From this module, I Have learned a lot regarding music, arts integration as well as lesson planning. I never imagined that integrating arts and music into the classroom would have a significant impact on learners and based on everything I have learned so far in this module, I can say that I have acquired new knowledge regarding music education and how to plan lesson plans for the foundation phase learners. Music is very important in the foundation phase as it engages learners in authentic and fun lesson.

What did you find challenging?

It was difficult to integrate music with other courses, as well creating a musical game which will teach learners music concepts.

Did you find the individual reflections valuable?

Yes, the reflection was beneficial because they helped me to check my knowledge on music, and I saw where I need improvement and which parts I should focus on and try to improve.

What would you change if you had the opportunity in future?

I’d change how I look at music because I thought music was easy and not that important in the foundation phase but it’s actually harder than I thought and very important in lesson as it has many benefits.

What did you find interesting and meaningful?

What was interesting was working well with my group members, brainstorming, and coming up with ideas and creating a game that would teach learners music concepts.

I also learnt that integrating arts and music as well as making a good lesson plan for foundation phase learners is important and meaningful because all these engage learners in authentic and fun learning.

What challenged you, and what do you still struggle to understand?

Arts integration and integrating music with other subjects.

Creating a game that will teach learners music concepts.

What didn’t you find valuable for your future teaching practice?

Nothing because everything that I learnt in this module throughout the year is valuable for future learning practice.

 

1. In your opinion, reflecting on and synthesising all that you learnt in LSKM 221, what are the most important aspects to keep in mind when planning foundation phase lessons?

When the teacher plans a foundation phase lesson plan, he/she must make sure that the lesson is fun, will grab the learners’ attention and the learners will engage fully in it. When the teacher starts the lesson, they must first check the learners’ prior knowledge before introducing and explaining the topic. You must come up with activities that won’t be difficult for the learners to solve. Ask questions and allow learners to ask you questions too if they don’t understand. If you are teaching and want to integrate music in the lesson to make the lesson more exciting, you should add the music at the beginning and end of the lesson. Always use the caps document to see how the arts topics correlate with life skills. At the end of the lesson to check if the lesson objectives are met allow the learners to demonstrate and summarize the lesson.

Since learners in classroom has different learning abilities and styles, diverse interests and socio-economic backgrounds, as a teacher you must come u with ways to manage and accommodate all of them and also create a classroom environment where all learners feel safe, loved, appreciated and have a sense of belonging.

2. What is your opinion about the value of utilising arts integration and play in foundation phase lessons?

Learners should be actively involved in the teaching and learning process through arts integration and play because it allows them to have fun while participating in a meaningful, authentic and fun teaching and learning activities in social settings and demonstrating their understanding practically through the arts.

 It is very important to incorporate arts integration and play in the foundation phase because it does not only build the learners’ social and creative thinking skills, but it also increases learners' excitement for learning while also allowing them to have a better understanding of the content taught.

3. Has your perception and priorities with regards to lesson planning and the inclusion of music (and the arts) throughout your teaching and learning in the foundation phase changed? Please motivate your answer.

Yes, because I have learnt and seen that by integrating music and the arts into the class has a significant impact on the students. Music and arts allow students to have fun while learning in a real and relevant way. Therefore, we can say the use of music in the classroom boosts the learners' willingness to learn. Incorporating music and art into the foundation phase allows students to be actively involved in the lesson while also assisting in the development of their social and creative thinking skills.

1. Arts integration is a teaching method that emphasizes active participation in both teaching and learning activities, as well as experiential learning, realistic learning activities, collaboration, problem-solving skills, and reflection. When planning arts integration activities, it's crucial to keep in mind that two or more subjects must be seamlessly integrated (Silverstein & Layne, 2010). Arts integration activities encourage active learning by allowing foundation phase students to internalize new knowledge and abilities through participation in actual activities with real-world applications. Learners can use arts integration tactics to learn in a way that prioritizes in-depth learning of new concepts and abilities on a practical level before moving on to abstract symbols. Learners have the chance to not only study in safe, collaborative social contexts, but also to exhibit their comprehension in ways and at a level that they are comfortable with since arts integration encourages them to do so through the arts.

