The baby birds have decided they like their snug little nest. Why leave home when it’s so nice and safe right here? During the course of our Primary Production, ‘Wing It!’, on March 3 and 4, our Pre-Kindergarten to Grade 3 students acted as humming hummingbirds, honking geese and more and worked to convince the babies that eventually everyone has to try to fly and make it on their own.

At Albert College (AC), all students from Pre-Kindergarten to Grade 12 participate and engage in artistic instruction and have the opportunity to perform in drama productions and musical shows.

“[The production] provides collaboration opportunities in the primary grades for students,” says Mrs. Kirk, AC’s Grade 1 teacher. “Students with a wide range of abilities and skills are able to experience being in the spotlight and getting out of their own comfort zone to perform in front of an audience.”

As one of the 5 Albert ‘A’s, we truly believe our Arts Program allows students to express their creative side and share their talents outside of the classroom.

“Our students are exposed to many learning opportunities in the Arts, but we don’t often polish our work to a shine,” mused Ms. Paul, AC’s Music Teacher and Director of ‘Wing It!’. “This is what the Primary Players did this winter as they auditioned, prepared and rehearsed for their production. Students can learn a great deal when they work to be audience-ready.”

And our students certainly did learn a lot from the production this year!

“I was excited to get to perform in front of lots of people and try not be scared,” said Stephanie from Grade 2.

Abigail from Grade 2 shared Stephanie’s anticipation, but looked on the positive side saying, “I was most excited about being beside my friend during the play.”

For some students like Neve in Grade 3, though, being a spectator is more up their alley. “Listening to everyone and seeing the play from the edge of the stage was my favourite part,” she said.

“I definitely noticed the excitement revolving around the play,” said Mrs. Kirk. “Students were so excited to share all their hard work with their parents.”

Don’t just take Mrs. Kirk’s word for it, here’s what the students had to say about their involvement.

“I like that our Mom and Dad’s got to come and our teachers worked very hard for us so that they could make it fun.” – Noah, Grade 1

“I was a hummingbird and my favourite part was that my parents came.” – Adara, Grade 1

“I was an owl and I had the first line in the show.” – Rachel, Grade 2

“I was excited about being Sargent Gander, we wore sunglasses and wings. I liked the face paint too… It tickled my nose.” – Harleigh, Grade 3

“I really liked doing the scene with Sargent Gander (Harleigh) and I liked how my costume was really, really fluffy and that I was older than all the other birds.” – Gillian, Grade 3

In the primary years, students learn how to sing in tune, using good tone and diction. They also learn about stage presence and how to deal with the nervous energy and fear that can arise from performance situations.

“Through diligent preparation, students learn how to be prepared for these experiences,” says Ms. Paul. “They can overcome apprehension in order to experience success. There is truly no substitute for a live audience and real-time risk taking. For this reason, our students from Pre-Kindergarten to Grade 6 will always be involved in one or more live performances each year.”

Learn more about our Arts Program at albertcollege.ca/albert-as/arts.

Parents, see more photos on Vidigami