As an LSKM 221 student my knowledge, skills, experiences, abilities and attitude towards music education from the start of the semester to the end of the semester, has only grown. I have found a new passion for music and learning through music, I have also learnt the vital importance of integrating music and art into learning and why it is important. 

• What did you learn from your individual reflections? - I learnt that I was in actaul fact, actaully l earning. As strange as it may sound, we often just carry on. Doing what we need to do in a normal everyday lives as life goes by. However, while completing these blogs, I really had time to reflect on what I was learning.
• What did you find challenging? - I found it challenging to create blogs. I found the process difficult and complicated and took awhile to get into the hang of it all. 
• Did you find the individual reflections meaningful? - Yes, I had the oppurtunity to truly reflect. 
• What would you change if you had the opportunity in future? - I would much rather prefer to do a reflection assignment at the end of the semester instead. Being an incredibly busy person, I often found it difficult to complete everything within the given times, however, at the end of the semester where I have more time on my hands, I am able to spend more time on given work.

Some people might say that arts integration is a waste of time in Foundation Phase education. Please explain how you would respond to such a statement by explaining your view on arts integration in the Foundation Phase.

1. Working in the arts helps learners to develop creative problem-solving skills.
2. Teaching through the arts can present difficult concepts visually, making them more easy to understand.
3. Art instruction helps children with the development of motor skills, language skills, social skills, decision-making, risk-taking, and inventiveness.
4. Visual arts teach learners about color, layout, perspective, and balance: all techniques that are necessary in presentations (visual, digital) of academic work.
5. Integrating art with other disciplines reaches students who might not otherwise be engaged in classwork.
6. Arts experiences boost critical thinking, teaching students to take the time to be more careful and thorough in how they observe the world.
7. The arts provide challenges for learners at all levels.
8. Art education connects students with their own culture as well as with the wider world.
9. A report by Americans for the Arts states that young people who participate regularly in the arts (three hours a day on three days each week through one full year) are four times more likely to be recognized for academic achievement, to participate in a math and science fair, or to win an award for writing an essay or poem than children who do not participate.
10. A study of Missouri public schools in 2010 found that greater arts education led to fewer disciplinary infractions and higher attendance, graduation rates, and test scores.

As a Foundation Phase teacher, if I had to choose one music genre it would be contemporary commercial music (including popular music and film music) in my classes. I would choose this style for the reason that the learners will be familiar with the music and will be able to relate with the beats and rythms. However, at the same time I do believe it is important for children to learn about cultural music and the simplicity of it.

I feel the content in Study Unit 2 is appropriate and does not need to be changed in anyway. 

I feel incredibly confident in my current knowledge and skills to teach music through movement in the Foundation Phase as you start your LSKM 221 journey. I also believe I am confident to integrate music into your teaching practice currently. Throughout high school, I partcipated in many music groups, including the marimba band and the school choir. I am also currently working at a school while studying and have gained much knowledge throughout the years.

When thinking about facilitating holistic development in the Foundation Phase, we need to consider, for example, cognitive development, personal development, social development, emotional development and physical development. We also need to consider literacy and numeracy skills, language acquisition, creativity, problem solving and midline crossing. When choosing between physical education and musical education, I would most certainly choose to incorparate music instead, for the reason that it is easy to create physical movement into a music lesson, but not nesacarily visa versa.