Today was our last input in Integrated arts.

In music we explored teaching and playing the ukulele. We began by playing ‘My dog has fleas’, this is a short song which helps to tune your ukulele. Here is a short video of how to tune your ukulele:

(The ukulele teacher,2011)

We then spoke about the different parts of the ukulele. Here is a clip art of the different parts of it :

We then moved on to strumming the guitar. In order to do so you use your second fingers nail to strum down on the strings. Here is some songs you can play by strumming:

The first chord we learned to play was a C. This is what a C looks like on a ukulele:

This was colour coded yellow on my ukulele to follow the figure notes method of learning.

We then learned to play the F chord. This is what an F looks like on a ukulele:

This was colour coded red on my ukulele.

Here an some songs we learned to play using only the F and C chords:

We then moved on to learn the C7 chord. This is what the C7 chord looks like on the ukulele:

We then learned to play the Dm chord. This is what the Dm chord looks like on the ukulele:

Here is a song we learned to play with the C, C7 and Dm chords:

We then watched a video on the use of the same 4 chords being used to write a variety of pop songs, I found this very surprising :

(The Axis of Awesome, 2011)

We finished the session by using all the chords we had learned to play last Christmas. Here is a video of the lyrics, backing music and chords and a video of my peer playing last Christmas on the ukulele ;

(Best songs backing tracks, 2015)

Here are some other Christmas songs which you are able to play on the ukulele:

(The ukulele teacher, 2012)

The second half of the day took us to dance. For the past 4 weeks our cohort have been planning and practising a dance routine. Today we put the finishing touches to it and recorded our routine. This is a copy of the final full class performance :

https://vimeo.com/376244950

Curriculum for excellence states that all children should participate in performances and presentations. This should include opportunities to perform a dance to parents or in the community.

Here are some of the experiences and outcomes included in dance :

• I enjoy creating short dance sequences, using travel, turn, jump, gesture, pause and fall, within safe practice. EXA 1-08a
• I have created and taken part in dance from a range of styles and cultures. EXA 3-08a
• Inspired by a range of stimuli, I can express my ideas, thoughts and feelings through creative work in dance. EXA 0-09a / EXA 1-09a / EXA 2-09a
• I am becoming aware of different features of dance and can practise and perform steps, formations and short dance. EXA 1-10a
• I have opportunities to enjoy taking part in dance experiences. EXA 0-10a 
• I can respond to the experience of dance by discussing my thoughts and feelings. I can give and accept constructive comment on my own and others’ work. EXA 0-11a / EXA 1-11a / EXA 2-11a / EXA 3-11a

(Scottish Government, 2008)

Over the past four weeks our class has covered every benchmark without even really realising it. It has been an extremely enjoyable experience, even for someone like me who does not dance. I look forward to teaching it in class.

Over the course of 12 weeks, it has become abundantly clear to me that exploration of dance, drama, music and art, have a major impact in preparing children to learn, achieve and succeed in all areas of life. I can now see it is crucial to embed these in our day to day teaching as we do with English and Maths.

References

Best Songs Backing Tracks, 2015. Last Christmas – Wham! Guitar Backing Track with scale, chords and lyrics. [Online] Available at : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GLhYC7F8uZw&feature=emb_title  [Accessed 27/11/19]

Scottish Government, 2008. Curriculum for Excellence: Expressive Arts Experiences and Outcomes [online] Available at: https://education.gov.scot/Documents/expressive-arts-eo.pdf [Accessed 27/11/19].

The Axis of Awesome, 2011. 4 Chords | Music Videos | The Axis Of Awesome. [Online] Available at : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oOlDewpCfZQ [Accessed 27/11/19]

The ukulele teacher, 2011. How to tune a ukulele. [Online] Available at : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dl7uzySXUSw  [Accessed 27/11/19]

The ukulele teacher, 2012. How To Play Three Easy Christmas Songs on The Ukulele. [Online] Available at : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iQBOJRquyi0  [Accessed 27/11/19]