... Oh no you guessed wrong !!! it's not Slim Shady,!! it's me!  blogging to you on this fabulous Sunday 5 September at 8:43 pm. A quick glance at my week thus far, besides working slavishly through my course content as I was driving to work I noticed the most beautiful spring blossoms and that sent my heart and mood right up there, I found myself smiling a lot more and even singing  "Spring is in the air, Spring is in the air, Oh, oh, oh, oh, uh" yep I can sing (hehe)... Alas, the winds of change (in the season) is blowing and I am looking forward to a beautiful summer .... can't wait...  before I get blown away, here are my responses to the questions posed for SU2 

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

As a Foundation Phase teacher, I would be adventurous and try to incorporate all of the music genres in my class as this will promote diversity and inclusivity. In addition, research shows that incorporating music into the classroom decreases anxiety and tension while also allowing learners to express themselves creatively. However, because indigenous African music may necessitate more musical expertise, such as understanding the beat and pronunciation and on the contrary Western Art music is a more Eurocentric music genre and this may only appeal to a few learners. Hence, I will use contemporary commercial music, because it covers a broad musical spectrum, is current or modern, and addresses current issues that appeal to a current audience. 

Q. Do you think the examples and content offered in SU 2 are inclusive? Please motivate your answer.

I do believe that the examples provided in SU 2 are inclusive, since it encapsulates all the different music genres and also the different techniques used which reduces barriers and it also caters for everyone’s unique talents, needs and everyone’s interest is supported.

Q. What suggestion 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

Being a novice at music I find it challenging to respond to this question since I was enthused by the way in which music could be used and presented in a lesson. However, my suggestion would be to include a warmer for example a high energy 3-minute music dance intro to the lessons will get learners excited and create a more fun and relaxed atmosphere.

 

that's SU 2 done and dusted and I'm off to a  busy week  ...

I agree with you in terms of using music to create a fun and energetic environment. I believe this will motivate learners and make them eager to learn. Using music should go hand in hand with play but in a structured manner.