2. What is interesting about arts integration is that it is one of the most effective ways for a wide range of students with a wide range of interests, aptitudes, styles, and experiences to form a community of active learners taking responsibility for and ownership of their own learning. It encourages learners to express their understanding of topics and skills through the arts, while also promoting teaching and learning practices that target outcomes in several areas at the same time. What I found challenging was the theoretical framework for arts integration in foundation phases and its elements, which can be complicated and difficult to comprehend.

Play is a prevalent in many African cultures and the wider African setting, where we frequently see characteristics of play when individuals participate in music and dance activities

Outcomes of play.

It engages both the mind and the emotions, play is a vital element of learning. Play is a way of life that needs an openness and desire to try new things.

Play also has the educational objective of instilling in children certain behaviors, ideas, and values that are healthy and helpful to society.

In the foundation phase, play promotes cognitive development, physical development, as well as social and emotional development.

Assist students in mastering a variety of academic, physical, and social concepts and abilities.

It helps youngsters do better in terms of cognition, socializing, and movement/coordination than children who have fewer opportunities for participation.

Three types of play in children’s culture.

Traditional

Open

original.

How do music games support holistic development?

Learners in the foundation phase can grow holistically by participating in authentic, meaningful activities when they participate in teaching and learning activities that involve play concepts.

When learners are pushed to find ways to achieve specific goals while following to fluent rules during play, they develop creative thinking abilities and solve problems.

 Importance of games in culturally diverse classrooms

In order for the game to be successful and enjoyable, learners must work together. Learners gain a sense of belonging and have the flexibility to be whoever they choose in class. Play has a relaxing effect on people. Through play and imagination, the child can work through personal concerns. Play gives people an outlet for their emotions while also building a sense of community.

 

music elements are the building blocks in music.

examples of music concepts are pitch- how high or low the the sound in music is, beat- a steady and regular pulse we hear in music, rhythm- the combination of regular repeated pattern formed by different lengths of movement or sound, harmony- two or more notes sounded together, timbre- quality of sound that makes you to make distinction between instruments even when they play the same pitch and rhythm, beat- a steady and regular pulse we hear in music and melody.

experiencing and facilitating music concepts through movements, songs and games.

learners usually listen to pieces of music in order to identify different music elements. they can either use locomotor or non-locomotor movements to show the music concept they have identified. for example in pitch they can demonstrate the melodic contour with their hands. they can show the difference between meter and rhythm through movements(walk to the beat and clap the rhythm), body percussion where they'll either clap or stomp their feet.

how do music concepts relate to life skills, mathematics and language education.

in mathematics, music elements such as steady beats, rhythm and melody teaches spatial properties, sequencing and counting by using musical activities to teach math, it will make learning more fun and appealing to kids and will improve their thinking ability.

This has been a very tough week for me but the struggles that I faced didn't stop me from doing my work. I made sure that I read every single day.

I learned some interesting new things from study unit one which is more based on music and holistic development. Music refers to voices or instrumental sounds or both combined in such a way that it produces beauty, harmony and emotional expression. Holistic development is a comprehensive learning method designed to develop multiple aspects or abilities of the human brain. From the study unit, I learnt that it is important for learners to experience music activities in order to promote their holistic development. There are different types of holistic development namely, physical, cognitive, emotional, social and personal development. Activities that can promote a child's physical development include dancing or playing instruments. Dancing enables learners to develop balance, body awareness as well as co-ordination.  Music education improves learner's creativity and betters their Maths skills.

Therefore in order to have creative and lively learners and also enjoy your classroom lessons teach your learners music, you can start your lesson by asking them to sing a song just to grab their attention and allow them to sing as loud as they want.