Integrated Arts Blog – 9/10/18

The music workshop this week involved primary school pupils teaching us how to play instruments that they are learning in class. The children brought in string instruments like violins, violas, cellos and a bass. Each child had been assigned one of these stringed instruments a few months before and the class had been practising short tunes and songs that they could present at different functions. To start with, the pupils taught us how to hold the instruments properly. With the violin, it is important for it to be held properly as it is so light it can be easy for it to be used wrong. After learning the first step, we learnt how to play the notes A, B, F and G, which were the basis of the songs that the primary children knew. Some of the pupils took to learning a new instrument very well and others even had private tuition in stringed instruments, however the pupil I was paired with has cerebral palsy and so found it difficult to hold his violin properly and sometimes keep up with the rest of the class. It was hard to see him struggling to communicate with others, however he was the best that he could be, and his peers were very supportive in everything he did. I had never even picked up a violin before, never mind played one in a group, so this experience was very intriguing and educational for me. It is something that is fantastic to teach to children and an excellent opportunity to open to primary school children as they can progress throughout school and it lets them find hidden talents, they would not be aware they had if they did not get involved in the arts.

The dance workshop linked in well with the music workshop beforehand. Within this workshop, the content was very much “pupil led” as we had to make up our own dance moves instead of the lecturer telling us what to do. The lecturer gave us numbers from 0-9 and we had to make up a different move for each number. This allowed us to be creative and different which was exciting for the whole class. We got into groups from the week previous and all got given these dance moves but in a different order. We had to practise these moves and then add them onto out routine that we had already began to make up the week before. It was clear who was confident with different moves and who was conscious of being different with the people around them. For many in the class, the thought of teaching dance in the future to our own class fill them with dread. “Within the arts dance education has often been given the lowest priority. When not part of the arts, dance has been taught as part of physical education or music education, if at all,” (Gilbert, 2005). However, by having these experiences within university, our job as future primary teachers is to boost our own confidence in dance and make dance more important and highly thought of with in Expressive Arts. It is all about doing something different for the students to make sure their learning is fun and interactive.

References

Gilbert, A. G. (2005). Dance education in the 21st century: A global perspective. Journal of Physical Education, Recreation and Dance 76(5): 26–35