This week was our first week in Integrated Arts.
 
In art, we were asked to note down our experiences with the arts – both negative and positive. Our lecturer taught us about how when children scribble, it is art. If children are creating art to show us how they see the world, it is important that we take care and interest and engage with their art (McAuliffe, 2007).

During Music, we were learning about Music Appreciation. To start off, we listened to five sound bites and we were then asked to write down how they made us feel. Bloomfield & Childs (2000) suggests that art gives us a chance to all appreciate the arts individually. This was the first time I feel like I really understood this concept. In the classroom, this concept could be introduced to children in a very similar way.

Our next activity was to listen to a longer piece of music and create a storyboard of what we thought was happening. The music was the Tin Soldier from Disney’s Fantasia. What was interesting is that although each group had different ideas, we all had similar themes. In a classroom situation, this would be a great stimulus for imaginative writing and would also cover music E’s & O’s too!

Bloomfield, A and Childs, J (2000) Teaching Integrated Arts in the Primary School. Oxon: David Fulton Publishers.

McAuliffe, D (2007) Foundation and Primary Settings. In Teaching Art and Design 3-11 (ed). London: Continuum.