Seventh Graders Showcase Musical Theater

The class of 2030 demonstrated all they had learned about musical theater in a recent showcase of their emergent talents.

Music teachers Rob Denien and Christian Jackson have been implementing a unit on musical theater, helping students pay attention to how actors use their bodies, voices and gestures, along with sets and costumes, to create theatrical experiences that felt like much more than the sum of their parts. 

To provide an opportunity for students to show what they had learned, teachers assigned musical numbers to groups based on their learning section, peer group and personal abilities. In the classes that followed, student groups collaborated in learning their music and lyrics, layering in the drama and movement and considering the ideal costumes to make their scenes dynamic and memorable.

Importantly, this unit also encouraged students to develop their individual voice and presence, pushing them to explore the limits of their vulnerability in front of their peers. Each student had at least one solo during their group’s song and at least one spoken line during the group’s scene. 

Students performed their final pieces for one another as part of a Musical Theater Showcase organized by teachers, who reminded students of the importance of an engaged audience. Each group took introduced their scene and combined forces with their peers to perform their 7th grade hearts out for a range of potential honors and awards the teachers had devised.

Students performed selections from Annie, Guys and Dolls, The Sound of Music, Fiddler on the Roof and more. Choreography ranged from simple to complex, and costuming from basic to ornate, but the passion and energy exhibited by all participating students was undeniable.

Enjoy photos from the performances here.