Art
It’s been well known for some time now that the arts is positively linked to academic achievement, social and emotional development among other things (Smith, 2009). It is acknowledged in the education system as it stimulates the brain in ways textbooks cannot and was a massive step forward to integrate it into formal education. However, after being in practice for a number of years the delivery is being revised so that children get the most out of the arts through varying mediums such as dance, drama, music and can bring out a child’s artistic potential.
Art can be taken in so many different ways. What one person might see another person will see something completely different with neither being right or wrong. This is the main point I gained from today’s input when we were going round looking at artwork ranging across the whole of the primary school. I wouldn’t describe myself as being incredibly art-inclined, I’ve always leaned closer to the facts and figures so when I saw this image the first thought that came to my head was that the child was practicing drawing the number 4 and had made it into a circular pattern. However, when brought to the wider class discussion someone else said it looked more like a child drawing chairs around a table – the possible classroom layout where the child was. It could have been either of the ideas or none at all and that is the great thing about art; there is no right or wrong answer.
Another concept brought to attention was the involvement of the class teacher in the production of the art piece. Was the child told to use a specific technique to produce the piece of art? Was the child given an image to reproduce or was it an original idea? Was the child incorporating a number of techniques they have seen from famous artists or were they just copying a painting? Did the child have a choice of resources? How long would the piece taken to create? Was it done in one sitting or multiple?
All these questions were considered and it highlighted the importance of the teacher’s role in cultivating a child’s creativity. Although learning about the different styles and techniques of famous artists is important and practicing them to see the effect they have in producing an image, getting a whole class to reproduce a version of a famous painting can be counterproductive. Instead of an exercise which allows the child to explore a style of art it becomes an exercise of who can reproduce the painting closest to the original or who can follow instructions correctly; this puts up barriers to creativity if the child’s work can be compared to the rest of the class’s in a way where one can be ‘the best’ and one ‘the worst’. Dictating what the child produces does not allow them to exercise their potential and develop their own style. A teacher’s role in the creative process should be focused on providing the resources and platforms for the child to take what they will and create as opposed to the teacher leading the process and putting up boundaries – supporting the creativity, not imposing (Bruce, 2004:12 as cited in Craft, 2007). There needs to be a balance between providing too much structure which can demotivate a child and providing too much freedom where the child can get confused and lost (Craft, 2007) to allow for the child’s creativity to develop and flourish.
This has made me think of my impact as a student teacher and how I need to be mindful of teaching methods so not to restrict children and their learning. This different way of thinking and seeing things from multiple perspectives has made me reflect on my personal experience of expressive art in primary school and how it has influenced my views of my own ability of creativity. It has opened my eyes to how important it is that children are not put off acknowledging they are creative and how creativity should not be measured and compared to those around them. It has made me really excited to get into this module and practicing not seeing everything as clear cut as black and white.
Music
I have always thought I was never musically gifted but it is as I have gotten older it has occurred to me that my inability to play an instrument does not make me ‘bad’ at music; it does not mean that my creative capacity cannot gain from music. I have always enjoyed listening to music from a young age and it makes me feel a range of emotions, it is the perfect partner to every aspect of life, the best days and the worst days. It can take you back to certain periods or time and help release stress, anger, joy and elation.
The activity we did in the music workshop today was stimulating, it showed how even just listening to music can exercise one’s imagination, creativity and portray emotions in ways that words cannot. Discussing how short audio clips made us feel showed how music affects us in all different ways – where a clip may make one person feel incredibly happy it can strongly anger someone else with many others in between. Creating a comic strip of what scenario came to mind whilst listening to the music was a brilliant way to provide a structure to showcase one’s imagination, it gave us the foundations to work off of with the only restrictions being our own thoughts, not capability. Presenting the scenario to the rest of the class what your group came up with perfectly illustrated how different people’s responses can be without being ‘wrong’ responses. It shows how little boundaries there are within the arts and how music can work the mind.
