It is said that arts provide a platform through which teachers can tap into a child’s creativity and humanity while teaching content material. It also gives students an opportunity to express and explore material in a medium to which they might not otherwise have access. Incorporating music is beneficial to both teacher and student as it strengthens the bond between them through a (hopefully) mutually satisfying aesthetic experience. Therefore, teachers should not be made to choose which music genre they prefer, rather they should rotationally teach different kind of music lessons to promote inclusivity in the classroom.

For me I would say that I personally love African traditional music. Nonetheless, it is not about what I love but what my learners deserve to learn. Therefore, I would consider learning as many musical genres as possible so that I can have an inclusive lesson in my classrooms.

Music is an integral part of our educational system especially in the foundation phase. You cannot think of teaching and learning for young kids without including how music impacts them. However, when most people think of children taking part in music and movement, some may think of children running around singing at the top of their lungs or banging nosily on an instrument. Many don’t realize that just like math, science, reading or writing, music and movement plays an important role in a child’s development and has many benefits.

Children naturally enjoy music and will begin reacting to music at an early age. As they get older, their love of music will bring one of the most obvious benefits of children participating in music and movement:  the release of energy. When children take part in music and movement activities, they can have fun, be creative and dance around and burn off some energy. When children participate in music and movement activities in a group, they also develop and refine their social skills. They learn to work as a team, they learn to share, and they learn how to be creative in a group environment.  It is therefore one of the many reasons why I believe that good music is a bandage to creating an inclusive safe space for children.

Research shows that exposure to music can also improve children’s ability to learn. Music and movement instruction has been shown to improve children’s memory, cognitive development, learning skills and expressive ability. Since nowadays, children grow up in the technologically advanced era, I think as a teacher it is also worth considering presenting the musical lessons on a technological platform so that the learners can be abreast with their counterparts from other countries. Although this does not rule out the fact that traditional musical instruments provide a platform for creativity and allows kids the opportunity to learn what kind of music instruments were used in the past.

For me an inclusive music lesson is when songs from various cultures are used to teach and present a lesson for the learners. The basic music concepts of dynamics, meter, beat, rhythm, tempo, timbre, pitch, and texture stay the same and it can be applied and improvised by the teacher to present her music lesson. Music instruments can be chosen according to the heritage of the song or body percussion can be used. It is safe to conclude that justice was done for study unit 2 because a different musical element was included in the unit.

At the foundation phase level, we understand the importance of arts and enrichment programs such as music and movement. Each week, children receive a 15 to 30-minute lesson filled with music and stories. This activity can be as simple as creating a cleanup song to sing when tidying up their toys or throwing on some fun music and having a dance party right in the classroom! If you’re feeling a bit more creative, break out the art supplies and make homemade instruments such as maracas or shakers for your children to play with and enjoy.