In today’s workshops we focused on music and art. In music we created our own sounds and tunes on the app Garageband. This was a fantastic application that allows you to collaborate sounds to create your own personal tune.
At the beginning, I struggled with creating my own tune. Apart from music in integrated arts, I had not participated in music in over 6 years. I had not used Garageband before but was very glad to do so. I believe that Garageband is a fantastic app to introduce into the classroom because it allows children to be creative and explore different types of sound. When creating my tune, I decided to use 4 different sounds: piano, guitar, bass and sound effects of rain falling. I also used a video of Lego men which influenced the sounds I used, such as using a cartoon ‘boing’ sound effect when they were fighting with swords which was very amusing.
Overall, I was surprised at what I was able to achieve in such little time on Garageband which improved my confidence in music. I also think that Garageband is a fantastic tool to improve a child’s confidence if they struggle with music like myself. We also looked at different music sites that would be very helpful within the classroom.
In the Art workshop we looked at different colouring books which focus on allowing the person to use their imagination.
These particular colouring books were very interesting because I was very intrigued by the nature of the books. As a child, I know that I would have loved these books as they were more appealing than the average colouring book due to their complete originality. It is an exercise that is good for imagination and to allow children to understand what the meaning of colouring is. According to Gombrich (1977), the psychological effects of colour include calming and stimulating properties. I agree with this statement as I find colouring very therapeutic and calming.
We also used our printed pictures from the week previously and photocopied the print paintings in black and white and in a smaller size. After this, we added to our painting with colour which brought creativity and new ideas of what the painting means.
It was interesting to add to our print paintings because it allowed me to think outside of the box. There are so many different ways that a drawing or painting can be changed which gives children a lot to think about.
In conclusion, I have found that the music resources in today’s music workshop have been very helpful in helping me to create future lesson plans. As I will find music a hard subject to teach within the classroom, it has given me confidence is knowing that there are numerous resources that can aid me in teaching. The art and music workshop have allowed me to understand that creativity is one of the most important factors in these subjects. Creativity in the arts is what makes them meaningful and enjoyable, therefore teachers have to consider their creativeness.
References:
Gombrich et al. (1977) Art and illusion: A study in the psychology of pictorial representation. (Vol. 5). London: Phaidon.
