FOCUSES ON THE NATURE AND VALUE OF PLAY IN THE  FOUNDATION PHASE AS WELL AS HOW YOU  CAN INCORPORATE ELEMNTS OF PLAY DURING MISIC  ACTIVITIES  THROUGHOUT THE DAY IN  A  FOUNDATION PHASE CLASSROOM.

PLAY IN THE FOUNDATION PHASE MUSIC CLASSROOM.

PLAY IS PROMINENT IN VARIOUS AFRICAN CULTURE AND GENERA AFRICAN CONTEXT, WHERE WE OFTEN FIND ELEMENT OF PLAY WHEN PEOPLE ENGAGE WITH MUSIC AND DANCE ACTIVITIES

THREE TYPES OF  PLAY IN CHILDREN'S CULTURE.

1. TRADITIONAL: IN TRADITINAL PLAY RULES ARE  IMPORTANT . THIS FORM PLAY IS FIXED. MANY CHILDREN 'S GAME ARE  TRADITIONAL AS THEY HAVE RULES  WHICH NEED TO BE FOLLOWED AND  ARE SELDOM BROKEN.
2. OPEN: OPNE PLAY IS A FORM OF IMPROVISATION. ALTHOUGH OPEN PLAY INCLUDES RULED, THESE RULES  MAY BE  CHANGED ACCORDING  TO THE NEEDS OF  CHILDREN WHILE PLAYING. THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE ENTIRE SETTING IS IMPORTANT. " LETS PRETEND TO BE /DO."
3. ORIGINAL: IS CREATIVE AND BASED ON CURIOSITY. ORIGINAL PLAY IS  MOSTLY AN INDIVIDUAL GAME WHERE THE INDIVIDUAL AMUSES THEMSELVES  WITH OOBJECTS , ACTIONS AND SOUND 

EDUCATIONAL OUTCOMES OF PLAY

PLAY INVOLVES SONG, STRUCTURED MOVEMENT/DANCE , STORYTELLING, MUSICAL INTRUMENTS AND INVOLVES THEORETICAL ELEMENTS SUCH AS  CHARACTERISATION TENSION AND SURPRISE. PLAY IS A FUNDAMENTAL WAY OF  LEARNING, ENGAGING BOTH INTELLECT AND EMOTIONS. PLAY IS A WAY OF BEING AND REQUIRED A CERTAIN STATE OF MIND  OF WILLINGNESS AND OPEN-MINDEDNESS. ONE OF THE EDUCATIONAL AIMS  OF PLAY IS TO TEACH CHILDREN CERTAIN BEHAVIOUR, MORALS, AND VALUES  WHICH ARE CONSIDERED HEALTHY AND USEFUL IN AND TO THE SOCIETY.

ELEMENTS OF PLAY

1. PLAY INVOLVES A STATE OF MIND AND DISPOSITION

FOR YOU TO PLAY YOU MUST IMAGINE, BE PLAYFUL, WONDER, EXPIRIMENT AND EXPLORE YOUR PHYSICAL AND EMOTIONAL SURROUNDINGS. CLASSROOM  WITH STRICT RULES CAN BE TRANSFORMED INTO  A PLACE WHERE LEARNERS  ARE ENCOURAGED TO BE IMAGINATIVE. THE FUN OF PLAY  IS  AN INPORTANT  CONTRIBUTOR TO SELF- GROWTH, IMAGINATION, AND CREATIVITY.

2. PLAY CONTAIN ELEMENTS OF SURPRISE AND CHALLANGE

TO SUPRICE SOMEONE OR TO BE SURPRICED CONTRIBUTES TO A SENSE  OF PLAYFULNESS.IN MANY GAMES THE ELEMENT  OF BEING CHALLANGED OR TO CHALLENGE SOMEONE IS IMPORTANT. IS EVIDENT IN GAME WHERE YOU  COMPETE AND ARE ELIMINATED WHEN YOU DO NOT HAVE THE NECESSARY SKILLS. YOU TEST AND CHALLENGE OTHERS BUT ALSO YOURSELF.

