During our visual arts workshop we were looking st ‘windows in the west’ once again. Due to absences the week before and pieces needing to be finished, I helped some of my fellow students by explaining step by step what we had done the previous week. Giving them time to complete the steps was crucial as well and allowed me to remember that with children, especially during placement we should be explaining steps but also giving them sufficient time to complete it successfully.

In the music workshop, we were making use of an app called ‘GarageBand’ on the Macs. This is an app where you can create music, sounds and record audio. We were tasked with coming up with a eight bar piece of music while making use of some of the effects included on the app. This included things such as Fade In/Fade Out and changing the pitch. After this we had to pick an animation and create a sound which best suited it.

I found this app really easy to use and think it would be a beneficial tool to use when introducing children to sound and music making as it is very user friendly. It can also be made use of to deliver a cross-curricular lesson as it is also making use of ICT skills while developing their understanding and knowledge of music.

Due to taking higher music and always being part of a choir or orchestra growing up, I found this music lesson beneficial as I feel it is a subject in which I would be confident teaching. Learning and gathering more knowledge about tools I could use when delivering music is something I am very thankful for. This workshop also showed me how to keep music a very beneficial lesson while also making use of apps as an exciting way to keep the children interested and excited about music.