Performing Arts

   Communicating with the Specialist Team

We look forward to partnering with you in 2025, and welcome your input:

Penelope Lang (Performing Arts) penelope.lang@education.vic.gov.au 

Wominjeka!

VSSS 2025

On Tuesday 24th June our VSSS dancers participated in our final school hub rehearsal. We learnt our new dance, 'The only way is up' and had fun working with some rather unpredictable props.  Our next rehearsal is on Friday 15th August and will involve an excursion to the Maroondah nets in Heathmont. 

I have added some information to the VSSS Google Classroom page in relation to the costume requirements for all of our dancers. Please make sure you have read (and understand) this. 

School Choir  - UPDATE

I can't believe that the choir have been together now for one whole semester! Choir will resume in Term Three and will continue to be held every weekduring the third recess break on a TUESDAY. If your child would like to join choir for Semester Two then please encourage them to come along and try it out.  Please remind your child that the choir requires a commitment for a whole semester and is not something to drop in and out of. 

We have such beautiful singers in our school (I know because I hear them during Performing Arts) and I strongly encourage people to come and share their talent with us. There is certainly something quite unique and special about singing in a group.

It is very important that anyone joining choir brings along a plastic wallet or binder with pockets so that they can collect the lyric sheets for the songs we are singing. 

Instrumental Lessons

Our school's Instrumental Program, now being managed by Amaris Lee-David, will continue to offer lessons on most instruments and will be retaining the outstanding team of musicians. The first 'trial' lesson is free of charge and your child will get the opportunity to perform in an end of year instrumental concert if they want to. You also have the option of choosing a lesson during the recess breaks if you would prefer that your child is not taken out of his or her class lessons. Feel free to contact Amaris info@groovefoundations.comfor more information.

IN OUR PERFORMING ARTS ROOM

Foundation

The Foundation students were introduced to the didgeridoo and learnt about the importance of this sacred instrument to Indigenous culture. We watched a short clip about how the didgeridoo is made, how different 'pitch' can be achieved (by the length of the instrument) and who is allowed to play it. We listened to William Barton, one of Australia's leading digeridoo players, perform with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra. I read the book, 'Do you do a Didgeridoo?' and explored all the different instruments you might find in a music shop. The students then had the opportunity to use their creative imaginations to invent a brand new musical instrument. They got to draw it, name it and decide how it would be played. We played musical 'heads and tails' and enjoyed some freestyle creative dance. 

Year One and Year Two

The students in both levels have been exploring 'pitch' on the glockenspiel and learning all about the music alphabet (A B C D E F G) and how the different colours on the instrument represent different music notes. The students got to write their own 'pitched' rhythms and explored sounds that are high, low and in the middle. The students worked with a partner in a 'pitch match' listening game where they attempted to echo their partners' rhythm by using their 'music ear' and  their understanding of pitch. We played some 'Electro -Pop' rhythm reading games and learnt a new symbol for a one beat music rest. The year two students listened to this years' Reconciliation Week theme song, 'Solid Rock' by the great Australian band, Goanna and discussed some of the lyrics. I was very proud of them when they used their Auslan skills to sign 'Uluru' to me. We are now working on an instrumental 'fanfare' composed and performed by the students, complete with crowns and Royal waves!

Year Three and Year Four

The students have been finishing their small group performances of their pitched rhythmic compositions on the class glockenspiels. Some groups have explored the element of 'form' by deciding to play their compositions in different ways (echo, unison, overlapping, in reverse) all whilst maintaining a steady beat. They have also been free to add different instruments to their small group work.  We continued to explore the meaning behind the song lyrics to the song, 'Solid Rock', which was used for the theme song for Reconciliation Week, 2025. The students made connections to prior learning and shared stories about their experience of 'Uluru' and 'scared ground'. We used the music alphabet to plot and play some words using the note names on the glockenspiel and played 'Funga Alafia' as a class ensemble using a variety of percussion instruments. We attempted to play 'Cabbage Cafe' (reading and playing music at the same time) which tested our resilience. The students should feel very proud of their entire Semester effort and progress.

Year Five and Year Six

The students in Years Five and Six explored the lyric video for the Goanna song, 'Solid Rock' and revisited the meaning of Reconciliation Week and the upcoming NAIDOC week (in the school holidays). We have been learning about space and line notes that sit on the music staff and have been plotting, reading and playing various combinations of melodies. It has been great to see all of the 'elements of music' come together. We recapped time signatures, treble and bass clefs, bar lines, repeat signs and note values. We had fun playing 'Funga Alafia' in a four part percussion play-along using the glockenspiels, tambourines, claves, djembes and maracas. We also had fun playing that well known song, 'Cabbage Cafe' on the glockenspiel. Some students got the opportunity to play a repeated simple melody (ostinato) to 'London's Burning' as part of a musical four part round.

Wishing you all a wonderful break. I hope you stay warm and do lots of fun things together. Stay safe and I look forward to seeing you all in Term Three for some more music fun.

Happy holidays!

Penelope Lang