View Learning Outcomes | Learning Outcomes and Indicators

Curriculum Focus

The Performing arts strand can be undertaken either with a single discipline focus (Dance, Drama or Music) or by using the performing arts disciplines in combination.

Dance

Students make choices about the use of dance elements of space, time and energy to communicate their ideas, feelings and experiences. They respond expressively to stimuli, such as the mood of a story or a theme. For example, students demonstrate the movements associated with a tactile environment such as sand or glue. Students develop physical skills through learning dance patterns and group formations and they explore different ways of moving the body. They move at and between spatial levels of low, middle and high, using different directions and pathways. They use appropriate movement in response to different rhythmic patterns, tempos and accents. They use contrasting energy qualities such as strong/light when improvising dances. Students move alone or with a partner. They move safely in relation to others and the physical environment. Students perform their dances to each other and to familiar audiences. They observe and talk about different body parts and positions, body shapes and actions, energy, levels, directions of movement, speed and rhythms. Students learn concepts about dance, such as the concepts of muscular control and focus required to maintain a body shape. Students respond to their own and others’ dance ideas and performances, for example, by writing about or drawing pictures about the meaning of a dance. They describe dances and movements and give reasons for their preferences, for example, they talk about their favorite sections of a dance as being the soft, curved shapes or the dramatic leaps. Students identify places where dances are made and presented in the community.

Drama

Students re-enact and improvise situations which draw on their imagination and their personal experiences. They begin to organise their improvisations; for example, using the storytelling structure of introduction, development and conclusion. They choose stories from books and CD-ROMs, and adapt them for performance. They make informed decisions about ways of using the dramatic elements, such as movement, voice and gesture in their drama and they incorporate dramatic forms such as mime into their work. Students experiment with materials such as costumes, props and sound effects to communicate meaning; for example, using taped music. Students are assisted in the adaptation of the playing space by moving furniture and objects in order to make suitable settings for their improvisations. Students perform their improvisations to each other and to familiar audiences. Teachers assist students to identify a range of dramatic elements, characters and situations used in plays and they discuss places where drama is made and performed in the community. Students identify places where drama is made and presented in the community. Teachers lead discussions about student preferences for aspects of drama they have participated in or seen in the media and in live performance, and they respond in a variety of ways, including drawing and writing. Where appropriate, students scan their drawings and import them to create storyboards for their drama.

Music

Teachers assist students to create and perform short vocal and instrumental works to familiar audiences. They improvise and compose making choices about the use of their voices, body percussion, acoustic and electronic instruments, and objects. For example, they experiment with sounds of different pitch, duration, loudness and tone color to create works, such as soundscapes, which explore different moods. Students learn to identify and use gradual changes in sound, such as getting louder/softer and slower/faster. They distinguish between rhythm and beat. Students create and improvise rhythmic and melodic patterns and accompaniments. They learn to use and interpret a limited range of symbols to represent sounds. They learn the skills and techniques that are used when performing with others. Teachers lead students in the singing of songs, including partner songs and rounds. They recall and expressively perform short instrumental works, including those they have composed. Students learn to identify and respond to musical elements and the expressive qualities of sound by playing instruments, singing, moving, listening or drawing. They listen to a range of familiar and unfamiliar music and discuss reasons for personal preferences; for example, talking about the use of instruments to create particular sounds. They learn about places where music is made and performed in the community.