Get Ready to ‘Take the Stage’ this Winter School Holidays

Are you figuring out how to keep your children occupied indoors during the wet and chilly winter school holidays? School holidays should be fun – regardless of the season! That’s why we’re excited to be back for another year of our ASPA Education ‘Take the Stage’ Holiday Program. Keep your kids active these Winter Holidays with two jam-packed days filled with performing arts. For those who are new to the arts or unfamiliar with our ‘Take the Stage’ School Holiday Program, we’ve broken down what two days of singing, dancing, and acting looks like.

What is ‘Take the Stage’ about?

‘Take the Stage’ holiday program caters to all levels and abilities. Whether your child is brand new to the performing arts or an experienced young artist, there is always plenty to learn. At ‘Take The Stage’ we create a safe learning environment – where children are encouraged to be themselves, explore their creativity, make friends, take risks, and have fun! Children are placed in either the junior or senior group and our instructors tailor the program to suit the needs of each age group.

“Our instructors are experienced in connecting kids of different abilities and ages. They’re able to set up a safe space for kids to explore, try new things and build confidence through the performing arts” – Sally Gawley, ASPA Education Manager

The senior groups have four key sessions over the two days, which focus on singing, dancing, drama, and theatre skills. During these sessions, they work with an ASPA education instructor who specialises in each field – although most of our instructors are all-rounders!

The junior groups also learn singing, dancing, drama, and theatre skills, however, these lessons are broken down into shorter bite-sized sessions. For consistency and pastoral care, the junior groups work with the same Instructor and Assistant across both days to ensure they feel comfortable and supported. We acknowledge that many of our juniors aren’t used to long days of performance-based activities, that’s why we’ve also included some more relaxed sessions such as mindfulness and craft to break up the day.

“Each time our daughter enrols for the Holiday Program, the Concert is highly anticipated as we are always keen to witness her performance and witness the joy on her face when she’s on stage.  Overall, it was very well coordinated and the concert was executed smoothly. Well done!” – Lynn, VIC Parent

All content in both age groups is based on a theme as this helps to link the different performing arts disciplines. The theme will be revealed on the first morning of the program, so there is no need to do any preparation! Some examples of previous themes have included: under the sea, circus, science fiction, the environment, and friendship.

Singing

Each singing session will begin with a vocal warm-up, which includes a range of exercises that aim to prepare the body and voice to sing from a supported place. The participants in the senior program will also learn about vocal techniques and terminology. The session will then focus on learning a song that will be performed for parents at the Showcase Concert on the final day. Research shows that singing in a choir helps children keep calm, self-regulate and allows them to be exposed to new music and cultures. We aim for our singing sessions to be educational, fun and encourage students to walk away with an increased sense of confidence.

“Content was fun and appropriate and gave lots of kids a chance to perform” – Jayde, VIC Parent

Dance

Dance sessions will be run similarly to our singing sessions, as each dance session will begin with a physical warm-up. Participants will learn a choreographed routine that they will perform in the Showcase Concert. While learning this choreography they will be exposed to dance terminology, basic dance techniques, and dance fundamentals such as body awareness.

“Participants will walk away with new performance skills so they can shine confidently on the stage. We also aim to develop social skills, so they can make new friends along the way.” – Tash Findlay, ASPA Program Administrator and Instructor

Drama

Drama sessions are created around each group’s theme and are focused on skill acquisition and development. Participants will practice improvisation, listening and responding to other actors, and making bold creative offers. These skills are transferable to everyday life and teach children how to become confident, quick thinkers who can express their emotions and work in a team. The senior groups will also have the opportunity to work on scene development skills, which are the building blocks for when they progress into working on a structured narrative piece.

“The kids all looked like they had fun. It was impressive to see what they came up with in 2 days!” – Lizzi, WA Parent

Showcase Concert

We believe that presenting a performance is very important as it provides participants with the opportunity to put their new skills into action. Parents will be invited to watch the Showcase Concert, which will be held in the afternoon on the final day of the program. This will be a fun, informal opportunity to see what your child has been working on.

With the arts becoming less of a priority in many Australian schools, ‘Take The Stage’ provides an opportunity for children to immerse themselves in the wonderful world of performing arts, and experience the endless well-being, social and physical benefits that come with it. We hope to see you there!