I have thoroughly enjoyed the Integrated Arts module, and I have taken a great deal from it. I feel that, even though I was already comfortable with the arts, I am now willing to integrate it into other subjects in the classroom. Being a visual and pro-active learner myself, I definitely see the benefits of being creative in your teaching and in the children’s learning as it suits various learning styles.

I have also admired the lecturers’ passion and enthusiasm for drama, art, dance and music as it is very engaging and believable, and I hope to be able to reflect this teaching  in schools.

I hope to be able to continue with my passion for the arts in the upcoming ‘Expressive Arts and Culture’ module and in the future. I now feel happy with teaching each area of the expressive arts and I look forward to developing my skills further.

Music

“Music has a power of forming the character and should therefore be introduced into the education of the young”(DfE, 2011).

In this final session of the Integrated Arts module, the lecturer made it Christmassy and fun. We firstly discussed a few technical music terms and looked again at music notes and vocabulary before allowing us to use the instruments. I liked the fact that we got to choose which instrument to play, and I feel that children would like this too as it gives them a say and lets them choose which kind of instrument that they would like to try.

I chose the keyboard firstly as I find it a very enjoyable instrument to play. We played along to ‘Last Christmas’ as a class which was festive and enjoyable. I then switched instruments and played guitar, as I play guitar at home. Playing the tune altogether as a class tested our timing and teamwork and I feel that it gave us something to be proud of at the end.

Department for Education (2011) The Importance of Music- A National Plan for Music Education. Available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/180973/DFE-00086-2011.pdf (Accessed: 7 January 2017).

Music

“Children learn first to perform simple songs through listening to and imitating others. Young children also enjoy improvising their own chants and tunes on homemade instruments, musical toys or ‘found’ sound sources” (Council, 1999).

In music, we watched a TEDx  video of a young man talking about and demonstrating beatboxing.

(TEDx Talks, 2013).

This is an incredible video that shows that music does not need to come from a musical instrument or through a song. There are endless amounts of sounds that can come from the voice. I feel that this could definitely be integrated into classroom arts programmes.

Art

“Arts education refers to education in the disciplines of music, dance, theatre, and visual arts. Study in the arts is integral to our society” (Bryant, 2016).

Today’s art workshop consisted of using visual art cards. These cards had an image on one side and related explanations on the other. Below is the card that I got given:

Before reading the explanation on the back we were to observe the image and consider the following points:

The purpose of this activity was to consider all aspects of the image, how it makes you feel and what it says to you. I feel that this is a crucial skill that children need to develop, particularly in today’s generation where everything is instantly available to us.

The information on the back of the cards gave a small variety of possible explanations and feelings relating to the image. I like art, and particularly this exercise, as there is no correct answer and this allows children to express how the images make them feel as an individual.

TEDx Talks (2013) Beatbox brilliance | Tom thum | TEDxSydney. Available at: https://youtu.be/GNZBSZD16cY (Accessed: 2 January 2017).

Council, N. (1999) Music: Arts education. Dublin: Stationery Office.

Bryant, B. (2016) The importance of fine arts education. Available at: http://www.katyisd.org/dept/finearts/Pages/The-Importance-of-Fine-Arts-Education-.aspx (Accessed: 2 January 2017).