At Assumption School we value the Fine Arts. We believe that taking part in Arts activities is crucial for the aesthetic and cultural development of our children. The benefits of a good arts education are many – improved confidence, improved self-esteem, enhanced sense of community and even improved math performance. But the arts are valuable in their own right – they teach us to appreciate beauty, to feel deeply, to know what it is to be human.
As a school we have the opportunity to provide arts experiences for our children that are designed especially for them and at a greatly reduced cost. We want to take advantage of these opportunities and make them as convenient and affordable as possible. To that end, we are asking you to pay a “Fine Arts Fee” for the year. We will use the monies collected to book world class performers to come and perform at our school. We have prepared an exciting slate of activities for this year!
Planned performances and programs for this year are:
Green Thumb Theatre – Not So Dumb; Tiny Islands – Jazzology; 4 Hip Hop Dance Lessons and Mini-/Concert; Story Theatre Company – Rhymes, Reason and Rascals; Jacky Essombe – Singing Africa!
Music Program
Each grade at Assumption School receives a minimum of two, thirty-minute classes of music instruction each week. The students learn to sing, dance, and play the soprano recorder as well as pitched and non-pitched percussion instruments. For the most part, music instruction follows the Orff Approach to Music Education.
What is Orff?
Carl Orff (1895-1982) is probably best known as the composer of such works as Carmina Burana and Catulli Carmina, but it is his work with “Music for Children” which has inspired a global movement in music education.
The Orff approach to Music Education is holistic, experiential and process oriented. It is for all children, not just the most musically or intellectually gifted. It is a structured, sequential development of knowledge and skills, which encourages joyful participation, creativity, and personal musical growth from all participants. Children learn through doing, exploring and improvising. They are active participants in an integrated, guided process, one which allows for differing musical abilities. In the Orff approach, no child is neglected.
The Orff philosophy combines the elements of speech, rhythm, movement, dance, and song. And at the heart of all this is improvisation—the instinct children have to create their own melodies, to explore their imaginations.
Choirs – Primary and Intermediate
Assumption School offers an optional choir program for both primary and intermediate students. Our Primary Choir practices once a week during school time. The Intermediate Choir involves an early morning choir practice as well as one in-school practice each week. Students not in Choir remain with classroom teachers, regrouped with students from other grades and are involved in Fine Arts Activities.
The Liturgy Choir – Assumption Singers
Assumption Singers is a group of students who lead the singing for the Parish Community twice a month during the year and also for the First Communion, Confirmation, and Grade 7 Farewell Masses.
Concerts and Performances
The students are given many opportunities to perform for each other and for their families and friends. One year, we prepare a Christmas Concert involving the whole school and then a Spring Talent Show, which highlights the talents of our students from Grades 3 to 7. The following year we prepare a non-musical Christmas event and then a Spring musical and/or drama production the next. Our productions involve all of our students and everyone – students, all staff, and parents – works together enthusiastically to ensure their success. Assumption School is very proud of our accomplishments in musical theatre
Band
Assumption School offers an extra-curricular band program for Grade 6 & 7 students. The goal of the band program is to introduce the students to playing a band instrument in a group setting. Grade 6 students learn the basics of their instrument and performance, while the Grade 7 program builds on the previous year’s knowledge. Each band rehearses twice weekly. The instruments offered include flute, clarinet, saxophone, trumpet, baritone, trombone and percussion. Both bands perform in our Christmas and Spring concerts, playing a variety of music that includes classical, jazz, march and pop genres.