Art
In our final visual arts session, we discussed our experiences of placement so far and reflected on our thoughts and feelings towards the integrated arts lessons we had observed. Some experiences varied from others, however I found that the majority of lessons that we observed in our schools shared the same processes and limited artistic freedom for pupils. I recognised that many teachers simply routinise teaching the arts, by not seizing the moment or taking risks in the lesson the children’s creativity will in turn not flourish to its full capacity and create barriers. A recurring theme in everyone’s lesson experience was their teacher using template in their art lesson to which our lecturer felt nothing but frustration and disappointment for. Initially I did not see how using templates is a “lazy” method of teaching as I thought it provided children with a useful structure. However after reflection I understand how too much structure can make children feel locked out of their creative process and restricts their self-determination (Craft, 2007). Below is a picture I took on placement of one child’s finished product using the halloween puppet template:
Other useful discussions around tolerance when teaching the arts and being open to mess were all very useful towards informing my practice as teacher and helped me see a different perspective. Also I learned that have a better tolerance to noise is useful children when they working in the arts, because noise is simply thinking out loud.
Music
This weeks music workshop was all about learning to keep a beat and read music. Everyone was given a pair of drumsticks to practise with. We discussed that when teaching children music, at first we use connotations. For example, we used ‘circle’ and ‘square’ to show the notes that were being played. 
Strategies like this made it easier for me to read music, as I do not have acquired a lot of prior experience or skill in it. We then practised different songs using the drum sticks to keep the beat. I was able to identify what areas that some children would struggle with and what methods can be used to explain the notes in a simpler way, such as saying the words ‘coffee’ and ‘tea’ to demonstrate crochets and quavers. We later moved on to using instruments such as the glockenspiel to challenge ourselves by playing real notes. In respect to teaching, I believe this activity is a great, practical way to introduce the concept of basic music notation. Hallam (2010) suggests that music builds 
on a person’s perceptual, language and literacy skills and learning an instrument enhances the ability to remember words through enlargement of the left cranial temporal regions. This activity has shown me how even in areas I do not have much experience in I can effectively teach other children expressive areas, as long as I acquire the correct knowledge and skills I will be capability and confident enough to become a great facilitator of arts education.
References
Craft, A. (2007) Creativity and Possibility in the Early Years. [Online] Available: http://www.tactyc.org.uk/pdfs/Reflection-craft.pdf [Accessed 14 November 2017].
Hallam, S. (2010). The power of music: Its impact on the intellectual, social and personal development of children and young people. International Journal of Music Education, 28(3), pp.269-289.
