Dance is a unique form of art and combines a mix of physical and emotional benefits. Not only does it get our hearts racing and encourage healthy lifestyles, it also encourages positive mind sets in our daily lives (Creative Scotland,2014.) Before beginning todays lesson, I was very nervous as I do not like performing in front of others. This is a fear I hope to overcome by the end of this module! Similarly to all integrated arts, there are no boundaries when it comes to creating sequences. Our lecturer encouraged us to allow children to form their own dance routines incorporating the 10 basic dance skills:

• Roll
• Slide
• Turn
• Twist
• Gesture
• Hop
• Jump
• Pose
• Reach
• Kick

Despite your personal background of dance, this should not affect the way you teach it. Knowledge of these 10 basic skills allow you to create any dance with children.

Today in music, we were fortunate enough to have a visit from the local primary schools. The lesson was delivered by a group of primary 7 pupils. They taught us the basics of a string instrument: how to hold it/ how to use the bow etc. The children loved the chance of reversing roles for the day. I will definitely utilise this reverse approach in the classroom as a form of assessing what they have learned on a specific topic in music. This allows children to use their own imitative in planning their own learning journey which gives them a sense of belonging in the classroom. (Burgess,2007.) It was so encouraging to watch these young learners passion for music and share it with us.

References:

Burgess, T. (2007) Lifting The Lid On The Creative Curriculum. [Online] Available: https://dera.ioe.ac.uk/7340/1/download%3Fid=17281&filename=lifting-the-lid-on-the-creative-curriculum-full-report.pdf [Accessed: 5 December, 2019].

Creative Scotland (2014) Get Scotland dancing: A literature review https://www.creativescotland.com/__data/assets/pdf_file/0004/26149/GSDLitReviewv2.pdf [Accessed: 5 December, 2019]