Plan Class Concert Pp86 10.PDF ABORIGINAL IMPORTANT

7/29/2019 Plan Class Concert Pp86 10.PDF ABORIGINAL IMPORTANT

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Contextual teaching and learning: a strategy to improve educational outcomes for Aboriginal learners

Planningandorganisingaclassconcert

86

Learning Area

Arts

PRIMARY MIDDLEYEARSBANDS

86

Planning and organising a class concert

Teacher: Susanne Adair

Class: Class of 31 students, including 3 Aboriginal students

Band: Primary and Middle Years

Length of unit: 10 weeks

Overview Students produced and performed a class concert for parents, students and theschool community. They devised a variety of acts including comedy skits, songsand dances. Students developed a range of literacy skills to organise theconcert (for example, writing letters and invitations, speaking and meetingwith school personnel), and to support them in their performance (forexample, speaking clearly, voice projection and script writing).



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Text participant Students draw on their

knowledge of performanceto participate and contributeto class discussions about the

concert. Students draw on their

knowledge to developconcert items.

Students gain meaning andideas from viewing videos ofprevious performances.

Students compare thefeatures of performance intheir own video to those ofother performances.

Text analyst Students check that the

language they use isinclusive.

Students ensure thatperformances represent andreflect the diversity ofstudents in the class.

Students consider content

that will be suitable for theaudience and why.

Code breaker Students use appropriate

spelling, grammar andpunctuation in formalwriting.

Students use StandardAustralian English in formalspoken texts.

When performing, studentsconsider tone of voice,projection, clarity of speechand volume.

Text user Students use the

conventions of layout forscripts, letters andinvitations.

Students recognise featurescharacterising plays, jokes,poems.

Students construct writtenand spoken textsappropriately, consideringaudience and purpose, eginvitations, formal letters,

thankyou letters, meetings,group work.

Students use written andspoken language to plan,prepare, and organiseaspects of the concert, eggroup discussion, makingnotes and plans, lists.

Connections to the four roles of a literacy learnerThe following chart is adapted from the work of Luke, Freebody and Gilbert inWatson and Sawyer (eds) Teaching English: the state of the art (unpublished)

and is reproduced here with permission.The four roles can be used both as a planning and reflection tool, to ensure abalanced literacy curriculum. The roles are interwoven, and students will drawon them simultaneously.


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Contextual teaching and learning: a strategy to improve educational outcomes for Aboriginal learners 89


Background informationTowards the end of last year, our class held a concert for families and friends asa way of promoting positive classroom practice and encouraging community

involvement. The concert provided students with an opportunity to showcasetheir confidence and expertise in the arts, and develop literacy skills, knowledgeand understandings.

Following our concert performance, the students received many affirmingresponses and comments from families, friends and staff. This feedback waswell received and helped to further enhance the students self-concepts and tocement a real sense of class cohesion and togetherness.

How this unit of work came aboutDuring a class meeting, the students nominated activities and topics they would

most like to see included in our class program. This practice is consistent withour schools policy of empowering students to initiate and access curriculumtopics.

As a group, we brainstormed ideas, which were recorded on a whiteboard.Each student was then asked to carefully consider the designated topics and toselect their three favourites. Once collated, overwhelmingly the most popularresponse was to hold a class concert.

The students were really excited about the prospect of hosting another classconcert as part of our class program and wanted to begin planning for it thereand then! Also, they were quite keen to use the concert as a way to fundraisefor our class camp. At the same time, they were quite adamant that theirperformance needed to be better than last years if people were going to pay tosee it.

Obtaining approvalAs a class, we decided that permission was required to host an evening concertand consequently, students elected a Concert Organising Committee. I metwith the committee to discuss its role in organising the concert, and the tasksfor which it would be responsible. The committee met the following day todiscuss and draft a letter to the principal, stating the reasons why our classwished to hold the concert. We discussed the format, language to use, andwhat information needed to be included. The class ratified this letter before itwas typed by the groups convenor.

Booking the venue and dateUpon receiving a positive response to our request, a venue needed to bebooked, and the date and times confirmed. The class voted that the best nightfor the class concert would be a Friday because We can sleep in the next day!In addition, Friday evenings didnt clash with any other major familycommitments (for example, sports practice, scouts, late night shopping).

Students discussdifferent ways of using language, andmake choices aboutwhich may be themost appropriate for

the purpose andaudience.


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The class and I identified our preferred dates, and two students from theConcert Organising Committee then approached our bursar to book theschools general purpose room, hopefully to obtain it for a Friday eveningtowards the end of term three.

We were in luckour first choice was freeand so the wheels for our classconcert were set in motion!

