Performing arts is an essential component of the FMS curriculum. Starting with primary aged children (3-6 years old) through middle school, all students participate in weekly performing arts classes. Movement, singing, body percussion, steady beat, tempos and melody are woven into the interactive classes for the primary and kindergarten aged classes. Dance and drama take on greater significance in the elementary and middle school classes. Breathing techniques, annunciation, projection, role-playing, voice, pitch, and rhythm are explored in depth as the students become empowered through this creative self-expression.
Every spring, the FMS community is entertained by a Broadway Jr. musical put on by a dedicated cast. All upper elementary and middle school students (4th – 8th grade) are welcome to audition in the with rehearsals starting in January. Some students prefer to work behind the scenes; while others are given opportunities to run lights, do sound, or help create scenery and props. The school musical not only showcases individual talents, but it also creates a collaborative and enriching experience for the students who participate thereby building confidence in the power of their own voice and the synergistic results of working together. We have recently enjoyed such crowd-pleasers as “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory” and “Peter Pan.”
Grade level performances are rotated on a biannual basis with half the school doing a show one year, and the remaining half doing a performance the following year. Musicals are selected to complement the history or cultural component of the Montessori curriculum, thus solidifying knowledge of historical facts through song and dance.
