This week all students in the Junior School took part in a collaborative Art and Music project called Behind the Mask, providing a highly engaging, informative and fun finish to Term 3.

Activities for each year level were focused on one of three regions around the world – The Americas, Africa and Oceania.

In The Music Room

In Music classes, the students responded to songs, chants and dances from their allocated region, exploring meaning and interpretation, music elements and forms, and social and cultural contexts of the music.

Prep – Year 2 students looked at the Oceania region, learning a Maori gathering song and dance called Epo I Tai Tia É. After watching a Maori stick passing song the girls loved composing their own complex stick patterns to accompany the song, using sticks from their local park or back garden.

The Year 3 students looked at the Americas region, learning an Iroquois Native American lullaby and three Native American blessings. River stones and sticks were used to enhance the experience as we discovered the strong link between music and nature for this Indigenous group.

Our Year 4 students focused on Jamaica, learning calypso style songs and percussive activities so typical of this region. The songs provided a great opportunity for the students to explore concepts of syncopation in their rhythm work and music literacy. This work concluded with a calypso song called Janie Mama, that offered the opportunity to sing in canon, providing beautiful vocal harmonies.

The Upper Primary classes engaged in activities from the African region. A choral expert from Colorado, Martina Richardson, introduced a traditional African call and response song called Senzenina, via video. The girls also experienced some of the music of South African musician and songwriter, Valanga Khoza, who now resides right here in Melbourne.

The whole Barbreck activity – Music and Art collaboration ‘Behind the Mask’ was welcomed by students and teachers, enabling rich learning across the curriculum and year levels. The opportunity to learn about important role masks play in a community, both culturally and spiritually, through watching, listening, discussing and making, was embraced by all the Junior School artists.

In The Art Room

The Barbreck virtual Art room has provided students with opportunities to draw on their resourcefulness and problem-solving techniques. These are skills which are fostered and encouraged during art making and creating. Tasks were developed to encourage independent student research and thinking to create a mask design reflecting their understanding of the culture.

They explored the design elements and principles used in the making of the masks, their decorations and embellishments. Learning about how different cultures around the world create and make their masks using materials sourced from their environment proved to be an enriching outcome and an important influence on the final student designs. A two-dimensional design using home-made or traditional art materials was developed with a three-dimensional element using locally sourced organic objects for embellishments.

We discussed the fact that our mask designs were not to wear. A deeper understanding of the importance of being respectful of others’ beliefs was initiated by the young artists and openly discussed between student groups.

Isabelle – “We don’t want to laugh at each other wearing spiritual masks. That would be making fun of other people’s beliefs.”

The artist we looked at for further inspiration was Romuald Hazoume, from Benin in Africa. Students were fascinated by his use of recycled oil containers and found objects he used to create his African inspired mask artworks.

Prep – 2 classes learnt about the Maori people. They were fascinated by the decorations and embellishments used that were endemic to New Zealand and the local timbers skilfully carved to mirror the facial tattoos of the warriors.

Year 3 students explored the Iroquois people of North America. They learnt about the masks worn during the spiritual gatherings and their significance in the communities, with regards to health and horticulture.

Year 4 focused their learning on the Jamaican people of the Caribbean region of the Americas. They learnt about the festivals and large gatherings of decorative masked dancers and performers telling stories influenced by African ancestors.

Years 5 – 6 explored the Zulu traditions influencing their mask making. Students learnt about the three very different reasons for their masks and looked more closely at the design elements and principles used in their design.

In addition to the Art and Music classes, students participated in three cross-age activities. Our Reporters for The Arts – Chloe Thomas and Ava Murray led us through an informative slide show presentation at the Junior School Assembly on Wednesday. Great fun was had by all who attended the ‘Masked Masterpieces’ game at the weekly Junior School lunchtime Art Club. Those involved in the Breakfast with Epstein Singing Series welcomed choral expert, Lyn Richardson as their ‘live’ online guest. Ms Richardson taught the girls a song she had composed about wearing a mask, called ‘A Better Day,’ providing a humorous end to our Term 3 Online Choral Series.

As the Behind the Mask project unfolded, the positive energy and interaction that occurred between students during the Art and Music sessions, produced a level of creativity and connection that far surpassed our expectations.

Congratulations to all Barbreck Students and Staff. What a week!