Under Curriculum for Excellence, children across all stages should have the opportunity to participate in expressive arts performances and presentations (Scottish Government, n.d.).
‘I have experienced the energy and excitement of presenting/performing for audiences and being part of an audience for other people’s presentations/performances.’
EXA 0-01a / EXA 1-01a / EXA 2-01a
This week was our final Integrated Arts input which culminated in performances in both music and dance.
Dance
This week, we finalised our dance routines and practiced until they were perfect for our final recording (see below). I felt very nervous about performing our dance in front of the camera as I worried that I would forget the steps. In previous weeks, I have found that when I practice the dance with my group, I have remembered the steps well but when I perform in front of the class, I get nervous and forget. However, despite initial nerves, the performance went well and I felt an immense sense of pride and satisfaction.
Evaluation is an important part of the creative process (Harvey and Chia-Yu, 2013; Mumford et al, 2002). As such, at the end of this week’s dance input, we watched our group dance and evaluated our personal performance. We identified three stars and one wish (three things we did well and one thing we could improve on) (see right). This is an effective classroom tool that could be used across the curriculum for self-assessment, peer-assessment and teacher feedback. It builds children’s confidence by forcing them to acknowledge the positive aspects of their performance and allows them to identify appropriate next steps.
Music
In our music workshop, we learned how to play the ukulele. We began by learning some of the most basic chords: AM, C, C7, DM, F and G. The next stage of the progression was to change from one chord to another. I found this challenging as I could not change chords quickly enough to play the music at the correct time. At the end of the session we played ‘Last Christmas’ by Wham! Again, I found changing between chords difficult but the repetition of the chords throughout the song made it easier and by the end of the song I was changing chords with ease.
I believe children would feel extremely proud and satisfied if they learned to play an entire song on a musical instrument. However, I feel this lesson should be the final in a series of lessons that develop knowledge of musical notation and teach children chord figures and how to change chords before playing a whole song. This will prevent children from becoming frustrated and disillusioned with the activity because it is too difficult.
Overall Module Reflection
I have thoroughly enjoyed participating in this module. The module has changed the way I perceive expressive arts subjects and has taught me how to effectively implement art-based subjects in the classroom. I understand the importance of interlacing creativity and the development of creative skills throughout my lessons in every curricular area. Furthermore, during my time on placement, I identified three barriers towards effective implementation of an arts integrated curriculum: time constraints, a lack of teacher confidence and resources. The knowledge I have gained throughout the module will help me overcome these challenges in my own classroom. I now feel more confident in my ability to teach expressive arts lessons and have a vast range of resources at my disposal for expressive arts lessons. Furthermore, in conjunction with the UWS (2018) Graduate Attributes, throughout the module, I have developed my collaborative working skills through group work with my peers and have been afforded creative autonomy throughout all tasks which allowed me to develop my imagination and creativity.
My peers and I frequently noted throughout the module “you get out what you put in.” Thus, as a practitioner, although it is important to remember that not all children will thrive on stage or at art exhibitions, I will encourage all of my pupils to participate fully in these activities in whatever way they feel most comfortable.
Reference List
Harvey, S. and Chia-Yu, K. (2013) Collective Engagement in Creative Tasks: The Role of Evaluation in the Creative Process in Groups. Administrative Science Quarterly. [Online] Vol.58(3), pp. 346-386. Available: SAGE journals. [Accessed: 6 December 2019]
Mumford, M. D., Lonergan, D. C. and Scott, G. (2002) Evaluating Creative Ideas: Processes, Standards, and Context. Inquiry: Critical Thinking Across the Disciplines. [Online] Vol.22(1), pp. 21-30. Available: Philosophy Documentation Center. [Accessed: 9 December 2019]
Scottish Government. (n.d.) Curriculum for Excellence: Expressive Arts Experiences and Outcomes. [Online] Available: https://education.gov.scot/Documents/expressive-arts-eo.pdf [Accessed: 26 November 2019]
University of the West of Scotland (UWS). (2018) UWS Graduate Attributes. [Online] Available: https://www.uws.ac.uk/current-students/your-graduate-attributes/ [Accessed: 9 December 2019]
