Expressive Arts and Culture Week 6

Our final Expressive Arts and Culture input took place in Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum. We were greeted by Anna and she explained the programmes and activities that the 10 Glasgow museums have available from both primary and secondary schools. As well as this, she told us that there are workshops available for teachers to expand their knowledge on a subject for example, the dinosaurs.

We also had the opportunity to view the ‘Dippy on Tour’ exhibition. This is a diplodocus dinosaur skeleton to scale that is only in the museum for a limited period of time. I regularly visit the museum with my family to see different exhibitions available and I felt grateful to see this current exhibition as it was something different from my last visit.

Whilst exploring the museum and art gallery, we were given the task of creating our own exhibition surrounding a theme. Everyone chose their own theme which meant that everyone was looking for unique pieces of art that was relevant to their specific theme. We were asked to take 10 photos of objects or paintings that we believed matched our theme.

 

Below are vlogs I took inside the museum!

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I chose the theme of culture as not only was it interesting to view the different cultures around the world, but it also related to my evocative object. In particular, I focused on the unique designs of masks that exist around the world.

This was a fun way of exploring the museum. I enjoyed this task and I learned a lot from reading the different information given about each piece of art. As a teacher, I think taking pupils to the museum and carrying out an activity like this would be enjoyable yet also very educational. Furthermore, if pupils are learning about Egyptians, they would benefit from coming to the museum and taking part in one of the workshops exploring both the Egyptians and the expressive arts in more depth. An experience and outcome that could relate to this task I took part in at Kelvingrove museum and art gallery is, ‘Through observing and recording from my experiences across the curriculum, I can create images and objects which show my awareness and recognition of detail.’ EXA 2-04a

References

Education Scotland (2004) Curriculum for Excellence; Experiences and Outcomes [Online] Available: https://education.gov.scot/scottish-education-system/policy-for-scottish-education/policy-drivers/cfe-(building-from-the-statement-appendix-incl-btc1-5)/Experiences%20and%20outcomes [Accessed 18th February 2019].

Expressive Arts and Culture Week 5

During today’s Expressive Arts and Culture workshop, we had the opportunity to create a model of our evocative objects.

To create my artwork I used paper and a pencil. Initially I had the intention of using pipe cleaners and metal rods but this was proven too difficult for me to work with. I was extremely proud of the work that I produced and I have an idea of how I could further develop my drawing in the future.

Here is a sketch of what I planned to draw:

Below is the final drawing of my piece.

Around my drawing, I then used my prepared concrete poem that consisted of 62 words relating to my evocative object. This was in a love heart shape around my drawing. Some words that I used within my poem were as follows: memories, volunteering, culture, happiness, friendship and precious. All of the words I used specifically related to my object and were words that reminded me of it. I realised just how much this object means to me and I found it easy to write different words that related to it.

This input was very independent and you could express yourself however you felt was necessary, I have created a vlog that helps to explain the emotions and impact that this task had on me.

Below is my vlog relating to today’s input.

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This activity was insightful and enjoyable and I feel that young people would appreciate a lesson like this. This allowed us to express ourselves and it emphasises how important it is for children to express their creativity skills. Eisner (2002), made this clear when stating that the arts allow pupils to think through material and create art that is unique to them. When I am a teacher, I will try to carry out a similar activity with the experience and outcome,

‘I can create and present work using the visual elements of line, shape, form, colour, tone, pattern and texture.’ EXA 1-03a

References

Education Scotland (2004) Curriculum for Excellence; Experiences and Outcomes [Online] Available: https://education.gov.scot/scottish-education-system/policy-for-scottish-education/policy-drivers/cfe-(building-from-the-statement-appendix-incl-btc1-5)/Experiences%20and%20outcomes [Accessed 24 February 2019].

 

Eisner, E (2002) The Arts and Creation of Mind. London. Yale University Press

Expressive Arts and Culture Week 4

This weeks input was a music led session allowing us to explore different types of instruments and graphic soundscapes.

To begin, were told that a graphic soundscape was a grid with images that represented a sound or an instrument. The first activity that we took part in as a class was based on the theme of fireworks. We came up with different noises that you would relate to fireworks, for example, bang, laughter, sizzle and countdown. We then went into pairs and came up with a sound effect that would relate to a particular noise. My partner and I were given the sound ‘bang’. After practising our particular noise, we were then able to participate in an example of a soundscape, using the song ‘Firework’ by Katy Perry as the background music.

Videos below is a vlog explaining the activity and also us practising our noise for the class performance.

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Following on from this activity, we worked in smaller groups to create our own graphic scores. My group and I decided to focus on a tropical rainforest. We thought of the different elements in a rainforest, for example, the trees, the rain, animals, people, wind. Using our imagination, we then used different instruments to create our own tropical rainforest graphic soundscape. We used, bells, vocals, slap sticks and coconut shells to create the perfect sounds of a tropical rainforest.

Pictures below are our soundscapes and videos of our group practising.

 

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This activity and input was extremely enjoyable, it allowed us to work in teams and also to create small musical performances to show to the class. This activity would be beneficial for children as they are able to take part in a musical performance without having to read musical notes, instead, using through the use of visual arts in a soundscape. They would also be doing a lot of practical work and can be creative whilst working with peers. According to Arts Education Partnership (2011), learning through music helps children to develop originality and flexibility which are key aspects that help an individual to be creative. enjoyed this form of learning and would encourage it in my teaching practice in the future. An experience and outcome that could relate to the activities in today’s workshop is, ‘Inspired by a range of stimuli, and working on my own and/or with others, I can express and communicate my ideas, thoughts and feelings through musical activities.’ EXA 0-18a / EXA 1-18a / EXA 2-18a

 

References

Arts Education Partnership (2011) Music Matters: How Music Education Helps Students Learn, Achieve, and Succeed. Washington, D.C.