Meeting with the School Council Fundraising CommitteeTwo other students from the Concert Organising Committee contacted ourSchool Council Fundraising Committee convenors to arrange a mutuallyconvenient time to meet, discuss and seek approval for using the class concertas a way to raise money for our class camp.

Prior to this consultation taking place, a list of questions and issues that neededto be raised or considered was compiled. The students role-played the scenarioseveral times prior to the meeting. I acted as one of the Fundraising Committeeconvenors and provided feedback.

At the meeting, the students explained that the class thought that it would bea really good idea to charge admission prices (eg adults $1, children 50c) andto also make cakes and biscuits to sell as supper plates on the night. Theystated that the finer details were yet to be determined.

The fundraising convenors were most receptive to our class proposal and

enthusiastically replied, Its a fabulous idea...Go for it! Let us know if we canhelp out.


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Class concert plan...three focus questionsAs some of the students had never been involved in a class concert previously, Iasked them to think about any performance or student-run assembly that they

had really enjoyed watching. They were to consider the following question andconstruct a Y-chart based on their findings:

What does a successful class concert look like, sound like and feel like?

The students formed small groups of three to four, with one student acting as arecorder, and tackled the task with enthusiasm. It proved to be a very usefulactivity with all groups keen to share their charts in a sharing circle.

As a class we then discussed another focus question:

What do you think our class concert should include?

We brainstormed our ideas and the most popular responses were: songs dances skits/plays jokes

A Y-chart Students brainstorm

what a successfulconcert looks like,sounds like and feelslike, and record theirideas in a Y-shapedchart.

poems musical instruments magic tricks supper afterwards.


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Following this group discussion, students once again formed self-elected smallgroups to record answers to the final focus question:

What things do we need to do for our class concert?

The list was long and detailed but the following is a summary of tasks the classvoted to complete prior to our concert evening:

write invitations

buy/make props

charge admission

make programs

advertise/make posters

practise our acts

organise the lighting

organise or make costumes

These three focus questions formed the basis for planning the concert and

allowed us to develop a timeline.

Students used theirprior knowledge andexperiences tocontribute to

discussions.

write notes/invitations to the parents

set up the stage blocks

have background music

organise the tapes

set up the microphone

make different things to sell

make tickets (on the computer).


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Concert committeesAs a class, we decided that the workload of organising the concert needed tobe shared and that it was important for the concert to be a team effort. The

students identified the concert committees that were required, and volunteeredto be members of different groups. The committees were:

organisation

welcome

music

advertising

program

These committees then met to negotiate roles within the committee, discusstheir tasks, and plan how to complete them.

Evaluating a range of performancesAs a class we viewed a video recording of last years class concert and thestudents were then asked to evaluate the performance individually.

A sample response:

Good things about last years class concert:

everyone in the class was involved everyone worked together how the audience laughed and clapped

we all had fun we put a lot of effort into it.

What we need to improve this year:

a better backdrop standing still on stage talking more clearly.

In general, the students felt that there were far more positives than negatives.Nonetheless, they were still keen to make this years concert bigger and better.

Video clips of other schools performances and Rock n Roll Eisteddfods were

also shown to allow the students to draw comparisons and also to obtainfurther ideas for their own concert.

invitations

lighting

props/backdrop

make-up/costumes

fundraising.

Committee meetings


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Concert itemsgetting startedWe started with a class brainstorm. Many of the students were quick to thinkof items that could be included in the class concert. They have a passion for the

arts and love performing on stage. Because most of the students had alreadybeen actively involved in the schools fortnightly student-run assemblies as wellas drama, music and dance lessons, we discussed previous acts andperformances that had been successful and ideas for new items. We made a listof these and students voted on the types of acts that they wished to include inthe concert. Students then moved into self-elected small groups to makedecisions about which concert items they wished to develop further.

Time was allocated for students to plan their acts, write scripts, and discusscostumes and sets. As a class we looked at examples of scripts, and discussedtheir role in supporting performers, and the ways that they are structured toidentify the speaker and actions easily. We also talked about the kinds of things

that students would need to consider in their planning, such as how and whereto enter and exit the stage, costumes, positions and introductions.


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Students discusswhat is meant by

constructive feedbackand the kind of language that is usedin providingconstructive feedbackto others.

Concert rehearsalsDuring the weeks prior to the concert, daily timeslots were allocated forpractice sessions. These needed to be carefully structured because quite a few

of the students were in numerous concert groupings.On occasions, whole class practices would take place, but at other times,individuals and small groups would develop and work on their performances inthe nearby general purpose room. Accountability was built into this andstudents were asked to share their efforts on a regular basis. Their peers and Iacted as a supportive audience to provide ongoing constructive and positivefeedback and comments.

