Sturt Street Community School
Sturt Street Community School is an early learning centre catering for children from birth to 8 years of age and is located in the city. The site has been operating for four years and prin 2007 had 130 pre-school to Year 3 students from a wide range of cultural and economic backgrounds. Some students live locally but most travel from other suburbs with their parents who work or study in the city. As a result the school has limited parent involvement in class programs but considerable involvement in governance. Sturt St Community School has ties with community groups including the Greek Community, Patch Theatre Company and the Adelaide City Council Local Community Centre.
PROJECT COORDINATOR: Lyn Long
ARTIST: Jodie Ensor, Robyn Henwood and DaDa Ni
PROJECT: ‘A Journey through the Arts of our Earth’ – a multi-arts project
Aims:
- For all students (birth to 8 years old), staff and local community members to work with practicing local artists, gain skills and increase their knowledge of pottery, Aboriginal art and drumming (percussion), as well as associated historical and cultural background.
- To further enhance and enrich our visual and performing arts program.
- To work closely with school and local community members and perform at school and local community events.
- Inspire our students to further develop an interest in one or all the arts represented in the project.
- Increase a sense of pride, identity and involvement of our students, particularly our Aboriginal and African students and their families.
- Older students gain skills they can share with and mentor younger students.
- Increase skills of teaching staff to provide an ongoing program in pottery, Aboriginal art and percussion.
- Strengthen links and relationship between our school, artists and local community for future projects.
The Artist:
Jodie Ensor is the founder of Mad Drum Australia, a local business providing percussion and drum-making workshops. She feels rewarded in having had the opportunity to build a business that provides a positive, creative atmosphere for young artistic people through which they are able to share their talents with the community.
Dada Nii is a professional drummer, singer and dancer from Ghana, West Africa. He has introduced hundreds of children across the UK and Australia to the joys of West African culture using traditional instruments, rhythms, songs and stories. His energy and passion for his culture, and his love of teaching, shine through in all of his performances.
The Process:
- Studio visit (handle clay, wet skins, watch a potter on a wheel and all students had a turn on the potters wheel, saw the kiln, watched the painting and decorating of drums and played a simple rhythm on the drums)
- Talk on history and use of pottery
- Informal hands on sessions
- Making clay drums
- Making a design for drums and painting them
- Listening to and learning to play African beats and rhythms, including story telling and information about Africa.
- Rehearse for and perform at a large community gathering.
Outcomes:
- Students worked with a variety of artists practicing different art forms from a diverse range of cultural backgrounds.
- Students had an opportunity for “hands on” experiences to make, decorate and use a percussion instrument.
- Students performed for a large community function.
- We built relationships with a variety of artists, and students became familiar with a variety of art forms which they now recognise.
- A sense of pride and motivation was seen in our African and Indigenous students.
- Skills learnt in this project can continue to be used and enriched in our arts programs.
- Older students also performed for younger students.
Highlights:
- We have an ongoing music program at our school and DaDa Ni was very impressed with how quickly our students pick up the rhythms and beats and worked together for the performance.
- A child with autism spent a long time with his design and produced a great design on his drum that he was very proud of.
- A child with learning difficulties had an excellent sense of rhythm and was selected to dance as the others played the African beat. He did this with confidence and pride in front of a large audience.
- Children were fascinated with the visit to the studio and very excited that they had an opportunity to make a musical instrument from scratch and then play it in a performance for parents and community members.
- Some children who normally find it difficult to engage and persist with task were really motivated and engaged in the drumming beats and “hands on” making.
‘It’s amazing how loud our drums are… The beat is cool when we play our drums… I looked at home at all the things at home that are made using pottery, like the toilet.’ Students
‘Students have become more aware of making connections with other things in their lives made from clay.’ Project Coordinator
130 students participated in this project
