After working through this study unit, I realised that music concepts don't have to be restricted to music alone.  It can be incorporated into other subjects as well and have a meaningful overall outcome.

For example, when teaching mathematics you can teach then formulas and procedures through songs or movements.  When the children then face a math problem then can use their musical songs or moves to remember what they must do.  When they have to learn english, for example, they can use other songs or moves to help them distinguish between concepts.  For example, their and there.  They can pretend to have many friends around them for their and look far away when there.  Music concepts doesn't have to be restricted to music only.  It can be used to explain many concepts to children in a fun way. For example, they can learn facts about the 4 seasons in a fun and creative song they can sing and act movements out of as well.

While working through this study unit, I realised that the best way for learners to learn about music is through play.

At first when introducing learners to the new music concepts via games, some may take charge and immediately want to start participating.  They often tend to have prior experience in the movements, like going fast or slow or some kind of movement.  Others, however, may not have the same experiences as their peers and may hesitate to participate.  As the teacher, it is important for you to encourage participation and encourage them.  Initially they may struggle, but as you encourage them and they start doing it more and more, then they will start mastering the movements and not struggle as much.  This will boost their self-esteem and they will want to participate in other more complex moves the next time.

During this study unit, I learned that for learners to fully experience the lesson, all their senses must be used.  The best way to do this is through movement.  Songs are a great way to expose learners to new concepts and if movements or songs are played with then they will have a greater experience.

As a future teacher, I plan on using music as part of my lessons.  It will either be songs, dance or music instruments.  I will try and incorporate music into the lesson, some permanent and some temporarily as needed.  The permanent ones will be used to help learners know when it's time to clean up, line up, calm down, go crazy, etc.  It will help control learners in a classroom setting in a fun and productive way.

This week as been pretty hectic.  Children are thankfully allowed back to school for face-to-face learning and therefore they have to catch up and continue new work all at the same time.

In this study unit I learned just what big a role music plays in children's lives.  The more I worked through this study unit the more ideas I got of what I could do with the children in my class to help me as teacher maximize the learning experiences of children.  The more musical the lessons can be the more the children will be able to remember what they have learned.

I also noticed that the different types of learning theories can be interlinked.  By that I mean that you have to determine what learning theory fits best with the content you want to teach the children.  The best way to do this would be to start with you as teacher to determine prior knowledge had by children about the specific topic.  Once you have determined what they already know then you can determine how you can get them involved in the learning process as much as possible.  The more hands on education the children can receive, the more they will be able to remember what they have learned and how to apply them to their everyday lives.

Hi, my name is Christelle.  I am from Namibia and is currently employed as a 1st Grade teacher.  I have a big passion for children and my biggest goal is to influence children's lives in a positive way and help them develop to their full potential.  Children are the future of our country and it is our jobs as educators to help them manage the world around them to the best of their abilities and to help improve our country in the future.