For our second last week of music, we continued using the glocking spiel with a specific focus on conventional rotation and the pentatonic scale. We focused on improvising through the use of the pentatonic scale which consists of five notes:

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After playing along to pieces of music as a group- copying from the board- we then, individually played 16 bars to our lecturer in rhythm to the tune Julie was playing on the piano. I do not feel confident performing in front of others, so I am unsure if I would use this activity within this specific setting. Personally, in a professional environment I would find it more suitable for small groups to practice together and then perform to other groups whilst I monitor their progress. This will ensure no child is pushed our their comfort zone or made to do something they don’t feel comfortable doing.  Prior knowledge should always be a priority before introducing a new concept. As a teacher, I would ensure each child comprehended the basics such as how to hold the beaters properly and the various notes included before incorporating instruments into lessons. Attached below is a video of me completing my 16 bars:

The pentatonic scale allows you to play along to any chosen song as the given notes work accordingly. Due to not being confident within reading music, this specific activity made me feel more comfortable for teaching this area, due to the fact, I can create any melody along with any backing track. Glocking spiels can be found in most primary schools and are an excellent instrument for introducing the pentatonic scale to children as you can remove keys if necessary, to prevent confusion with keys.

Following on from last week, in dance we started to collaborate our group routines into one class dance. I really enjoyed watching us form the final dance and look forward to performing it next week for it to be filmed! We discussed simple changes we could make to enhance the routine such as having an awareness of how you transition from one step to another. Dance does not solely improve creativity, it also enhances a childs confidence and team building skills (Cone,2009.) This supports why all practitioners should incorporate dance into the curriculum as our young leaners love it and become so enthusiastic when creating their own routines.

References:

Cone, T.P. (2009) Following their lead: Supporting children’s ideas for creating dances. Journal of Dance Education, 9(3), pp.81-89.