The Arts and Music

Creative learning encourages an exploration and understanding of the world where students develop their imaginations, build skills in observation, problem solving and collaboration and learn to express themselves through image, sound and movement.

Sunshine Harvester Primary School students enjoy a vibrant Arts Program which centres on the visual arts curriculum, and includes Music, Drama, and Dance. Students are encouraged to develop curiosity in, and freely express themselves through the arts by exploring and experimenting with a range of ideas, processes, materials, tools and techniques. The emphasis is on discovery and experiential learning to build their imaginations and a deeper understanding of the world around them.

The visual arts studio offers drawing, collage, painting, printmaking, construction, clay modelling, fibre and textiles. Students explore artists, designers, art movements and creative communities that link with current inquiry themes being investigated in their classrooms. Students also develop an understanding of, and experiment with visual language, e.g. colour, value, line, space, form, texture and shape through sustained creative projects. Students regularly exhibit and display their work on our Art Gallery Wall which provides opportunities for rich discussions, peer review and reflection.

The program benefits from the dynamic cultural influences of Melbourne’s creative communities with artist-run workshops and programs. Over the last two years students have participated in the Australian Ballet’s Outreach & Education Programs through a series of dance workshops culminating in school performances.

Art Club is a popular weekly lunchtime initiative that promotes student wellbeing through the arts. It is an inclusive space where students come to explore, play, collaborate and make what they want whilst also building meaningful social connections.

Music  Every two weeks, students from Years F to 6 share a music class under the guidance of Mark who has been a professional drummer/percussionist for 30 years, and also plays guitar, ukulele and piano. Music classes are about more than just playing instruments and singing songs. The program also helps develop cohesion and cooperation between students. Mark takes the children on a musical adventure, tracing the history and styles of music around the world. They experience music from Africa, Brazil, Jamaica and America as well as popular modern music, through percussion, music, song and dance. Mark loves to watch the children's faces when they achieve something musically for the first time.

We also have a weekly lunchtime 'Song Club' for those children who love to sing and perform, and 'Rock Band' for Year 5 and 6 students who perform at Year 6 graduation and other events towards the end of each year.