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.

https://vimeo.com/376244238

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]

This week was our penultimate Integrated Arts input and thus, we were beginning to draw our learning to a conclusion. Over the past few weeks we have been developing new skills in both dance and music. This week, we were able to create pieces of art that we could take pride in, with limited guidance from lecturers.

Dance
In this week’s dance workshop, we completed the choreography for our final dance. We finalised our group dances and slotted them into our class dance. We also added transition moves to the choreography (see below).

Curriculum for Excellence states that creativity and the creation of dance should be at the heart of dance lessons (Scottish Government, n.d.). In conjunction with this, our dance is made up of the cohort’s own ideas. Zara taught us the ten basic dance steps and provided limited guidance throughout the process, allowing the final dance to be shaped entirely by us. This autonomous learning allowed us to develop our creative skills.

Music
In previous music inputs, we have looked at various learning processes that can be used to teach children to read conventional music notation. This week, we had the opportunity to play music on the glockenspiel using written notation (see right). I found this input challenging yet enjoyable. I was able to read the music but could not do so quickly. If I were to play the correct notes in time to the backing track, I found I had to read the music before we started playing.

We also had the opportunity to improvise. Improvisation is defined as a “free performance of a musical passage” (Encyclopaedia Brittanica, n.d.). It allows for self-expression and develops higher-order thinking skills (Biasutti, 2017). Individually, we each took turns at playing 16 beats of music using the notes C, D, E, G and A to the backing track ‘Hit the Road Jack.’ Many members of the cohort, myself included, felt nervous about this because we are not confident in our musical abilities. However, despite this everyone in the section quickly realised that if we kept time quite well, we could make a lovely piece of music. This meant a quick growth in confidence and resulted in feelings of pride following the activity.

I imagine children would react similarly if presented with this task. As a practitioner, I feel it is vitally important to develop children’s confidence and ability to perform or speak in front of a group. However, teachers must be aware of nerves and self-consciousness and thus, I feel we should build these skills gradually and without making children feel uncomfortable.

Each of the tasks we completed this week, afforded us the creative autonomy to decide, within a broad context, what we created. Giving children creative freedom has been found to spark a growth in confidence and a love of art (Drummond, 2006). I have found that my confidence in my musical and dance ability has grown dramatically throughout our latest inputs and I have thoroughly enjoyed the tasks.

Overall, I feel a great sense of pride in the artwork that I created this week. I enjoyed being able to share the experience of creating art with my peers and sharing my artwork with the remainder of the cohort. At the start of these inputs, I did not consider myself to be particularly good at music or dance and would not have thought that in a matter of weeks I could create something that I was proud of in either of these disciplines. As such, as a practitioner I aim to afford my pupils the same opportunities to develop both their artistic and creative skills and their confidence.

Reference List
Biasutti, M. (2017) Teaching Improvisation through Processes. Applications in Music Education and Implications for General Education. Front Psychol. [Online] Vol.8(911). Available: Frontiers in Psychology. [Accessed: 19 November 2019]

Drummond, M. J. (2006) Room 13 Case Study Report. [Online] Available: room13international.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/Room13-Case-Study-Report-Nesta-2006.pdf [Accessed: 19 November 2019]

Encyclopaedia Brittanica (eds). (n.d.) Improvisation. [Online] Available: https://www.britannica.com/art/improvisation-music [Accessed: 19 November 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: 19 November 2019]

Expressive Arts not only benefit from community involvement but also, provide effective environments for building communities between participants. This week, we discussed Creative Partnerships and arts communities and how these can improve lessons in the arts. We then worked collaboratively in our dance and music workshops which helped build a sense of community within the section and allowed us to develop our collaborative working skills.

Creative Partnerships
As previously discussed, teachers often lack confidence in teaching creative subjects (Mills, 2008; Russell-Bowie, 2013). This problem can be overcoming by building partnerships with other members of the school/educational community who are more proficient in creative subjects. Teachers can invite parents, other staff members or visiting specialists into their classrooms and utilise their expertise of creative subjects to improve the quality of lessons in the arts and develop the skills of less-confident practitioners. Research has found that collaborative programmes and arts-integrated curricula can be strong and purposeful learning opportunities for children (Strand, 2006).

Many effective creative partnerships have been set up across Ayrshire to improve educational, social and wellbeing outcomes for children. East Ayrshire Council have created a Creative Minds Team made up of creative practitioners. These professionals work together to arrange networking events, inspire and upskill teachers and avoid side-lining of the arts in education. In response to the Scottish Attainment Challenge, the Creative Minds Team have overseen a Parkour Project. This involved teaching parkour to individuals who showcased behavioural or learning difficulties in school. This enriched the lives of young people and built their social wellbeing by building a community and offering them experiences they would not otherwise have been given. The project has been found to reduce crime and increase attainment. The video below provides more details (Prancing Jack Productions, 2016).

