Final Blog Post!

Wow, we have made it to the end of the Study Unit, what a journey it has been. I am so excited for this blog post.

In preparing for this post I realised I am experiencing a feeling of accomplishment and excitement, and no it is not because of the end of the semester nearing, it is because of the subject itself.

I always tend to enjoy the Life Skills orientated subjects and when I realized that this semester the main focus is going to be music, I was very anxiously curious to find out what it is going to entail. I have no musical training or knowledge and even singing is not one of my strong suits. Therefore, having a subject that is focused on music and music education, felt way out of my comfort zone.

When we received all the module information and assessment tasks I felt somewhat overwhelmed by the uncertainty and workload. But now looking back I can honestly say it was a very well thought through plan that actually guided me successfully through the subject content. I feel empowered and can say with confidence that I do have the necessary skills and knowledge to be able to teach music as well as incorporate music and arts into teaching activities. I can still not sing, but I can teach with the arts!

The blogs was a good platform for reflection and made me stop and consider that which I had learnt. It was an extremely helpful tool in mastering the content. Although at times when the overall workload got heavy it felt as an extra burden, but I can admit that at the end of every blog post I felt a sense of understanding for the reason for having these blog post. I could actually appreciate the method and reap its benefits. The blog posts also allowed opportunity for me to make the new information my own and to think of how it can relate to my future classroom. I actually started to incorporate musical aspects in lesson plan activities of other subjects and it was so much fun doing so.

I have gained so much appreciation for this module, and not only the content but also for the manner in which it was presented. Everything was well structured with clear expectations and guidelines, I always knew exactly what was expected of me. It gave me a good indication and guideline for future reference. It was the first time that I actually not only looked at the content of a subject but also at the overall plan and method of teaching. I was so enlightened.

Study Unit 5 was the most challenging and provided me with the most practical guidance for incorporating arts in other subjects when not teaching music explicitly. Oh and Study Unit 1 and 2 was so much fun, actually, all the study units was fun. For some reason Study Unit 4, specifically the Champions of Change study resonated with me on a different level, a very emotional level and I for the first time felt the value of music and arts education. It was as if all the benefits became real and I developed a different understanding and approach to the subject content. This caught me completely off guard.

Teaching ought to be fun and inspiring. It should be an environment that accommodates all and provides for all. I am now convinced that by the incorporation of the arts teaching can live up to all its expectations.

Good luck to everyone and may you also find value and joy in teaching and the arts.

Bye!