My memories of painting in my primary setting is sitting beside a friend and wishing my painting looked as good as theirs. As children grow they become more self-consious and concerned that their creation is accurate enough (McAuliffe, 2007) or that it’s not “perfect”. This word “perfect” is a word that I hate to hear in a classroom setting as no-one is perfect. We all have a different view point and imagination which means all our creations will be different in some way although this does not mean that any art creation is worse than another.
Children throughout their lives compare constantly with their peers be this outside the school or in the classroom. As an educator it is our responsibility to help children achieve the best they can and to always motivate them to succeed. Enthusiasm is a must for teaching art in a classroom (Lancaster, 1990). Painting in the classroom setting usually starts by handing out paintbrushes however children can make their own paintbrushes. This not only adds a personal touch but means that all the marks that child makes will be different from their peers.
The Curriculum for Excellence (2004) provides a framework so every child can have equal educational opportunities. Using the CfE outcomes a lesson on children making their own paintbrushes can be devised. Giving children a variety of tools and resources allows them to let their creativity flow.
I have the opportunity to choose and explore a range of media and technologies to create images and objects, discovering their effects and suitability for specific tasks. EXA 1-02a
We need to as educators teach children that its okay to not know what the outcome will be and it’s okay to be different (Talllis, 2017).
From top left to right; Painting stage 1, Painting end result.
From bottom left to right; Resource palette, My colour palette.
Another part of the arts is music. My experience of creating and discovering music throughout my primary and secondary education is neither positive or negative. I was given various opportunities to play many different instruments but never filled with confidence that I was playing them correctly. My favourite instrument to play is the keyboard, when I have time I enjoy trying to learn new songs and styles of music.
During our seminar we had the chance to play 3 different songs on the glockenspiel however we did not use conventional notation. We used Figurenotes (2017). Figurenotes (2017) are a type of musical notation that use colour and shape to show all the information that conventional notation would.
Bottom: Twinkle Twinkle written in Figurenotes (2017).
I found Figurenotes (2017) a really easy and enjoyable way of reading and playing music. I could understand how it could motivate and encourage children to want to participate in music lessons. I loved how it helps children progress to reading conventional notation and it restores my confidence that I would be able to teach music in an educational environment.
In relation to the CfE (2004) a lesson could be made to encourage children to attempt to play various instruments and create various rhythms using Figurenotes (2017).
This was my first attempt at playing Frere Jacques using Figurenotes (2017).
References:
Figurenotes. (2017) An intuitive way of reading music. [Online] Available: https://www.figurenotes.org/ [Accessed: 28 September 2017].
Lancaster, J. (1990) Art in the Primary School. London: Routledge.
McAuliffe, D. (2007) Fondation and Primary Settings. In Teaching Art and Design 3-11. (Edited by Sue Cox, Robert Watts, Judy Grahame, Steve Herne and Diarmuid McAuliffe) London: Continuum.
Scottish Government. (2004) Curriculum for Excellence: Expressive Arts. [Online] Available: https://www.education.gov.scot/Documents/expressive-arts-eo.pdf [Accessed: 28 September 2017].
Thomas Tallis School. (2017) The TALLIS Habits Pedagogy Wheel. [Online] Available: http://www.thomastallisschool.com/tallis-pedagogy-wheel-guide.html [Accessed: 28 September 2017].
