I was really looking forward to starting this module as I take a great interest in performing arts, especially art and drama. However, I was nervous about the musical part of the module as I had not visited this side of the arts since my first few years in high school. Nonetheless, I was satisfied by the reassurance of the lecturers who highlighted that this module is about turning our weakness’ into strengths and about stepping out of our comfort zone.
Our first workshop of this module was an introduction to drama strategies. We covered the importance of enthusiastic teaching behaviours through body language which one of the key components to drama. For example in the classroom if the teacher is passionate and enthusiastic about the lesson through use of body language, facial expression and speech, you can clearly see the engagement of the children through eyes mirroring the excitement of the teacher. This also enhances confidence, interest and enjoyment in the classroom (Kyriacou, 2009). We then developed our knowledge of drama strategies. ‘Drama strategies encourage negotiation, understanding and creativity and can enhance performance skills such as character development’ (Farmer, 2020). We explored strategies such as teacher in role, freeze frame and many more. We then moved on to the Jack And The Beanstalk task in which we demonstrated some of these techniques. For freeze frames, we were asked questions such as ‘how would jacks mothers facial expression look when he came home with the beans?’ We then had to decide on a suitable facial expression, and freeze for 5 seconds. For teacher in role, we had to explain the scenario to one another as to why Daisy the cow needed to be sold, and my partner had to respond as Jack, and we then discussed which decision was best for Jack to take. Each task encouraged children to think creatively through critical thinking and problem solving in which these skills can be transferred to all areas of the curriculum (Farmer, 2020).
For our music workshop, we were introduced to key words which are used for music in the classroom such as melody, timbre, and dynamics which were not familiar phrases to me. We then explored the importance of the link between music and feeling. We listened to 5 clips and wrote down an emotion to how each piece of music made us feel. We then discussed our answers then moved on to why we think listening is important. There was a lot of discussion on how listening develops other factors such as reading. Speech and music share the same processing systems which means music can enhance process and can impact on the perception of language which in turn has a positive impact on reading (Hallam, 2010). Our main activity was we had to listen to a five minute orchestra clip and create a story board on what we imagined was happening during this audio clip. This is an example of what my groups story board looked like…

We also made cross curricular links to arts and science also known as STEM to STEAM. Pleasurable sensations motivate us to create music, dance and objects of pleasure that both rely on both memory and expectation. We then discussed the importance of our sense of touch and the use of our hands within these areas. I really developed my knowledge on how the brain uses the hand to construct into symbol systems such as numbers which we recreate the connection in science to representing through talk, sketches and building models. (Fleming, Brestler & O’Tool, N.D).
In education, expressive arts is deemed to be ‘less important’ than literacy and numeracy. I always remember growing up I never felt as smart as my classmates who excelled in literacy and numeracy as my strengths lay in expressive arts. However, I do believe this stereotype is slowly shifting as music, art, drama and dance are not just there to represent creativity; they are tools to access creativity and for growing in confidence as a learner. I strongly believe if I never participated in dance and drama growing up, I would never be the confident individual I am today and personally don’t think I could have chosen this career path either without them. I really hope that councils heavily invest in expressive arts in the curriculum as it helps to develop confidence and perseverance, helps to develop cognitive skills and allows children to truly express themselves, (Irish National Teaching Organisation, 2009).

REFERNCES
Kyriacou, C., 2009. Effective Teaching In Schools ; Theory Of Practise. Oxford: Oxford University Press, p.chapter 6.
Flemming, M., Brestler, L. and O’Tool, J., n.d. Creativity and the Work of Science and Art. A Cognitive Neuroscience Perspective,.
Hallam, S., 2010. International Journal Of Music Educatiom. SAGE.
Farmer, D., 2020. Learning Through Drama In Primary Years. https://dramaresournce.com/drama-strategies/.
Irish National Teacher Organisation., 2009. Creativity and the Arts in Primary School. Dublin.