I've learned a lot about music, arts integration, and lesson planning from this module. I never imagined that incorporating arts and music into the classroom would have such a big impact on students, and based on everything I've learned so far in this module, I can confidently say that I've learned a lot about music education and how to plan lesson plans for foundation phase students. Music is crucial in the primary level because it engages students in meaningful and enjoyable lessons.

It was challenging to integrate music into other courses, as well as to create a musical game that would teach students about music concepts. The reflections were beneficial because they allowed me to assess my musical knowledge and identify areas for improvement. I was able to see where I needed to improve and which areas I should concentrate on.

I'd change my perspective on music because I used to think it was simple and unimportant in the foundation phase, but it's actually more difficult than I thought and extremely beneficial in the classroom.

Working well with my group members, brainstorming and coming up with ideas, and creating a game that would teach learners music concepts were all enjoyable experiences.

I also learned that incorporating arts and music into foundation phase lessons, as well as creating a good lesson plan for foundation phase students, is important and meaningful because all of these activities engage students in authentic and enjoyable activities.

When planning a music lesson, you should include as many opportunities as possible for learners to actively listen to, move to, and create/perform music throughout the lesson.

Keep in mind that music should always be played at the beginning and end of a music lesson when planning one. Include a variety of activities for students to engage in, and always encourage and guide them as they listen to music. When planning a music lesson, remember to include a basic introduction.

Allow students to figure out new concepts and skills on their own and in groups before providing answers or explaining new ideas in a lecture format. Think about the different types and methods of assessment you'll use for each learning activity in the lesson.

Morning, as promised in our last blog, today we will be concentrating on arts integration. I apologize for not being able to upload it on the 3rd of October.

Description of Arts Integration

 Arts integration is one of the most successful methods for a broad group of students with a variety of interests, aptitudes, learning styles, and experiences to join together and build a community of active learners who take responsibility and ownership of their own learning. In the foundation level, art integration is not a waste of time. Art integration promotes a deeper understanding and enjoyment of the fine performing arts while also increasing knowledge of a general subject area. Art integration is also an element of art education, and it helps students comprehend music and art better. Even outside of the classroom, children may gain an understanding of the arts. It is possible to learn new abilities and notions. Children are introduced to musical and artistic skills they were previously unaware of.

Values of Arts Integration

• Increased math results and less disciplinary concerns have been observed in schools that encourage teachers to employ arts integration methods in their classes.
• Allows instructors to encourage and support the developmental needs of their students.
• Offers learners the opportunity to interact in enjoyable teaching and learning activities.
• Encourages children's natural curiosity, inventiveness, and imagination.
• Learners in the foundation phase will develop their problem-solving and critical-thinking abilities by participating in genuine learning activities.

That'll do it for today till we meet again. Have a wonderful week and remember to pray.

Good Morning .As promised, today we will be concentrating on one of my favorite topics of music, music play, where we will learn about many sorts of games.

Music games for foundation phase

Playing by the rules ( Traditional play)

• Are described as games that may be played without the need of written rules and are played informally with minimum equipment that children learn from other children.

Play in the open ( Open play )

• It's recognized for its abstraction of game and player on top of a network core that's automatically controlled.

Playwright's original (Original play)

• The play's originality is founded on curiosity, and it is mostly an individual game in which people entertain themselves with items and noises

Socio dramatic play

• This play has a small group of people taking on certain parts that they have selected. It also helps youngsters to think critically about a variety of elements of their own life.

Vygotsky in action

• It is a type of play that progresses from toddler manipulative play through older preschoolers and kindergarteners' socially focused play, and eventually to games.
• It's a drama in which items are used in fictitious scenarios and the actions are labeled with words.

What role do music games have in holistic development?

Play is an important part of learning since it engages both the brain and the emotions. Play is a way of life that necessitates a state of mind that is both eager and open-minded. Play supports cognitive growth and development, physical development, as well as social and emotional development, in the foundation phase. Learners participate in social games that foster peer connection.

Improve your social skills.
Active play benefits a child's overall health and is a wonderful method for them to learn new things. We acquire a lot of social and interpersonal skills via play. For example, sharing toys teaches children the value of giving and taking, and waiting in line teaches them patience and equality.

Improve your physical abilities.
For young children, active play is the ideal type of exercise. Running, leaping, tumbling, and climbing are all good ways to strengthen your muscles and bones. Their physical exertion while playing aids in the development of their stamina, motor skills, coordination, and balance.

The value of games in a multicultural classroom.

Learners in the foundation phase grow intellectually through practicing problem-solving abilities and learning about cause and effect via play. Learners' imagination and creativity are also cultivated by requiring them to use objects or tools from their surroundings to solve problem-solving activities or to assume roles in different languages and cultures, enabling them to be interculturally aware. It teaches students to understand diverse points of view and come to more solid conclusions.