Some of the students and groups were highly self-motivated and organised,thriving on the opportunity to do their own thing and display their talents. Forother students, however, concert rehearsals became a frustrating exercise, dueto a lack of group leadership, cooperation, input or ideas. These students

needed specific support in working cooperatively and effectively.Quite a few of the students were so keen to work on their acts that theywanted to practise during recess and lunch breaks. As their class teacher, thiswas most heartening to see because the process was entirely student-initiated.The students truly wanted to make the class concert a special occasion andbecause an admission price was being charged, felt that they owed it to theirfamilies, friends and relations, to be as professional as possible.

Class concert predictions and goal setting The students were asked to make at least three predictions with regards to the

class concert and to set themselves two personal goals each. In doing so, thestudents also needed to address how they would be successful.

These tasks ensured that the students remained focused on the end result andwould be prepared. Many realised that it would require a lot of practice andhard work, and I was impressed by their obvious enthusiasm and commitment.


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Actor visitI invited Rosemary Leach, an amateur actor, to speak to the students aboutperformance skills. Prior to her visit, the students had brainstormed many

questions that they wanted to ask on the day, including: If you make a mistake, what is the best thing to do?

Who/what has been your favourite character and why?

How long do you practise your plays?

Rosemary used these as the basis for her talk and spoke to the students aboutthe need for teamwork, and the importance of all roles during a performance.She talked about the language and terms frequently used in drama, andmodelled them throughout her visit. She also highlighted The 5 Ps for being asuccessful actor (namely, Prior Preparation Prevents Poor Performance).

Rosemary brought copies of programs, a folder for our class outlining ways to

improvise costumes/props, performance reviews, photos, and a variety of otheritems. The students were quite captivated by all of these and wanted to know,Are you famous?

Once the discussion and question time had finished, the students were shownsome practical ways in which to enhance their own performances (for example,the use of voice to convey different emotions, improvisation techniques onstage, body movements and characterisations). Rosemary began by askingstudents to form a circle and to introduce themselves using a happy tone.Students then began to experiment using their voice in other ways to conveydifferent feelings.

Rosemary talked about stage presence, and the use of facial expressions,

posture and stance to convey messages. The students practised these in pairs orsmall groups, and then shared their efforts with the whole class. These dramaactivities were a big hit and, on their completion, Rosemary was asked by someof the students if she would review their concert items to provide constructivefeedback.

Rosemarys visit was extremely well received by the students. They all felt thatshe had provided them with a much greater appreciation and insight into whatwas involved in being a successful actor.

Invitations and advertising Two weeks prior to the concert, reminder notes detailing the date and durationof the concert evening were sent home to all families. As a class we alsodiscussed and agreed that every student would write invitations. We talkedabout content for the invitations, the kind of language that could be used andideas for layout. Subsequently, each student designed and wrote personalinvitations for their parents, relatives or special guests of their choosing.

As well as invitations for the evening class concert, each class in the school,staff, and School Council members were invited to our dress rehearsal.

Students consider thetypes of questions thatwill give them the mostinformation.

Assessment criteria for invitations Invitations need toinclude: information about

who, what, when,where and why

positive andenticing language

an attractive coveror design.


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Posters and signs were made to advertise both the dress rehearsal and theconcert. The students decided at a class meeting that the posters needed to:

include information about what (the class concert), when (times/dates),and where (venue)

be colourful

perhaps have a border

have lettering that stood out.

These posters were displayed around theschool, mostly near the front office andthe general purpose room (our concertvenue).

Concert programThe students and I had discussed atlength the final concert format. Wewanted it to flow smoothly, beentertaining, and to balance thedifferent types of acts. Because many ofthe students were in numerous concertitems, special consideration also neededto be given tocostume changes.

Consequently, theconcert items were

written on the whiteboard and reviewedto allow the studentsthe opportunity tosee whether theprogram wasbalanced, andwhether they wouldhave enough time tochange clothes,adjust make-up and

gather props. Theconcert acts were

juggled considerablybut once studentswere happy with theend product, it wasplaced in the handsof the ProgramCommittee to betyped and published.

Making concert posters


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The students andteacher discussedand negotiatedassessment criteria forsuccessful acts. Forexample: speaking clearly

and confidently speaking at an

appropriate volume looking towards the

audience using posture,

stance andexpression to givepresence on stage.

Dress rehearsalPrior to the dress rehearsal, each student had devised a personal list including:

my concert items

what I need for each item.

These proved invaluable for ensuring that students were well prepared andthere were no hiccups on the day.

