In today’s music workshop we looked at drumming with a focus on rhythm. We each got handed out drumsticks and got told the correct way on how to hold them. Instead of talking about quavers and crochets we discussed circles and squares. I found this extremely helpful as I find it difficult to read music. This allowed me to follow along to the music easier. I think this would be a good way to teach beginners as it really breaks the steps down.

The drums can be a creative outlet for quieter students in the class as the loud instrument allows the pupils to have a bigger voice. Drumming can also be a great outlet for energy, CalorieLab states that a 150-pound adult drums amounts to an average of 200 calories per hour (Landa, n.d.). The link between drumming and academic performance has been recorded many times, especially when it comes to mathematics. Music allows pupils to learn times tables and math formulas in an easier way (Proctor, 2015).

In today’s art workshop we discussed that paintings always have deeper meaning behind them. We looked at the famous painting ‘The Scream’ and discussed how the painting conveys a deeper meaning of mental illness. As a future teacher, I think it is important we discuss the meaning behind art as it allows students to have to think critically and allows them to look at the world with more depth.

We then decided to link this theory to our artwork. We then were given a demonstration on how make art prints and were told to incorporate text into the painting. In our group, we decided we wanted to print a message that was important to us. We had decided to print ‘you are not your illness’. However, our print came out totally wrong and printed back to front. I thought this was a great lesson as it required trial and error. Even though there was three of us working on the design, we still managed to make a mistake. This taught me that art requires patience as you will not always get the outcome you wanted.

I thought this would be a great activity to do in the classroom as it allows children to realise that art is more than a pretty picture and that art can be anything. It also allows pupils to share a message the feel passionate about. Displaying the child’s artwork would then show you appreciate their views and opinions and lets them know that they have a voice and that they are heard.

References

Landa, S. (n.d.). 5 Reasons Why Kids Should Play Drums. [online] The Drumeo Beat: Drumming Blog With Free Drum Lessons, Videos, and Articles. Available at: https://www.drumeo.com/beat/5-reasons-why-kids-should-play-drums/ [Accessed 16 Dec. 2019].

Proctor, M. (2015). The Top 10 Benefits of Learning Drums [Infographic]. [online] TakeLessons Blog. Available at: https://takelessons.com/blog/learning-drums-benefits-z07 [Accessed 20 Dec. 2019].