In integrated arts today, we had our first dance workshop with Zara. This was a very practical lesson and had the whole section moving! In music today, we were joined by Primary 7 from a local primary school. The pupils taught us how to play their string instruments. Today has been the most practical and hands on day of integrated arts so far, it was extremely enjoyable and I learned a lot about teaching the subjects of dance and music in schools.
With Zara, we first discussed the role dance has in primary schools. It is an important part of the curriculum and has experience and outcomes at all levels. Dance in primary schools focuses mostly on creating and performing as well as improving physical fitness. Dance allows pupils to experience inspiration and creativity as well as developing their technical skills and quality of movements as well as developing their imagination (Scottish Government, 2010).
We talked about how dance can be incorporated into other subject areas. For example, if the class topic is India, some Bollywood dance moves could be taught, this could link into experience and outcome EXA 2-10a : “I have taken part in dance from a range of styles and cultures, demonstrating my awareness of the dance features.”
After discussing where important organs, muscles and bones were and indicating where these were on a drawn body,
we moved on to warming up the important muscles the children would use in a dance lesson at school. We also learned that it was important to do cardio before warming up the muscles, this could be through a game of tig. This is important for me to remember as a teacher to ensure no muscles are pulled in my class. We also looked at the 10 key components of movement in dance in primary schools and in groups made up our own variations of the moves. I performed our moves in the video below.
Having the chance to play the cello and learn from a primary 7 was very insightful and a great opportunity. The children are involved in an East Ayrshire program along with 18 other primary schools. The program teaches every child in the class to play an instrument from primary 4 until leaving in primary 7. Not only does this give the children knowledge of music and playing an instrument, but it has also been said to improve the health of the pupils. Studies show that music can have a positive impact on mental and physical health (Mandel el al., 2007). The pupil I learned from performed a song on his cello for me.
Overall, I learned a lot of teaching points from today. It is important to not forget about music and dance when I qualify as all subject areas are just as important. I also learned today that music and dance can be incorporated into other subjects like maths and social studies. Learning from these pupils today inspired me as they were all enthusiastic and seemed to be enjoying their opportunity to learn an instrument. It is important for teachers to encourage their pupils’ creativity in class and ensure the class is given opportunities to explore the creative process (Sharp, 2004).
Education Scotland (2010) Curriculum for Excellence: Expressive Arts Experiences and Outcomes. [Online] Available: https://education.gov.scot/Documents/expressive-arts-eo.pdf [Accessed: 5 November 2019].
Mandel S.E., Hanser S.B., Secic M., Davis, B.A. (2007) Effects of Music Therapy on Health-Related Outcomes in Cardiac Rehabilitation: A Randomized Controlled Trial. Journal of Music Therapy. [Abstract, Online] Vol.44(3), pp.176-197. Available: https://academic.oup.com/jmt/article-abstract/44/3/176/954996 [Accessed: 5 November 2019].
Sharp, C. (2004) Developing Young Children’s Creativity: What Can We Learn From Research? National Foundation for Educational Research. Vol.32. [Online] Available: https://www.nfer.ac.uk/publications/55502/55502.pdf [Accessed: 5 November 2019].
