This week at ABIS, our Performing Arts classes transitioned into an exciting month of Drama and Digital Composition. In observance of the month of Ramadan, our studios have traded loud instruments for the power of silence, physical expression, and atmospheric digital soundscapes.
From our youngest learners in KG to our Grade 6 digital creators, students are discovering that you don’t need music to tell a powerful story.
Early Years & Grade 1: Animal Adventures
Our KG1, KG2, and Grade 1 students explored “The Physical Actor.” This week’s focus was Animal Adventures, where students learned how to use “weight” and “speed” (Tempo) to create characters.
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The Magic Box: We began with a silent warm-up, pulling “invisible” animals out of a heavy mimed box.
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Heavy vs. Light: Students transformed into heavy, stomping elephants (focusing on muscle tension) and light, airy butterflies (moving on tiptoes).
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The Animal Forest: The studio became a silent forest where half the class acted as frozen trees while the other half navigated the space as animals.
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Bilingual Connection: We practiced identifying these animals and movements in both English and Arabic.
Grades 2, 3, & 4: The Master of Mime
In the middle primary years, students have been diving deep into the Art of Mime. Without using a single word, students are learning to “visualize” the invisible. They practiced physicalizing everyday objects—opening heavy doors, climbing invisible ladders, and even eating invisible Iftar meals!
This unit is a fantastic way for our EAL students to build confidence, as it relies entirely on physical literacy and universal body language rather than vocal fluency.
Grade 5: Soundscapes for Media
Grade 5 has started a sophisticated interdisciplinary unit connecting Photography to Sound. Students took images from their photography portfolios and asked: “What does this photo sound like?”
Using GarageBand, they began composing atmospheric soundscapes. This week, we explored the Sampler tool, where students recorded “found sounds” (tapping desks, rustling bags) to correlate with the textures in their images. These compositions focus on artistic intention and mood rather than rhythmic music.
Grade 6: Stop-Motion & Digital Storytelling
Our Grade 6 students are pushing the boundaries of technology by creating Stop-Motion Animations. This week was all about “Visual Sound.”
Students are currently:
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Animating: Creating frame-by-frame movements to tell a silent story.
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Foley Design: Designing digital soundscapes that match their animation’s “energy.”
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Reflecting: Using their Process Journals to explain how their technical choices support their artistic vision.
Learner Profile Spotlight: The Risk-Taker
We are so proud of how our students have embraced these new challenges. Transitioning from music to drama requires being a Risk-Taker, and seeing the Grade 6s master new animation software or the KG students command a room in total silence has been truly inspiring.
Coming Up Next Week: We will continue our journey into silent storytelling, focusing on Tableaux Vivants (Living Pictures) for the younger grades and advanced iMovie editing for the upper primary.