Performing Arts across the College
29 July 2011
I believe arts education in music theatre, dance and the visual arts is one of the most creative ways we have to find gold that is buried just beneath the surface. Children have an enthusiasm for life, a spark of creativity and vivid imaginations that needs training- training that prepares them to become confident young men and women.
Richard W Riley, Former US Secretary of Education
The performing arts across the College have a well deserved reputation for producing outstanding performances in concerts, plays and musical productions. The number of productions and the numbers of students involved each year says a great deal about how the arts are valued at Wesley.
David Prest, Principal of Wesley for 20 years, spanning the 1970s through to the 1990s, greatly encouraged the arts and allowed Wesley to be one of the first Associated Public Schools to award colours in the arts, in parallel with the historic sports colours. An experience in the performing arts provides students with a rich environment in which to learn and grow. Performance requires students to think and interpret rather than just memorise. Students learn discipline and in a variety of ways live out the words of the Wesley mission statement. Learning to know, Learning to do, Learning to live with and Learning to be, are obvious to all involved in the creation of a campus musical or major concert. Students are challenged to learn lines or a musical piece, walk in someone else’s shoes via a script or score, as well as work within a team environment with a very public outcome. The scope for maturing as a person and a learner is something that attracts students across the year levels and encourages a pool of talented staff as conductors, directors, choreographers to devote enormous amounts of time after hours to foster student talent.
There are multiple productions at the bigger campuses. Both Glen Waverley and St Kilda Road campuses host five major productions a year. The St Kilda Road Music Festival, the Autumn Soiree at Elsternwick and the Years 5, 6 and 7 musical of A Midsummer Night’s Dream at Glen Waverley have already provided highlights across the College. There is rarely a week that goes by without a musical performance or competition or a weekend in which Fitchett, Cato or Adamson Halls are not being used for rehearsals for an upcoming play or musical.
In the next month, all three campuses will be running major musical productions. Kiss Me Kate at St Kilda Road, Twelfth Night at Glen Waverley and Pirates of Penzance at Elsternwick, are all eagerly anticipated by the three communities respectively. In fact, many students and staff travel between the campuses to support friends and colleagues. There is no doubt that the rich offerings in the performing arts and student theatre enrich our community and promote an enhanced engagement with school.
I encourage you all to celebrate and support the efforts of those involved to ensure that the performing arts remain at the core of Wesley College.