Education Scotland (2004) – Curriculum for Excellence; Experiences and Outcomes [Online] Available: https://education.gov.scot/scottish-education-system/policy-for-scottish-education/policy-drivers/cfe-(building-from-the-statement-appendix-incl-btc1-5)/Experiences%20and%20outcomes [Accessed on 18 February 2019].

 

 

 

Expressive Arts and Culture Week 3

During this week’s Expressive Arts and Culture input we were located in the music studio. We continued to explore music relating to our evocative objects and we also had the opportunity to look at how different pieces of music can make us feel.

The task for today’s workshop was to bring two pieces of music along to the input. One piece of music that related to our evocative objects and one that was a contrast and did not have any connection to the object at all. I decided to select the song “Happy” by Pharrell Willliams as the song that related to my evocative object. This song is very upbeat and reminds me of happy times and the great memories I experienced in Uganda. It was also a song we listened to whilst we were there so whenever it is played it reminds me of the time in Uganda which is what my evocative object also does. The contrasting piece of music that I chose was ‘Make you Feel my Love’ by Adele. This piece of music is a lot deeper and makes you think about and understand the lyrics. This song portrays sad emotions and can make you feel sad when listening to it, however, it has no relation to my evocative object.

During the input, I shared the contrasting songs with the class and the reasoning behind why I chose these songs.

Fleming (2012), describes the importance of music being used in classes through looking at different feelings and emotions that is portrayed in different pieces of music. I was able to achieve this in today’s workshop and feel emotions towards songs.

After this, we looked at the impact music has on films. The music played describes how you should feel during that particular scene. We watched a clip of a film twice, once with music and once without. This made me realise how significant the music really is, it had a great impact on my emotions that I felt during the clip.

Before this input I had never thought about this before. In the future, I will be sure to listen to the music that is featured in a film and understand what sort of emotions it brings.

References

Fleming, M. (2012). The Arts in Education: An introduction to aesthetics, theory and pedagogy.  London: Routledge.

Expressive Arts and Culture Week 2

This week, we continued to explore our evocative objects through music. We were given the task to find a piece of music or create a piece of music using GarageBand that we felt related to our evocative objects.

The song that I felt a strong connection with when thinking of my evocative object was ‘Unforgettable’ by French Montana. I selected this song because its music video was based in Uganda and it makes me think of the experience whenever I hear it. I also love hearing this song as it reminds me the impact that everyone in Uganda had on me and how happy they all were. It’s a very upbeat song that brings out a lot of my emotions based on Uganda just as my evocative object does. The second song that I decided to select was ‘You’ve got a friend in me’ by Randy Newman (Toy Story). This song reminds me a lot of my childhood, the memories that I created with my friends but also, reminds me again of the people that I met in Uganda. . This song relates to my evocative object as it was a new friend that I had met from Uganda that helped me choose the ornament. Meeting new people and gaining a friendship was something special. At times during the trip, when I was struggling I was supported by my close friends who had a great impact on making the trip the amazing, unforgettable experience that it was.

Lyrics from ‘You’ve got a friend in me’ that have great significance:

You’ve got a friend in me
When the road looks rough ahead
And you’re miles and miles from your nice warm bed
You just remember what your old pal said
Boy you’ve got a friend in me
Yeah you’ve got a friend in me

 

I particularly like these lyrics as I was on the different side of the world from my family and I believe that if I did not have the support and love from my friends around me, I would have not have enjoyed the experience as much as I did. I think it is important that music makes you feel a connection when listening to it as it encourages you to express your feelings more openly. This is something that I would encourage when I am a teacher, for children to choose a piece of music that helps to describe their feelings. Fleming, M. (2012) describes the importance of music in a classroom to look at the different emotions and feelings through different pieces of music.

References

Fleming, M. (2012). The Arts in Education: An introduction to aesthetics, theory and pedagogy. London: Routledge.

Expressive Arts and Culture Week 1

This was the first input of the Expressive Arts and Culture module. I decided to choose this module as I have always had a real passion for the arts. I was fortunate enough to attend dance classes (I still attend) and musical instrument lessons from a young age. The different aspects of arts made me enjoy my creative and adventurous childhood and through this module, I hope I can spark my creativity levels and experiences the arts again more closely.

To begin with, we were all asked to bring an object that was significant to use for a specific reason. We gathered in a circle and read part of, “What Makes an Object Evocative” by Sherry Turkle. After reading this we were asked to show the rest of the group our own evocative object, something of which was significant and personal to us. We were asked to briefly explain what our object was, and what it meant to us. My evocative object was an ornament that I got during volunteering in Uganda. This object is of significance to me, however, my friends around me did not portray this object in the same way. “The meaning of even such objects shifts with time, place, and differences among individuals.” (Turkle, 2007, p.307). This explains how the object brings back the memories that I gained from Uganda that I will treasure forever.

My ornament that I bought at a market in Uganda is extremely important to me. It reminds me of my 3 week trip to Uganda. The object brings back the memories of building the classroom, the experience of a different culture and also all of the memories that I gained with both the people from Uganda and my friends who were also there volunteering. This was the longest time that I had been apart from my family, therefore, I had an emotional bond to this whilst in Uganda as it reminded me of my family as they love cycling. Whilst explaining my object, it brought back my memories of the trip and also a lot of my emotions. It was also clear that behind everyone’s evocative object, there were both happy and sad bond. During my teaching practice, I will try this sort of activity as it allows everyone to express themselves through an object.

 

References

Turkle, S. (2007) Evocative objects: things we think with. Mit Press.