Today we were asked to consider sounds and music that might tie in with our evocative object. Initially, i found this quite challanging as i was not sure what sound would relate to my chosen object.

Through using some of the musical instruments available and playing around on GarageBand, i was ale to contemplate what kinds of sound retated to the memories and thoughts assosiated with the object. As the item was a tram ticket from a memorabe holiday, i contempated the noise of the tram, the people talking and the bustle of a busy city.  By using music to explore the object, one is forced to consider the memories surrounding it. “We think with the objects we love; we love the objects we think with” (Turkle, 2011).

For me, I did not enjoy this task, however, I think children who are moe willing to experiment with music and Garage Band would benefit from this task. This lesson had made me consider the importance of not letting my own personal feelings surrounding a subject affect how I would teach it as even though I may not enjoy it or be good at it, children might be talented or enjoy working this way. Although it was not enjoyable for me, I did develop my skils and this is a crutial part of being a teacher; “Professional growth is the means by which teachers gain confidence in teaching the arts effectively, achieve an understanding of the inherent principals that inform their best practice and, though self and peer analysis discover how to extend their own abilities”. (Bloomfield, 2000, p.127). Bloomfield discusses the importance of developing ones skills and abilities in the arts.

References:

Bloomfield, A. (2000) Teaching Integrated Arts in the Primary School Oxton: David Fulton Publishers.

Turkle, S. (2011). Evocative objects. 1st ed. Cambridge, Mass. : MIT Press.

Soundscapes were the main focus of today’s lecture with julie. A soundscape is a way of using pictures to represent different sounds, for example, a star could represent the noise of a guitar chord being played. It does not nessisarily have to utilise musical instruments; it could be recordings of people talking or singing, body percussion or using everyday objects to create different noises.

A soundscape could be used to create a piece of music based on any topic. So today, we created our own soundscapes that could relate to our personal object. Here is the example we created as a class with julie:

After this, we created our own versions:

This incorporated visual arts and music in to one. I think children would enjoy creating their own version and they could do so with limited resources. This kind of task would help children to deleop their team work skills, their drawing skills, as well as considering beat and rythem which links in to music. Using symbols instead of words cis also a form of literacy. Being able to read and interpret the symbols is a skill in its self. I very much enjoyed taking part in this activity and I think children would engage well with this task.

“Extend creative insights by combining ideas or encouraging them to interpret information in new ways. Learning in this manner is multifaceted; it draws upon and develops the exciting interrelationships of the various forms of children’s innate intelligence by awakening linguistic, mathematical, spatial, kinaesthetic and musical modes. This permits individual children to conceptualise and understand by using their strength areas to compensate or overcome weakness in other areas. It also has the impact of motivating children, sustaining their interests and improving their self-esteem”. (Bloomfield, 2000, p.108).

This extract from Bloomfield sums up very well how this kind of task could help children as it opens up so many different aspects of the curriculum and could be delevoped in many different ways.

Bloomfield, A. (2000) Teaching Integrated Arts in the Primary School Oxton: David Fulton Publishers.

Today we were asked to consider 2 songs. These songs were to be songs that we has positive or negative associations with, a connection to our personal object or songs that had some personal meaning. The songs selected by my peers were not ones I had expected. Many songs were not contempoary and were ones that people associated with older members of their family, such as Grandparents. The songs envoked many different emotions for people, some reflected foldly on songs from their youth, others played songs they found irritating and grating and others played songs that simply put them in a good mood. It was an interesting task as not all songs that some poeple enjoyed, were not enjoyed or appreciated by others. This highlights how different we all are. It was so iteresting hearing about how one song could be loved by one people but despised by another.

Music is useful for so many different reasons, one being that listening to or playing music can help people cope with their emotions, “Music has been seen to have therapeutic value in promoting general well-being, including mental health”(Mental Health Online). Different sounds can enkove different memories and feelings and I think a task like this wold be useful in a classroom to help children convey their thoughts, feelings or emotions through a piece of music.

Arts therapies (2018) Good Mental Health for All [Online] Available: https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/a-to-z/a/arts-therapies [Accessed 23rd March 2019].

Today we utilised a variety of materials to create a visual representation of our objects. As mine was transport related, I decided to try and create visual images that were reminiciant of travel and movement in a way that was not overt obvious. 

