Creative arts is mandatory for students from Kindergarten to Year 6.
In creative arts, students discover a variety of art forms through a study of dance, drama, music and visual arts where they learn to appreciate, compose, listen, make and perform.
Each art form has its own unique knowledge and skills, elements or concepts as well as a capacity to inspire and enrich lives.
- In Visual Arts, students develop their knowledge, skills and understanding in making artworks informed by their investigations of the world as subject matter, use of expressive forms, and consideration of the audience for their works. They also develop their knowledge, skills and understanding in appreciating their own artworks and those of others, recognising some relationships between artists, artworks, audiences and how the world is interpreted.
- In Music, students develop knowledge, skills and understanding in performing music of different styles and from different times and cultures by singing, playing and moving, and in organising sound into musical compositions using musical concepts. They also develop their knowledge, skills and understanding in listening to and discussing their own music and that of others.
- In Drama, students develop knowledge, skills and understanding in making drama collaboratively by taking on roles and creating imagined situations shaped by the elements of drama, and in performing drama by actively engaging in drama forms. They also develop their knowledge, skills and understanding in appreciating their own dramatic works and those of others.
- In Dance, students develop knowledge, skills and understanding in composing their own dances using the elements and contexts of dance and in performing their own dances and the dances of others from different times and cultures. They also develop knowledge, skills and understanding in appreciating their own dances and those of others.
In the longer term, learning in the Creative Arts assists students in their lifelong learning in the visual arts, music, drama and dance. It also assists students to participate in and contribute to cultural life, to become informed consumers of the arts and culture, to empathise with others, and to consider a range of career paths.
STAGE STATEMENTS
Early Stage 1
Students make pictures and other artworks using the media and materials given, representing both real and imagined situations. They appreciate that artists make artworks and they begin to describe some aspects of artworks.
Students sing, play and move to a range of music. They experiment with sounds and begin to organise them into basic structures. Students listen and respond to a variety of music.
Students engage in roles through imaginative play and dramatic situations. They use movement, spaces and objects to dramatise personal experiences. They respond to different forms of dramatic experiences.
Students perform dances with some control over body movement and expression. They respond to a range of stimuli, drawing from experience and imagination, exploring the notion that dance is about moving the body to express ideas. Students watch dance performances and begin to recognise some basic components of dance.
Stage 1
Students make artworks representing both real and imagined situations exploring a range of techniques and media. They discuss qualities of artworks such as subject matter and technique, recognising that artists create artworks for different audiences.
Students sing, play and move to music, demonstrating an awareness of their own capability in using voice and other sound sources. They organise sounds into simple structures and begin representing creative ideas symbolically. Students listen to, and identify, simple features of music and make judgements about musical effectiveness and preference.
Students explore and convey stories, events and feelings through roles and they work collaboratively to communicate and express feelings about the action of the drama. They experience and respond to a range of drama forms and elements by making, performing and appreciating drama.
Students perform dances with some understanding of body movement and expression, exploring a range of movements to make choices in order to convey ideas, feelings and moods. They describe the ideas, feelings and moods conveyed by dances.
Stage 2
Students make artworks that represent a variety of subject matter and make choices about the forms and techniques used to best represent the qualities of the subject matter. They discuss reasons why artists make particular artworks and why different interpretations are possible, recognising similarities and differences in how subject matter is represented.
Students sing, play and move to music, demonstrating a basic understanding of musical concepts. They organise musical ideas into simple compositions and use understood symbols to represent these. Students listen to a range of music, identifying key features and they make some informed judgements about musical preference.
Students use movement and voice to build the action and roles of a drama in a variety of situations. They devise and sequence drama to create meaning. Students experience and interpret a range of drama forms and elements by making, performing and appreciating drama.
Students perform dances demonstrating a range of performance qualities and increasingly complex movement skills. They explore the elements of dance in their own works and how these can be selected and combined to convey meaning. Students discuss the meaning and purpose of dance works and the roles of the creator and performer.
Stage 3
Students make artworks for a variety of audiences using different forms and techniques to convey meaning and represent the likeness of things in the world. They discuss artworks in terms of how subject matter is used and represented, artists’ intention and audience interpretation and make reasoned judgements about these artworks.
Students sing, play and move to a range of music, both as individuals and in group situations, demonstrating an understanding of musical concepts. They organise musical ideas into compositions, using notation systems to record these ideas. Students listen to a range of familiar and unfamiliar music with a sense of understanding, appreciation and discrimination.
Students use movement, voice and the elements of drama to sustain dramatic roles in a range of contexts. They devise and perform a range of drama forms for audiences. Students interpret a range of drama experiences by making, performing and appreciating drama.
Students perform dances from a range of contexts demonstrating movement and expressive qualities appropriate to the dance. They explore, refine and organise movement to convey meaning to an audience. They recognise and discuss how dance has various artistic and cultural contexts.
Visual arts opportunities
Operation Art
Every year our school, together with schools across New South Wales, participate in Operation Art, an initiative of The Children’s Hospital at Westmead in association with the New South Wales Department of Education. The Operation Art program provides a forum for schools and students to demonstrate their visual arts achievements through exhibitions at the Armory Gallery, Sydney Olympic Park and the Art Gallery of New South Wales.
Young In Art
Young In Art is a unique joint school exhibition that aims to encourage the pursuit of the arts. Other schools participating in the exhibition are Villa Maria, Marist Sisters Woolwich, St Joseph’s College, Boronia Park Public School and Gladesville Public School. Artworks from each class are displayed in the Hunters Hill Town Hall, judged by local artists, culminating in an Opening Night. This is a wonderful community event run by the Hunters Hill Council along with a committee of teachers from each school involved.