PR E PA R ATORY S C HO OL
From the story of
the trap-door spiders
in Kings Park to the
story of the two white
seals near Elizabeth
Quay, the students
respectfully and
creatively performed
with absolute aplomb.
musicians and work out the range of sounds
and effects they could achieve. Students
then took advantage of Dr Brophy’s
mentoring to tease out their ideas and
create a large piece of music.
The resulting music was, simply speaking,
wonderful, and allowed the audience to
hear the babbling brooks, whistling spears,
laughing kookaburras and the hot, still
moods of the country. Each piece was fully
notated and rehearsed until it was finally
brought to life in front of the 300-strong
crowd. The students even lead the
Orchestra, conducting their own works!
The visual arts students created two
stunning canvas banners, each 5m x 2m,
depicting their stories in beautifully crafted
detail. The artwork on the banners was of
such a high quality that the West Australian
Symphony Orchestra has asked if they can
borrow them to display in the foyer of
the Perth Concert Hall during their 2018
season! These images have also been used
to form the backdrop to the Welcome to
Country for the 2017 Asia Pacific Regional
Conference Gala Dinner, with organisers
telling us that the images are some of the
best they have seen.
While the music and art groups were
working hard, the dance groups were
busy learning moves and choreographing
their stories to communicate them
through the medium of dance. This was
how many of the early aboriginal groups
communicated with each other, as with over
200 languages, vocal communication
was often difficult! Accompanied by
Mr Beck on Didgeridoo and one or two
guest teachers on rhythm sticks, the
students did so much more than just bring
the stories to life. From the story of the
trap-door spiders in Kings Park to the story
of the two white seals near Elizabeth Quay,
the students respectfully and creatively
performed with absolute aplomb.
The whole project was vibrant and alive
from beginning to the end. Giving the
students ‘free reign’, but also ultimate
responsibility over the final product was
both a terrifying and highly edifying
process. To see not just the outcomes of
each of the arts, but also the outcomes in
terms of mathematics, logistics, inter and
intra-personal relationships and many, many
other areas was just incredible. Credit must
go to Mr David Taylor and the whole Year
5/6 team for getting behind the project
from the very beginning. Without their
help, guidance and assistance the project
would not have been anywhere near as
successful!
Special thanks must also go to the
administration and musicians of the West
Australian Symphony Orchestra. Their
professionalism, ability to think outside of
the box and engagement with each and
every student was simply outstanding!
The stories of the Wadjuk Noongar people
have a great deal that they can teach
us. They are the stories of the land that
we share and the paths that we now
walk together. If this project did nothing
more than allow the students to hear
and understand these stories then it was
successful. For the students to respond
to and share these stories is far more than
successful, it opens the door to our shared
future together.
Kieran M Hurley
Director of Music
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