That's all for today; we'll meet again tomorrow to discuss arts integration in the foundation phase.

It's a wonderful Monday. Today's topic will be how music principles link to life skills, arithmetic, and language instruction.

Music and mathematics have a tight link, with time tables of notes being used in mathematics to not just perform music more elegantly but also to comprehend the structure of music. To teach music, we employ numbers, patterns, and note values from mathematics. The three topics, Mathematics, life skills, and language, are linked because they all employ the same music components or concepts to execute music activities, such as the beat, rhythm, pitching, and note values. We also have music ideas in life skills and language education, which are the same as in mathematics. Because both employ patterns, music and mathematics have a lot in common. It (Mathematics) explains how particular settings vibrate at different frequencies. Some theorists utilize abstract algebra to study music, and a kid can perform music reinforcing elements of pitch while practicing arithmetic. As a result, music is taught in the same way regardless of subject.

That's all for now, until we meet again to talk about play in music education.

Good morning. I hope you're all doing well and looking forward to a new week filled with fresh knowledge. We'll be discussing how we listen to and respond to music .

Let's start with the musical aspects. If you're wondering what a music element is, consider this: music components are the building blocks of music.

The basic elements of music are:

Tempo 

• The pace of a musical composition or section is expressed by one of a variety of directions (such as largo, presto, or allegro) and, in certain cases, a precise metronome notation.

Beat

• The pulse, or basic unit of time, of the mensural level is the beat. The beat is frequently defined as the rhythm to which listeners tap their toes when listening to music.

Timbe

• The perceived sound quality of a musical note, sound, or tone is known as tone color or tone quality.

Rhythm

• It is the repetition of notes and pauses (quiet) in time. A song's tone, quiet, and stress pattern is also important.

Pitch

• The location of a single sound in the entire spectrum of sound in music. The frequency of vibration of the sound waves that produce them determines the pitch of the sound.

Texture

• The overall quality of the sound of a song is determined by how the pace, melodic, and harmonic components are blended in a musical composition.

Meter

• The term "meter" refers to the rhythmic patterns created by combining strong and weak beats.

Experiencing and facilitating music concepts through movement songs and games.

• Learners listen to music in order to recognize various musical components. They can demonstrate that they have correctly recognized each element by using locomotor and non-locomotor movements.

Meter and Rhythm

• Change the music's meter (beat) (walk on the spot, around the class , march, waltz).
• Through movement, emphasize the primary (initial) beat (clap on the first beat, stomp your feet on the first beat).

Body Percussion

• Skipping is a type of body percussion that includes clapping, swapping, stomping.
• Using movement, demonstrate the distinction between meter and rhythm (walk to the beat of the song and clap rhythm)

That's all I've got for the day. We'll focus on how music principles connect to life skills, mathematics, and language education the next time we meet.

Welcome back everyone, I hope you've had a wonderful time reading about theorists and their theories since our previous meeting on the site.
The theme for today is holistic development. I'll go right to the point. The development of a child's intellectual, mental, physical, emotional, and social capacities so that he or she is capable of confronting the demands and obstacles of everyday life is referred to as holistic development.

Music and the holistic development of foundation phase learners

Participation in realistic, play-based music activities may enhance foundation phase kids' overall development. As a consequence, kids must participate in music activities not only to enhance their competency abilities, but also to foster their whole development.

Physical development 

• Physical growth is aided by music activities, particularly dancing and playing instruments.
• Learners improve gross and fine motor skills, as well as hand-eye coordination and midline crossing, when they have the opportunity to perform instruments. Learners can improve their balance, coordination, gross motor abilities, and body awareness by dancing to music.
•  Circle games, which improve hand-eye coordination, midline crossing, and timing, are also beneficial music activities to add in the foundation period.

Cognitive development

• Learners in the foundation phase have the opportunity to enhance their cognitive skills by participating in music activities.
• Music education improves attention, multitasking, and increases levels of literacy abilities, while playing musical instruments helps students develop their abilities.
• Learners improve their vocabulary by learning new words in their mother tongue or learning a new language, as well as learning about phonics, when they sing songs in a variety of languages in addition to their own.
• Learners learn to solve issues and think creatively by participating in music activities that require them to improvise, develop their own movement rhythm patterns, or manufacture their own instruments.

Social development

• When students produce music with their friends, they get the opportunity to interact socially. Foundation phase learners can build relationships and perhaps create new friendships via music activities such as group playing, singing in groups, moving together, and playing together.
• Foundation phase students learn about taking turns, respecting others' ideas and feelings, and how to cope with conflict while strengthening their communication skills and learning about socially acceptable behavior through participation in these activities.

