Performing Arts

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.

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.

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.