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Performing Arts

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Performing Arts

TARA GIRLS ARE

Renowned Performers

Tara girls are renowned for their Performing Arts abilities. Every year the calendar includes a variety of performance events that are exceptional in their quality. These include music ensemble performances such as Senior Choir, Tara Singers, TarAcapella, Concert Band, Axis Wind Ensemble, Chamber Orchestra, String Quartets and Handbells or a full scale drama production such as a stage play or musical theatre extravaganza.

Performing Arts Program

Extraordinary Opportunities

Students in the Performing Arts at Tara take academic studies in the subjects of Music and Drama. They enjoy a rich program of classroom experiences, supplemented by an ever expanding cocurricular program.  Tara students have embraced the numerous opportunities presented to them both in the classroom, in the theatre, the stage and on the set.

All students at Tara are offered the chance to experience the extraordinary opportunities and possibilities of drama, dance and music performance in a range of academic, co and extra curricular performance contexts.

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At Tara, we place great importance on participating in the Performing Arts, giving girls the chance to discover the joys of music, song and dance, to enjoy the unique camaraderie of a cast or ensemble and to gain confidence by performing in front of an audience.

PAST TARA PRODUCTIONS

Past Tara productions have included:
Matilda the Musical
Back to the 80s

Oliver!
High School Musical
The Pajama Game
Me and My Girl
Beauty and the Beast
Godspell
Oklahoma!

The Sound of Music

PAST CO-PRODUCTIONS

Year 11 girls are also offered the opportunity to perform in co productions with The King's School. Past co-productions include:
Shrek the Musical
School of Rock
Mamma Mia
Grease
The Producers
We Will Rock You
A Fleeting Night’s Dream
The Addams Family
Jesus Christ Superstar
Hairspray
Xanadu
Little Shop of Horrors
The Pirates of Penzance
The Gondoliers
The Mikado
My Fair Lady
Fiddler on the Roof

Top Performances

HSC and Awards

Tara girls enjoy and excel in the performing arts and each year study Drama and/or Music for their HSC, often achieving honours by selection for 'ENCORE' and 'OnSTAGE' which showcase the top performances from students across the state.

Further Opportunities

Tara Enrichment Centre

Tara's teachers recognise, nurture, assess and ultimately inspire each student to give to an audience a rewarding performance.

Find out more information on additional performing arts activities students can undertake at Tara. 

Music

At Tara we take great pride in our acclaimed music program and dynamic music scholarships

The Music Department at Tara is led by dedicated and caring staff who are committed to their students’ music education and holistic development.

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Tara students are talented, accomplished and keen to pursue and develop their musical abilities and potential. International performance tours are offered with the most recent European tour of London, Berlin, Prague and Salzburg being a resounding success.

Senior School Music in Years 7 and 8 (mandatory course) employs a hands on approach, with girls participating in Orff based Xylophone work in Year 7, and the learning of acoustic guitar in Year 8. Performance, Composition and Listening components are interwoven in a differentiated and often ensemble based framework.

Elective Music is offered in Years 9 and 10, with students extending and developing their musical skills, knowledge and experience. The use of technology and a variety of music software, including Sibelius, Musition, Auralia, Soundtrap and the MusicEDU Suite of e-learning programs are integrated features of our program. Music 1, Music 2 and Music Extension are each offered in the Senior School years.

Students have various opportunities to develop, enrich and showcase their learning through events such as Music Showcase evenings, School assemblies, Chapel music accompaniments, and many performances and presentations.

There is a rich variety of musical styles at Tara. From weekly Chapel and assemblies to the House Choral Competition, musical ensembles, and the entire School community singing of 'The School Blessing', music plays a vital role in our School culture.

Girls studying music have a number of opportunities available to them. Many workshops beyond the wider Tara community are a part of our educational calendar including Australian Music days, workshops at neighbouring schools, colleges and Universities. Educational opportunities include the ‘Meet the Music’ subscription series by the Sydney Symphony Orchestra at the Opera House.

International study and performance tours are offered every few years, with the most recent European Choral Tour a resounding success.

A School Musical for Years 7-10 is produced biannually, alternating with Junior School productions. Tara has an ongoing calendar of theatrical events encouraging participation of girls at all Year levels. The large scale 7-10 Musical every two years provides the cast with the experience of rehearsing together over a number of months in order to present a spectacular show. Girls in Year 11 audition to participate in The King’s School and Tara annual musical production. This is a popular and highly anticipated event.

A Music scholarship program is offered each year for girls entering Year 7. Please visit the scholarship page for more information.

DRAMA

Tara girls experience Drama in the formal learning environment of integrated lessons in Stage 4 and elective Drama from Years 9-12

All Tara girls are encouraged to explore their theatrical talents and creativity through many cocurricular opportunities.

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The Drama teaching staff at Tara are highly experienced educators and theatre practitioners who are committed to providing Tara students with a positive, fulfilling and engaging experiences in the Drama classroom. Drama is a practical subject where girls explore by doing and experimenting in a safe environment. The well equipped Tara Theatre and adjoining Movement Room are used as fluid teaching spaces where girls can move easily from being an actor on stage to an audience member. 

Girls can study Drama as an elective subject in Year 9 and Year 10. This Stage 5 Course involves students in holistic learning through: Making Drama by using improvisation and play building to explore imagined situations; Performing Drama incorporating scripted and devised work that employs a variety of techniques and different dramatic forms and styles; Appreciating Drama as a way of reflecting on the human experience and engaging with the inner personal world and the external world that is revealed through drama and theatre of both the past and present. The Year 10 Drama class also present a class play as part of their learning and development as dramatists. Tara girls are provided with various opportunities to watch professional theatre shows on excursions and to participate in externally provided workshops at School.

In Year 11 and Year 12 girls study Drama as a 2 Unit subject for the HSC. This Stage 6 Course provides opportunities for students to develop a range of skills and to also concentrate on areas of personal interest through their practical study of acting, directing and production. As part of their study the Year 11 Drama class stage high quality plays. Past productions include Our Town, The House of Bernada Alba, Dinkum Assorted, Running Up A Dress, Beyond The Neck and Toxic. The study of Australian Drama and Theatre is a core component along with a selection of other significant styles of theatre and dramatic traditions.

This is a skills based improvisation format where girls form teams and compete in a number of devised games. The School has had great success in the Theatresports Schools Challenge Grand Finals and the All Girls Theatresports Competition. Theatresports increases the students’ confidence, listening skills and teamwork, as well as strengthening their problem solving abilities and creative thinking, all in a vibrant, fun and supportive environment.

Opportunities also arise involving our girls representing the School in drama and theatre.