Prior to this module, I was apprehensive as I was unaware of exactly what it would involve and did not have a particularly positive experience with the arts in school. Following our morning lecture discussing what the module would encompass and what was expected of us I felt at ease, ready to open my mind to the arts and get fully involved in the workshops.

 

In the music workshop, we listened to a ten-minute clip and worked, in groups, to create a story board we felt best represented the music. Our group had many ideas but focused on the idea of two fish, one of which is eaten by a shark only to later be released. The two fish are then reunited and live happily ever after with one another. Bloomfield & Childs (2000) explain that the arts provide opportunities for individual interpretation, this was apparent in the workshop as each story was created based on the same piece of music but varied between groups.
However, almost every story shared the commonalities of suspense and happy endings. This task gave me my first insight into how the performing arts can interlink as this was not only a music task but also involved art and could branch out further across to the curriculum to the likes of literacy.

 

 

To begin the art workshop, we were asked to write down the positive and negative experiences we had with art as a learner. I was one of many who had a largely negative experience with art in school, I found it was very direct with little chance for self-expression and was restricted by time. We discussed that young children’s ‘scribbling’ is art to them – a representation of how they see the world – and so it is important to show interest and listen to what they say about their drawing (McAuliffe, 2007). As a result of discussing our personal experiences with visual arts I felt ready to focus on having a positive experience and ensuring my pupils have an enjoyable experience in the future.

 

As a result of today’s inputs I am now more informed of the lessons the arts teach. I am also aware that the art’s can tell a story without the use of the written word and this results in everyone interpreting it and, thus, learning different lessons from it.

Reference List

Bloomfield, A and Childs, J (2000) Teaching Integrated Arts in the Primary School. Oxon: David Fulton Publishers.

 

McAuliffe, D (2007) Foundation and Primary Settings. In Teaching Art and Design 3-11 (ed). London: Continuum.