Ask any Vaughan Elementary School fifth grader, and they will tell you what it’s like to visit one of the coolest venues in Washington, D.C. This group joined other students from across the metro area for a live production of the musical “Spells of the Sea” at none other than the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.

The musical, a tale of courage, resilience, and self-confidence, is one of many the Kennedy Center makes available for young audiences via a program called “Get on the Bus.” The scholarship program, which includes free tickets and transportation, is open to all Title I schools who apply in the D.C., Maryland, and Virginia areas. The Vaughan Elementary fifth-grade team took advantage of the opportunity for their classes to catch the performance and planned their visit a week before the children would read their very first play in class.

Preparation for the visit was a breeze. The Kennedy Center’s online learning guides were used as teaching tools. Students learned about the characters in the story, production elements, and setting and plot. Teachers highlighted various theater areas, including the stage, pit, audience seating, catwalk, dressing room, and green room.

“Our students were able to understand the way plays work, including stage direction, costumes, settings, and lighting. The experience was a perfect way to introduce theater to our classes prior to their first reading of a play,” said Frances Koch, fourth and fifth grade social studies and language arts teacher.

Students were excited to write about how the playwright used songs to help the audience connect with the characters and how they were guided through the production. Here are some of their thoughts:

“The songs helped me connect with the characters and showed the emotion of the characters throughout the play,” said Cyleen.

“The show was good because it had a lot of details and songs. I thought the Kennedy Center was fabulous. I liked the trip because we went to D.C. and the place was fancy,” added Jasmine.

“When we went into the theater room I was amazed because I’ve never been in a room like that. Oh, how their singing was so good!” added Isabella. 

“I love how the people were acting and all the songs. I will never forget this memory and will always remember this forever and ever,” shared Birelle.

A week later, students effectively used what they learned to read and act out their first play, “The Miracle of Spring.” Divided into groups, each student played a role, reading their part while using notes within the script to maintain timing and context.

“Seeing a play at the Kennedy Center was an incredible experience for our students. Plays are a huge part of American literature and students will read scripts all the way through high school and beyond. Yet, it’s difficult to make sense of a script without having ever seen a play performed. Our students had the opportunity to see a play live, then study the genre in print,” shared Melissa Henry, fifth-grade teacher.