The Arts

The Arts offers ways to learn about the world that are different to spoken and written language. When students engage with the Arts, as artists and as audience, they use listening and seeing, gesture, movement and space to make meaning. In each of the Arts, students develop an expressive ‘language’ with which to represent their observations of the world and their response to experiences. The building blocks of that language are the Arts elements that are combined, according to particular design ‘rules’ or principles, so as to express particular feelings and ideas, just as words are  combined into sentences using the rules of grammar to communicate particular meaning.Through Dance, Drama, Media, Music and Visual Art we express and communicate what it is to be human and we develop, share and pass on understandings of our histories, our cultures, our worlds and ourselves to future generations. The Arts provide students the opportunity to gain particular knowledge, skills and dispositions that contribute to their development and wellbeing.At Waterford West State School, visual arts, drama, and media are integrated throughout the classroom curriculum. Music is a specialised subject area. Students in Prep to Year 6 attend one-hour music lessons each week. Music lessons incorporate elements of music, dance and drama. Dance is also offered to our students during lunchtime. This program is facilitated through Creative Dance Industries and is funded by the school.