Personal development

• Learners achieve success in music education when they can effectively participate in music activities with friends, develop and execute their own body percussion patterns, participate in singing or dance activities, and build and play their own instruments.
• Learners acquire confidence and belief in themselves and their skills to be creative and produce music with others as a result of this successful experience.

Emotional development

• Learners learn to distinguish distinct emotions by listening to music in varied moods.
• They learn to express these feelings prompted by music by moving freely according to how music makes them feel, which helps them learn to understand and express their own emotions properly.
• They learn to be sensitive to others' feelings through participating in music activities with others, which might lead to greater empathy and emotional intelligence.
• Learners in the Foundation Phase might also be taught how to utilize music to regulate their mood by listening to different types of songs depending on how they are feeling at the moment.

That's all I've got for tonight's lesson. Until we meet again on the next blog, which will be on music listening and response.

Thank you for taking the time to read my blog this evening. I apologize for not publishing about theorists and their theories sooner, as I promised a few weeks ago.

Going through the theories of three different theorist  I've learnt a lot that I'd want to share with you. Three distinct theorists and their theories have been introduced to me .

1^st Theory : Erikson theory of Psychological development

• The emphasis of the concept is on influencing social interaction and relationships. In order to feel safe, respected, supported, and cared for in their learning environment, learners require meaningful interactions.
• According to Erikson's psychological development theory, foundation phase learners in the 4th stage of industry vs inferiority (ages 5-11) begin to develop a sense of pride in their accomplishments and talents through interactions and relationships.
• Teachers play an essential role in students' lives by providing appropriate extrinsic motivation and encouragement in order to foster a sense of competence and improve self-esteem and confidence.

2^nd Theory : Piaget Cognitive development 

• According to the theory, learners learn through interacting with the world and acquiring new information by applying existing skills and knowledge.
• According to Piaget, one of the most important aspects to consider when addressing children's cognitive development is to understand that children think differently than adults.

The following are the two phases of cognitive development:

1.Pre-operational stage ( Age 2-6).

• During the pre-operational developmental phase, children tend to think symbolically, and as a result, they use words and images to represent objects.
• During this time, children may convey themselves and knowledge through play, sketching, mimicking, images, and speech.
• Pre-operational children are usually selfish and have a hard time appreciating the viewpoints of others since they presume that everyone thinks the same way they do.
• During the pre-operational stage, children have difficulty with reverse reasoning, which means they have trouble starting with an end product and “repurposing” the processes necessary to get there.

2. Concrete operational stage

• During the concrete operational stage of cognitive development, children develop their ability to reason logically about concrete events, as well as their ability to deal with concerns of conservation and reversibility.
• During the concrete operational stage, children generally get more proficient at thinking about other people's needs, feelings, and perspectives, and so become less selfish .
• Around the age of seven, children begin to perceive and understand that their own thoughts, feelings, and perspectives are unique to them, and that not everyone will share their viewpoints in a given situation. As educators, we must encourage students in the foundation phase to understand and respect the viewpoints of others.
• Something that can easily be achieved through music by legitimately presenting a wide range of music genres and activities in order to draw attention to a wide range of musical preferences, performance styles, and global viewpoints.

3^rd Theory : Vygotsky and zone of proximal development

• By concentrating on the socio-cultural factors that impact cognitive development, Vygotsky's developmental theory stresses the importance of social interaction and language development.
• According to Vygotsky, it is difficult to fully grasp a child's learning needs and developmental stage without considering the child's social environment and the influence of social factors on a personal level.
• Vygotsky believed that symbols connected to symbols and tools like as language, counting, and writing are mastered and communicated through symbols, and that these abilities are an important component of self-regulatory capacities.
• One of Vygotsky's most notable elements of his cognitive development theory is the concept of a zone of proximal development, which is defined as "the gap between the actual developmental level (stage) as indicated by autonomous problem solving and the level (stage) of potential growth as assessed by problem-solving and the degree of prospective adult and peer assistance."

That's everything for today; I'll be back tomorrow with another topic, this time on holistic growth. For now, let us call it a day and have a wonderful evening.

Ladies and gentlemen, greetings! Hello and welcome to my blog. By the way, my name is Tshegofatso More, and I am a second-year North West University student. The main purpose of this blog is to explore the world of MUSIC, where we will discover a lot of interesting topics that we never knew about before and that will benefit you as a foundation phase instructor. Oh, and don't forget to check out my blog once a week to learn something new; remember, we're exploring the world of music. On September 8th, I will publish my first blog, in which we will learn about theorist and their theories.