Dance
In today’s dance workshop, we worked in groups to choreograph dance routines. Last week, Zara taught us the ten basic dance conventions. We then worked in groups to come up with dance routines that included ten moves (one from each convention). This week, we practiced our routines and then presented them to the class (see below). This will help me as a teacher as I now have a more substantial understanding of dance theory which I had a very limited knowledge of before this session.

We then used pictures of famous Scottish landmarks as stimuli for creating choreography. In our groups we were tasked with coming up with a dance move for each landmark. Then, as a section we combined these together to create the first part of our final dance routine (see below).

As with last week’s session, all participants thoroughly enjoyed the session and left in high spirits. Although we largely worked in friendship groups throughout the session, there were also many opportunities for us to work collectively as a whole section. We played various warm-up games together, created our final dance together and presented our group dance routines to the whole section. When performing our dances, everyone gave masses of support and encouragement to other teams. This helped to build a sense of community throughout the cohort. Despite nerves or minor embarrassment, all participants gained skills and enjoyed the shared experience.

I believe many children would enjoy lessons like this. These types of dance lessons are pupil-led and give them the freedom to be creative and create the dances that they want. Children who do not thrive in written, academic subjects may excel in these activities. This will boost their confidence and develop their love of school. However, for many children, dance may bring feelings of embarrassment and self-consciousness. Dance is a fantastic way to build self-confidence but as practitioners we must ensure we develop confidence in a way that does not make children feel uncomfortable.

Music
In this week’s music workshop we looked at FigureNotes, a non-traditional way of reading music. It uses colours and shapes to create music notation in a ‘play it as you see it’ fashion. Firstly, children will play using written notation similar to that pictured on the right and coloured stickers placed on their instruments. During the second stage, children will play music from figure notes placed onto staves. They will then follow conventional notation that is coloured in the same colours used in figure notes, then the colours are removed entirely.

Figure Notes is the ultimate differentiated resource. Children can use different stages of Figure Notes at the same time, allowing beginners (using stage 1) and children who are already confident using written notation (using stage 4) to play the exact same piece of music at the same time. The resource is a great progression for all children to learn how to play an instrument, however it is particularly effective in ASN schools.

Many children who consider themselves “not musical” may disengage during music lessons as they feel music is too difficult and they will never be able to play the same music as their musical counterparts. I believe FigureNotes will alleviate this feeling as the resource accounts for beginners and confident musicians, thus, everyone can play the same music. This allows all pupils to progress and develop their musical ability without feeling that other people are way ahead of them. As practitioners, this allows for us to teach whole class music lessons whilst ensuring we effectively differentiate learning and challenge pupils of all abilities. I have some knowledge of musical notation, as such I personally could use a resource like FigureNotes to develop my knowledge.

Overall, this input demonstrated the positive effect that communities can have on the arts and the positive effect the arts can have on building communities. These inputs highlighted the positive impact that the communities built through the arts can have on attainment, the effectiveness of lessons and the personal lives of the people involved. Furthermore, as a cohort we enjoyed working collectively during the workshops and appreciated the sense of community gained.

Reference List
Mills, J. (2008) The Generalist Primary Teacher of Music: a Problem of Confidence. British Journal of Music Education. [Online] Vol.6(2), pp. 125-138. Available: Cambridge University Press. [Accessed: 6 November 2019]

Prancing Jack Productions. (2016) Project Parkour 2016. 5.03 mins. [Online] Available: https://vimeo.com/161844391 [Accessed: 13 November 2019]

Russell-Bowie, D. E. (2013) A Tale of Five Countries: Background and Confidence in Preservice Primary Teachers in Drama Education across Five Countries. Australian Journal of Teacher Education. [Online] Vol.38(7), pp. 59-74. Available: https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1016005.pdf [Accessed: 25 September 2019]

Strand, K. (2006) The Heart and the Journey: Case Studies of Collaboration for Arts Integrated Curricula. Arts Education Policy Review. Vol.108(1), pp. 29-40. Available: Taylor and Francis Online. [Accessed: 15 November 2019]

One of the biggest issues surrounding expressive arts education that I have identified throughout the module is the reluctance of practitioners to teach art lessons. Some cite a lack of confidence as the reason for this (Mills, 2008; Russell-Bowie, 2013). However, others believe time constraints are a large part of the issue (Hay, 2004) due to pressure felt to cover syllabuses and curricula. One way of overcoming this issue is to bundle Experiences and Outcomes and cover several in one lesson. This also provides ample opportunity for inter-disciplinary learning.

I greatly enjoyed this week’s inputs, particularly its direct links to classroom practice. Each of the tasks used in today’s inputs linked expressive arts Experiences and Outcomes to those in other curricular areas, including numeracy, literacy, health and wellbeing and science.

