For Upper Grades: A Collection of Performance Ideas for School Arts and Learning Presentations That Inspire Tears and Laughter
Upper elementary school students are at an age where they can independently showcase the results of their daily learning at school arts festivals and presentations.
Not only music and choir, but also new performances that highlight each class’s unique character are gaining attention.
Here, we introduce ideas that upper graders can enjoy working on together.
There are plenty of options that make use of expressive skills, such as dance, acrobatics, and acting.
Value the ideas discussed in your class and come up with a unique performance.
Work together creatively and make wonderful, unforgettable memories!
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For Upper Grades: A Collection of Performance Ideas for School Arts and Learning Presentations That Inspire Tears and Laughter (51–60)
puppet show
One way to present a story is through puppetry.
While it’s similar to theater in that you perform roles, its distinctive feature is literally manipulating puppets while providing the voices.
Another highlight of puppetry is that you can enjoy the process of making the puppets.
Imagining the characters’ appearances from the story and creating the puppets stimulates your imagination.
It also brings out originality, which naturally fosters attachment and will likely make your performance more passionate.
Including the choice of which story to perform, have a lively discussion together.
Dance with everyone
As expected, it’s truly moving to see the children come alive and express themselves with their whole bodies at the school arts festival.
So how about taking on a dance performance from a slightly different angle than a sports day—adding thoughtful costumes and direction? If you color it with plenty of ideas and inspiration, it will surely help energize the festival! It’s also great to dance to songs the students love or music they feel close to.
If everyone can be involved from the planning and preparation stages, the performance itself will be all the more moving!
drama
How about teaming up with your friends and trying a play that makes full use of the stage? Whether it’s a story from your textbook or an original script that expands on a free-flowing idea, let’s create the kind of theater each of you envisions.
To ensure everyone gets a proper moment to shine, it’s a good idea to adjust elements like the number of roles and lines.
Even if you’re working from an existing script, it could be fun to incorporate lines that reflect school life so you can really captivate your audience.
chorus
The classic “chorus” for a school performance requires almost no materials, and with simple, steady practice you can achieve high quality.
It’s a presentation that clearly showcases the children’s efforts to audiences of all ages.
It’s also nice that there’s no limit on the number of participants.
If you think just singing isn’t interesting enough, why not add some originality by creating choreography for everyone or coordinating costumes?
[For Upper Grades] A Collection of Performance Ideas for School Plays and Presentations That Inspire Tears and Laughter (61–70)
ensemble
“Ensemble performances” are a staple at school arts festivals and the like.
Since these are cultural presentations, ensembles may be the most well-received attraction.
Students often handle keyboard harmonicas and recorders, but the other instruments in the music room are appealing too.
They can experience a wide range of sounds and learn playing techniques and the differences between tones.
It helps develop a sense of rhythm and pitch, and above all, it lets the students engage lively and enjoyably.
Wouldn’t it be wonderful if going to the music room every day became something to look forward to?
Japanese taiko drum
Taiko drums are perfect for showing off a cool side with powerful sound—proving you’re not the same as you were back in kindergarten or preschool! Through performing, kids build their bodies and develop a sense of rhythm, making it ideal for lower elementary grades who are still growing.
Since it’s an instrument that isn’t often covered in regular music classes, it also helps build cultural knowledge.
It’s a great idea to give students chances to play different kinds of drums—large drums, small drums, and ones carried while performing.
Let’s play energetically with all our might and give Mom and Dad a big surprise!
Calligraphy performance
How about doing a calligraphy performance on a large sheet of poster paper, along with words of gratitude to your parents, teachers, and friends? You can use a regular brush, but using a large performance brush lets you write bold, oversized characters that make a strong impact and are easy for a big audience to see.
You can write anything you like on the paper, but consider writing your class or grade’s goals, or a message you want to convey to the audience.
Performing with music playing is also recommended!
