As a Foundation Phase teacher, you have to choose between utilising indigenous African music, Western Art music or contemporary commercial music (including popular music and film music) in your classes. Which would you choose? 

1. In my foundation phase classroom I would choose contemporary commercial music. The contemporary commercial music include genre such as music theater, pop, rock, gospel, R & B, soul, hip hop, rap, country, folk, experimental music, and all other styles. I believe we need to move on with the times as we in the 21^st century and integrating and accommodating other genres such as rap, gospel, pop or rock music in the classroom, it’s beneficial to the learners to know and learn contemporary music, so that learners should be exposed to versatile music. Different genres of music I believe they make an impact on the learner’s emotion and feelings for example, when we listen to sad songs; we tend to feel a decline in mood. When we listen to happy songs, we feel happier. Upbeat songs with energetic riffs and fast-paced rhythms (such as those we hear on the radio and television) tend to make us excited and pumped up. I have observed young children such as 5 to 10 year old enjoy contemporary commercial music, they even sing to the music. Film music is important to the learners because I believe that it teaches learners patterns of development for example musical themes are often repeated, establishing motifs, and parallels, such as lyrical content, Tempo (speed), Instrumentation and volume to mention a few. Film music guides the audience and invokes the emotions behind the film's story, the action and the words. Music in general is life. Imagine a world without music; we would be a boring nation.
2. Do you think that the examples and content offered in SU 2 are inclusive? Please motivate your answer

My answer to the inclusivity on the study unit 2 is  yes and no. I have read the content and I believe in South Africa we have 11 official languages. No, in a way that not all music type of language is included in the unit so for some learners who come from different background will be a hindrance, yes in a way that the music activities are fun and exciting but also a problem to the handicapped or learners suffering from stiff body parts. Learners will learn the activities and finally they will catch up. But with language it takes learners a while to learn a new language, so listening or learning a new song is a challenge, as some learners will not feel the rhythm and the sound to be interesting and they will get bored to participate in the music activity. I am in support of the movement of the study unit 2 but the problem also will be those learners who are handicapped or have stiff muscles movement. It will be quite a challenge for them as we have to consider them.

What suggestions do you have for making the content more inclusive? Please provide examples of how the content and activities presented in SU 2 could be changed or adapted to be more inclusive.

We should introduce learners to more indigenous type of such as songs in isiNdebele music, Venda music, Tsonga music to name a few. To make learners to feel the rhythm, beat and tone so that they must not get bored easily.