Music
This week, we were visited by P7 pupils from Bellsbank Primary School. These children have been receiving weekly music lessons in school and are learning to play a strings instrument. This week, these children were tasked with teaching us students how to play their instruments. I feel I benefitted from seeing the children’s reactions to this lesson first-hand. It was clear they engaged very well with music lessons in general and enjoyed the opportunity to play the teacher today.

The first opportunity for cross-curricular learning encompasses both music and maths. Children can complete simple maths calculations using musical notation (see right). This not only develops their knowledge of written music but also reinforces teaching points raised in maths. In today’s input, we were split into two groups and asked to complete some of these calculations and shout out the answer. The children engaged well with this and the competitive nature of the game ensured that everyone was paying close attention and participating in the task. However, some of the louder children overshadowed those who were less confident. This was disheartening for these children who also knew the answer but did not have the opportunity to share it. This is something practitioners must be aware of when using tasks like these in the classroom.

The next opportunity for cross-curricular learning involved music and literacy. Similarly to one of the lessons in session 6’s music input, the children used syllabication to help them hear how different beats would sound. The music teacher named little stuffed animals and the children said their names, e.g. Kermit the Frog, and played along to the beat. I feel the use of stuffed animals would be particularly effective in younger classes. However, the P7 pupils also enjoyed this task and it clearly made the concepts easier for children to understand.

Dance
Today was the first of our dance inputs which was greatly enjoyed by all participants.

Dance has very explicit links to Experiences and Outcomes in both science and health and wellbeing (Scottish Government, n.d.). Teaching dance to children lends itself to teaching children about their bodies and anatomy simultaneously. In today’s workshop, we worked in groups and were tasked with identifying different bones, muscles and organs and placing them in the correct place on the body. Some people who had studied PE or human biology in secondary school excelled in this task whilst others struggled. As such, I believe children may find this task too challenging. Thus, in the classroom, I would use this activity as either a revision task or a task identifying prior knowledge. This task allowed us to develop our collaborative working skills (in conjunction with the UWS (2018) Graduate Attributes).

Dance links to Es and Os in both expressive arts and health and wellbeing. We took part in many tasks throughout today’s dance workshop that could be adapted for classroom use. One involved children introducing themselves using a dance move whilst another was a twist on the classic game ‘Follow the Leader.’ We made a line and had to copy the dance move of whoever was at the front. When the song changed, we moved onto the next person.

These tasks were received very well by all participants and everyone remained engaged throughout the lesson. Students left the workshop in high spirits, excited for the input next week. This supports the view of Shainna et al (2017) who believe dance not only improves physical health but also mental health. As such, dance can be used to cover Experiences and Outcomes regarding emotional wellbeing as well as those that encompass physical activity.

I believe many children would enjoy these activities. They provide opportunities for collaborative, creative and active learning. However, while some pupils may excel in this type of environment, quieter, more reserved children may find these activities challenging. It is important that children are never made to feel uncomfortable by being pressured into these tasks. Nevertheless, dance lessons can also be used to build confidence. Many members of the cohort felt shy and embarrassed at the start of the lesson but these feelings faded as we progressed through the tasks. Teachers must be aware of the challenges these activities can cause for some learners and understand how they can build their confidence without making them feel uncomfortable.

Overall, this input was extremely helpful in allowing us to avoid the problems outlined above. Making connections between several curricular areas, alleviates the pressure teachers feel to cover syllabuses. This means expressive art is not neglected in favour of other subjects. Furthermore, the lesson ideas gained from this input (and throughout the module) has built our confidence in teaching expressive arts.

Reference List
Hay, S. (2004) Generalists or Specialists for the P4 Expressive Arts Curriculum: A Comparative Study of Models of Delivery. [Online] Available: www.gtcs.org.uk/web/FILES/FormUploads/generalists-or-specialists-for-the-p4-expressive-arts-curriculum1778_339.pdf [Accessed: 6 November 2019]

Mills, J. (2008) The Generalist Primary Teacher of Music: a Problem of Confidence. British Journal of Music Education. [Online] Vol.6(2), pp. 125-138. Available: Cambridge University Press. [Accessed: 6 November 2019]

Russell-Bowie, D. E. (2013) A Tale of Five Countries: Background and Confidence in Preservice Primary Teachers in Drama Education across Five Countries. Australian Journal of Teacher Education. [Online] Vol.38(7), pp.59-74. Available: https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1016005.pdf [Accessed: 25 September 2019]

Scottish Government. (n.d.) Curriculum for Excellence. [Online] Available: https://education.gov.scot/Documents/All-experiencesoutcomes18.pdf [Accessed: 5 November 2019]

Shainna, A, Cushey, K. and Siddiqui, A. (2017) Diversity and Dance: Exploring the Therapeutic Implications of World Dance. Journal of Creativity in Mental Health. [Online] Vol.12(1), pp. 31-47. Available: EBSCOhost SocINDEX with Full Text. [Accessed: 5 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: 6 November 2019]