I have learned a lot from LSKM 221 this semester, about music education, lesson plan and integrating music with other subject. I have learned the importance of music in the foundation phase, music help learners to understand easily and better and it also help them enjoy the lessons. Music helps learners to know meanings of words it also improves cognitive development of the child. Art integration helps learners to be able to express their feeling about the music through drawing pictures or writing a story.

What did you find challenging? 

I found creating a game for music concepts activity challenging because at the beginning I did not understand what it was all about and what was required and I had to write again to start over.

Did you find the individual reflection valuable?

Yes, I found individual reflection valuable because it helped me understand about the music education and its importance in foundation phase. I know a lot about music now which I was unaware of at first. 

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

There is nothing I would change because I think everything I know so far is relevant and important. All the things I have learned from this module was very helpful to me.

What did you find interesting and meaningful?

What I have found interesting is group work, doing videos learning together as a group about the importance of music and designing games for foundation phase learners. Everything I have learned from this module is meaningful.

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

Creating a game for music concepts.

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

There is nothing I didn't find valuable for my future teaching practice, everything was valuable.

A lesson plan is teacher's guide for a lesson. Lesson plan is used daily to guide the teacher for what to teach the students, how the teacher must teach or how the lesson must be taught and how learning will be measured. it is completed by the teacher before the actual lesson starts. The details of the lesson plan depends on what the teacher prefer, example how she/he wants the subject to be covered and what are the needs of the students. It should include the goal and how the goal will be achieved and its method and procedure. The should also be homework, class work and tests to see if the teacher has achieved the goal. Lesson plan also helps the teacher to be more effective in the classroom because it provides outlines to follow in each period. The school may also mandates the lesson plan's system. Lesson plan has five components which are objectives, warm-up, presentation, practice and assessment. 

Six steps for preparing a lesson plan.

1. Identify the learning objectives. 2. Plan the specific learning activities. 3. Plan to assess student's understanding. 4. Plan to sequence the lesson an engaging in meaningful manner. 5. Create a realistic timeline. 6. Plan for lesson closure. 

When planning a music class the teacher must introduce the major instruments to students. The music should be played at the beginning of the lesson and at the end of the lesson. Keeping beat is important because it will help students to understand concepts better. Let the learners sing in order for every students to be able to identify the basic elements of music. Provide students with class activity by allowing them to figure out new concepts and abilities to see if the understand.

The lesson should be planned on time and the teacher must make sure that all required material for the lesson is available before the class begins. The teacher must be organised. Practise new instruments. Review the progress.

Art integration is an approach to teaching where by students demonstrate understanding through an art form. it helps teachers to think more about the roles they have to play and what kind of relationship they should have with their students. art integration promote engagement in teaching and learning activities, experimental learning, authentic learning activities, collaborative learning, problem solving skills and reflection. Art integration promotes teaching and learning strategies and it also encourages learners to demonstrate their understanding on concepts. Leaners needs to be engaged in teaching and learning activities in order to encourage them to know their prior knowledge. learners can be able to explain how music makes them feel by drawing pictures or writing a story. Art integrations gives learners the opportunities to learn to understand new concepts and skills before the introduction of abstract symbols. Learners must engage with authentic music activities which is singing, dancing, drawing what they hear in the music before music notation can be introduced.

The value of art integration in the foundation phase.

Art integration gives teachers the opportunities to promote and support the developmental needs of learners while they are giving learners opportunities to engage in teaching and learning activities which are fun, fosters collaborations and connections and also promotes the innate curiosity, creativity and imaginative ability of learners. Art integration also promote foundation phase learner's to accommodate their love for music and movement by making fun and play in classrooms. it can create learning environment that where learners can develop experience on personal and social wellbeing while fostering creativity and imagination by drawing what they love based on what they heard on music.

Musical play has activities that allow children to over look and create with sounds. musical play might also include exploring vocal, instruments and environmental sounds. Music play can also be seen as an extention of foundational play because the sound starts to have sense of structure through patterns of rhythm, melody, tempo, dynamics and tone colour. musical play also include vocalizations, rhythmic movement of the body or object or playing instruments. A child's first respond to hear music is usually by movement. Children will walk run, rock, or twist as they speak or sing in rhythm. Movement is also a part of roles that are best to serve the developing child's needs. Teachers should make a learning environment that is conductive to music play. It must have high quality materials and a place where children will be able to take risks without fearing that they may fail.

Why is music play important.

Music play is important in foundation phase education because a play gives a natural and learning that is experiential and that supports the child's construction of his/her own knowledge of the world that his place is in it. It improve the cognitive development of the child.

Hi everyone, my name is Boipelo from Tlokweng.

In study unit 1 I have learned about holistic development it improves the intellectual,mental, physical, enthusiastic and social capacities so that the individual is fit to face the difficulties or challenges of everyday life. Holistic development aspects are personal,physical,social skills, growth, emotional understanding, intellectual development and environmental value. Music is very important on foundation phase learners because it helps them whith reasoning and creativity. Study unit 1 helped me because I have learned a lot that will help me when I become a foundation phase teacher as a have learned about theories,Erikson's phycological development theory. Piagent cognitive development theory. Vygotsky and the zone of proximal development.