the 1970s.
Year 3
Transdisciplinary Theme
Where We Are in Place and Time
Central Idea
Cultures change over time.
Big hair, bold moves and the 1980s: Year 3’s concert scene is called Be Bold, and they’re living up to it! Performing Footloose and Livin’ on a Prayer, they bring back “The Spark of Innovation”. The 1980s brought music videos, new technology and new sounds, a great reminder that each generation adds something new to the culture it inherits.
The Level 3–4 drama curriculum explores how stories are created and performed across different cultures, times and places. This connects closely with Year 3’s classroom inquiry. Students began by naming and practising their expressive skills: voice, facial expression, gesture and movement. They then explored how role, situation and tension make a scene interesting to watch. Using freeze frames, they have mapped the structure of our concert story, from the silent future and the journey through the decades to the moment music returns. They have also identified its beginning, complication and resolution.
Students are also learning about how Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples use storytelling, song and movement to share their connection to Country. This is a living culture that has continued for tens of thousands of years. Students will listen and respond respectfully as they consider what these stories teach and how they are shared. This gives them a deeper understanding of how some cultures change over time while others are carefully preserved and passed on.
Year 4
Transdisciplinary Theme
Who We Are Central Idea
The body is made up of different systems that need to be maintained in order to stay healthy.
How do our muscles, bones and joints help us dance? Year 4 students have been answering that question through a “Just Dance” style group task. They learned to warm up safely and checked their pulse before and after dancing.
They also explored how high, medium and low levels and different pathways challenge the body in different ways. In small groups, students then created a 30 to 45 second routine. Each routine combined at least two dance styles and had a clear beginning, middle and end. Students also had to include safe transitions, using spacing, balance and soft landings, and finish with a strong freeze.
For the rest of the term, the focus moves to drama, where the body remains the performer’s most important tool. Students will develop their expressive skills, using posture, gesture, facial expression and voice to show character and feeling. Through tableaux, they will discover how much a still body can communicate. They will also explore Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander storytelling and the ways movement and story connect people to Country and to each other.
In our concert, Year 4 brings back “The Power of Connection”. In Scene 6, Breaking the Rules, they take us to the 1990s with Everybody (Backstreet’s Back) and Bring It All Back, two songs all about friendship and confidence. Expect a few boy-band moves at home!
Year 5
Transdisciplinary Theme
How We Express Ourselves
Central Idea
An individual’s actions and perceptions can be influenced through media and advertising.
Think of the last dance you saw in an ad, a music video or a viral clip. What was it trying to make you feel? Year 5 students have been investigating how dance is used in the media to send a message and influence an audience. In groups, they created a 45 to 60 second routine inspired by a particular decade or dance style. Each routine includes at least three learned movements and two choreographic devices, such as repetition, canon, unison, contrast or formation changes.
The Level 5–6 drama curriculum focuses on how drama communicates ideas, perspectives and meaning. Like advertisers, performers make deliberate choices to shape how an audience thinks and feels. In the second half of the term, students will experiment with voice, gesture, facial expression and use of space.
They will discover how small changes can completely change the message an audience receives. They will also explore First Nations theatre today and how Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists use performance to share their own perspectives and keep culture strong.
In our concert, Year 5 brings us into the 2000s and beyond with Scene 7, Music Everywhere. Performing Best Day of My Life and Waka Waka, they bring back “The Freedom to Create”. This is a fitting gift for a generation that can share its creativity with the world at the touch of a button.
Year 6
Transdisciplinary Theme
How We Organise Ourselves
Central Idea
Our needs and wants influence economic activities.
For our Year 6 students, it’s their final term of Performing Arts in primary school, and they’re taking on the role of creative producers. Just as the entertainment industry creates products to meet the needs and wants of an audience, students designed a dance with a specific target audience in mind. Their 60 to 90 second routines combine two or three decades or dance styles, with clear transitions and at least three choreographic devices.
Every group member contributed to planning and organising the performance. Students also had to explain who their dance was for and why, before presenting their finished product in Week 4.
The drama curriculum builds on this by asking students to consider how performance is shaped for different audiences. Students will refine their drama techniques, such as voice, movement, gesture, facial expression and use of space. They will think about how performers adjust these choices depending on who is watching.
They will also explore First Nations theatre today, and how Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander theatre-makers create work that speaks to both their communities and wider audiences.
Year 6 also has the honour of closing our concert. In the final scene, When Time Comes Together, they unite every gift from the story with I Feel Like Dancing and Don’t Stop Me Now, before the whole school joins in to sing Celebration. What a way to say goodbye to primary school!