Published on: 22 June 2017

This Tuesday our entire Year 5 cohort performed at the biennial Independent Primary School Heads of Australia (IPSHA) Performing Arts Festival held at the Perth Convention and Exhibition Centre. The festival held over two nights provides the opportunity for hundreds of primary aged children, from independent schools, to perform on ‘the big stage’ in front of over 5000 audience members.

Our boys performed a piece written by Kaboom Percussion, thanks to a grant from the Parents’ Association, that involved every boy in Year 5. The performance was full of boy energy and enthusiasm and the boys did the School proud.

I have been involved with this festival for over 12 years and what always strikes me is the participation of boys in co-ed environments. Big schools, with a large number of students often have only a handful of boys performing. We had over one hundred! My sincere thanks to Mr Ryan Dawson and Miss Jasmine Jeffs for their incredible work getting the boys on stage on Tuesday.

We will often speak of the whole boy and the whole experience and I believe you are not educating the whole boy without an arts experience, something that Christ Church do extremely well.

From a study by Adam Grant, University of Pennsylvania:
Relative to typical scientists, Nobel Prize winners are 22 times more likely to perform as actors, dancers or magicians; 12 times more likely to write poetry, plays or novels; seven times more likely to dabble in arts and crafts; and twice as likely to play an instrument or compose music. No one is forcing these luminary scientists to get involved in artistic hobbies.

Next term a tour of the Senior School is available for Year 6 boys and parents. Every year we run a series of events designed to assist the Year 6 boys in their transition to Year 7 and the Senior School campus. Events include a lunch for the boys with the Head of the Senior School, an information session for parents and a Senior School experience where the boys participated in Science and Design and Technology classes. Please book your place on the tour here.

Richard Wright
Head of the LW Parry Preparatory School