The rehearsal was videoed so that we could evaluate our performance. Thisvideo/aural feedback helped us to address and rectify particular issues. Theseincluded the need to smile more, minimise fidgeting, speak at an appropriatevolume and exit from the stage correctly.

Following the dress rehearsal, we received letters and cards from differentclasses thanking us for our efforts. Many of the students had gone to greatlengths to illustrate or recount their favourite concert items for us. This fan mailmost definitely helped to enhance the students ever-growing self-concepts andalso, once again, reiterated that the amount of time, energy and effort investedhad been well worth it!

The Big NightConcert guests were warmly welcomed at the venue entrance by severalstudents and then issued with a program. Entry was by donation. Numerousplants, balloons, streamers and Welcome/We hope you enjoy the showposters were used to create a bright and inviting atmosphere.

There was great anticipation and a real buzz in the air. The students were bothexcited and nervous at the same time. They knew that they could do it (asevidenced by the dress rehearsal) but really wanted the nights performance to

be even better.


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There were 26 items in total and the concerts duration was just under an hour.The students had elected not to have an MC but to introduce their own items.These introductions had been scripted by the students, and incorporated as aregular part of our concert rehearsals. They included a brief description of the

act that was to follow.

The acts ran smoothly and the evening proved to be a resounding success. Thestudents exuberance and beaming smiles were proof enough, not to mentionthe fact that we had raised $126.30 for our class camp...a fantastic effort fromour school community.

The Big Night


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Concert follow upOn the Monday morning following our concert performance, the students and Idiscussed at length our concert highlights. Each student also completed a

personal evaluation of the class concert.Sample responses:

How I felt about the concert:

I think that everyone had lots of fun and we all had lots of practice sowe didnt have any big stuff-ups. All the people I invited had heaps offun and would like to watch another concert.

I felt good about doing the New Zealand haka because it made meproud to show people some of the culture of where I come from. Ienjoyed doing the haka.

I felt confident up on stage and I felt good because the audience lovedit!

What I liked best:

I liked how people got to work with people they got along with. I alsoliked all the acts I was in and it was good how we raised $126.30 forour camp.

We all worked together in a friendly way.

Everyone thought it was funny and really good.

All students achieved their personal goals and were also quick to acknowledgepositives in their peers performances. This was most heartening! Written andoral feedback from staff, families and friends was shared. For example:

I would really like to congratulate all of you for the fabulousconcert you put on last Friday evening. It was a credit to all ofyou. You obviously put a lot of time and effort getting theconcert organised. Every one of you gave your best and theitems were top class. Once again, well done and keep up thegood work!

(parent)

As a group, we also discussed the need to acknowledge the assistance andencouragement offered by other people throughout the term with our classconcert. These names were recorded and a thankyou list established. There wasno shortage of volunteers from the class to address this task, and that in itselfsaid a thousand words. The students nominated individual people whom theywished to thank and letters and certificates were drafted and edited beforebeing presented.


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ReflectionThe class concert was a truly memorable and rewarding experience foreveryone involved. For many of the students it will be the highlight of their

school year.As class teacher, I felt that the most significant factor emerging from the weeksof organising and practising, was our sense of oneness. The students and I allshared a common goalour commitment to promoting a positive image forour classroom and school. We worked cooperatively as a team and helped andsupported each other constantly along the way.

The students practised and learnt about theatre skills relating to presentation,costumes, sound accompaniment and scenery. They developed performanceskills and confidence, and were able to plan, prepare and present a successfulconcert.

In closing, I would like to state that for many, if not all of the students, the classconcert will remain a very special memory from their primary schoolingdays...they did indeed, in true theatre style, Break a leg!

2.2 Demonstrates knowledge and skills specific toeach arts form. Chooses appropriate techniquesand technologies to complete work specific to one

arts form or combinations thereof. T C KC1 KC3Examples of evidence include: uses technical elements and technologies to

enhance a role or performance. T C KC2 KC7

2.3 Presents/performs arts works within each arts formto engage and influence a range of audiences/ viewers, using sources of information beyondpersonal experience as inspiration. In T C KC2

Examples of evidence include: performs songs as a group or team to an

audience and reflects on the performance.In T C KC1 KC2 KC4

3.2 Selects, plans and constructs arts works withineach arts form using appropriate combinations ofskills, techniques, processes, conventions andtechnologies. T C KC1 KC3

Examples of evidence include: scripts, rehearses and refines performance and

techniques. Id

Strand Towards Learning Outcomes

Arts practice

Links to the arts Standards

Plan Class Concert Pp86 10.PDF ABORIGINAL IMPORTANT

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