This first piece is supposed to represent a map of a city. On and beside the lines on the map I have written some of the 62 words relating to my object next to and on them. The areas that have ink bursting out of them represent different events and things I visited whilst on the trip.

The second bit of work I created was a repeated print. I enjoy the printing process and in the absence of lino to use, I used a styrofoam rectangle to print with. This was the end result.

 This was more of an experimental piece, the crossing of lines and directional arrows are also supposed to represent travel and movement. I always enjoy the vairying tones a print creates and the styrofoam created an unusual texture on the paper.

“When students engage in the creative process, they produce original work that communicates their ideas, insights, points of view, and feelings” (Silverstein, 2010, p5)

I think it is important to allow children the chance to explore different mediums in which they can create with. During this process, I found it took me a few attempts to make things look they way I wanted. The creative process allows for mistakes and adjustments and leads to decision making, thoughtful working and pride in creating something you are happy with. Children need to be allowed to make mistakes or make a mess in order for them to develop their independent thought processes and decision making skills. The creative process allows children to challenge their abilities and explore their ideas with no ‘wrong’ answers.

Defining Arts Integration (2010)  Silverstein, L, & Layne, S  The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts

Kelvingrove is a fantastic place for people of all ages, experiences and walks of life to come and learn and be absorbed in art and culture. As it is free to enter, the museum is off limits to no-one. The building is full of inspiring and educational work and resources, accessible to all.

“Being introduced to art and culture with a global perspective develops cultural awareness, sensitivity and appreciation of diversity, this is sometimes called ‘cultural literacy’…” (Cox and Watts, 2007, p.6)

As part of this module, we paid a visit here to look specifically at the Egyptian room to gain a greater understanding of how we can utilise art to link with other curricular subjects; in this case, maths. Due to the Egyptians using drawings / symbols to depict their number system, we are able to link together the use of art and mathematics.

It is crucial to encourage and allow for inter-disciplinary learning;

“A distinguishing aspect of arts integration is its interdisciplinary connections. Connections are made between a specific art form and a specific curriculum area”. (Sliverstein, p6. This was the purpose of our visit; to see how we can help our students to learn and thrive through the Arts. Taking pupils out on a trip can be both fun and educational also, for example, at Kelvingrove, you can arrange for a guided tour and they can help explain some of the various works on display, or a class teacher could easily show their class the Egyptian room and carry out some teaching using the resources in the room.

I am very much interested in finding ways to educate children out with the classroom and allowing them the opportunity to experience different places to help support their learning. I also think there are many different ways in which the arts can be successfully linked to other areas of the curriculum.

References:

Watts, R., & Cox, S, (2007) Teaching Art and Design 3-11 Continuum International Publishing Group Ltd.

Defining Arts Integration (2010)  Silverstein, L, & Layne, S  The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts

Evocative objects were the central focus of our first lesson in this module. People brought with them a variety of objects that held a personal, sentimental value to them. Most items people brought  held monetary value (as well as personal value), where as only a few were considered ‘throw away items’, but were equally important to people.

“Thinking about the uncanny, about thresholds and boundaries helps us understand these objects with their universal powers of evocation” (Turkle, 2011).

We sat around  and listened to each other discuss their items. A lot of these items were ones passed on from other family members, for example,  gifts or inherited items. To many people, the emotional attachement and feeling evoked by the item, were more important than the item itself or the value of it. Some people got emotional when discussing their personal item, whilst others discussed theirs fondly, for example, their engagement rings. It was interesting to hear people’s personal stories and some of the emotions their objects e

This was my object. To some people, this would be rubbish that would be binned once it’s purpose had been served, however, to me this is a valuable and sentimental item. This is a travel ticket from the first holiday my boyfriend and I went on. It evokes so many good memories of a brilliant holiday. We travelled all over the city of  Geneva for free with our tickets and because of the positive memories I have, I’ve kept it in my purse since 2017. It’s a bit tattered but still hanging on. The ticket does not only remind me of the travel involved, but the different sounds we heard, people and places we saw.

Reference:

Turkle, S. (2011). Evocative objects. 1st ed. Cambridge, Mass. : MIT Press.

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