3. PLAY INVOLVES A PROCESS, ATTITUDE AND STRUCTURE.

THERE ARE CERTAIN RULES AND REGULATIONS WHICH NEED TO BE FOLLOWED TO PLAY. YOU NEED TO UNDERSTAND THE RULES  ( WHO MAY PLAY , WHEN AND WHERE THEY MAY PLAY, HOW  TO TAKE TURNS AND STRUCTURE MODALITIES)

4. PLAY IN VOLONTARY AND UNIFYING FORMING PART OF THE SOCIALISING PROCESS.

NO ONE IS  FORCED TO PLAY ALONG OUT OF FREE WILL YOOU ACCEPT  THE RULES AND  PLAY ALONG.

GENRES OF PLAY AND GAMES

• CLAPPING WITH BODY  ACTIONS  GAMES

IMPORTANT ELEMENTS ARE THE WAY IN WHICH PLAYERS  CHALLENGES AND SURPRICES EACH OTHER, TEST AND SHOW PHYSICAL STRENGTH WHILE PERFORMIMG  MUSICALLY.

• CLAPPING AND SINGING GAME

THIS GAME CAN EITHER PLAYED STANDING OR SITTING. THE IMPOTANT ELEMENT HERE IS CHALLENGE .DIFFERENT PLAYERS MUST  COMBINE AND ADJUST THEIR CLAPPING, TRYING TO MATCH THEIR CLAPPING PATTERNS IN INCREASING TEMPOS.

• STONE PASSING GAME

SITTING IN A CIRCLE , A STONE IS PASSED ON THE BEAT WHILE EVERYONE SINGS A SONG'

• DANCING PLAY

THE ELEMENT  (TEASING, HUMOUR, UNEXPECTED CONTACTS,TAKING TURNS) ARE IMPORTANT TO PEOPLE'S CONCEPTION AND CATEGORISING OF THE PERFORMANCE

• MUSIC - DRAMA PLAY 

A STORY IS BEING PASSED OR A MEANINGFUL ACTIVITY FROM THE CULTURE  IS COPIED THROUGH GESTURE IN THE PLAY. THE LYRICS OF THE SONG HAS A MESSAGE THAT RELATES TO BEHAVIOR AND RELATIONSHIP- TEACHING CHILDREN HOW TO BEHAVE.

EXAMPLES OF GAMES

THERE ARE VARIOUS GAMES WHICH CAN BE PLAYED IN THE FOUNDATION PHASE CLASSROOM. THE GAMES ARE NAMELY; 

• SINGING GAMES
• CIRCLE GAMES 
• ACTION/CLAPPING GAMES
• RHYTHM GAME

BASIC PRINCIPLE TO KEEP IN MIND WHEN PLANNING  A MUSIC OR NON MUSIC LESSON WITH MUSIC ACTIVITIES.

ONE OF THE FIRST  TO KEEP  IN MIND WHEN PLANNING A MUSIC LESSON IS THAT YOU SHOULD INCLUDE AS MANY OPPORTUNITIES  AS POSSIBLE FOR LEANERS TO ENGAGE  WITHAND AVTIVELY LISTEN TO  MOVE TO AND CREATE / PERFORM MUSIC THROUGHOUT THE LESSON. THE CAPS FOR CREATIVE ARTS, PERFORMING ART IN THE  FOUNDATION PHASE  DEFINES  THE FOLLOWING  TOPICS :

• CREATIVE GAMES AND SKILLS 
• IMPROVISATION AND INTERPRETATION

CHARACTIRISTICS FO WELL- PLANNED  LESSON

A TYPICAL LESSON HAS  THREE LESSON PHASES: INTRODUCTION, TEACHING  AND LEARNING PHASE AND CONCLUSION. FOR EACH LESSON PHASE, YOU SHOULD INCLUDE

• TEACHWER ACTIVITY (WHAT WILL YOU DO? E.G EXPLAIN AN ACTIVITY - AXPLAIN THE ACTIVITY IN DETAIL IN YOUR LESSON PLAN; ASK QUESTION - LIST THE QUESTIONS; SING A  SONG - WHAT SONG? ETC. )
• LEARNER ACTIVITY ( WHAT WILL THEY DO? E,G  FOLLOW YOUR INTRUCTIONS; ANSWER  QUESTIONS; WORK IN GROUPS TO ANSWER QUESTIONS; PERFORM DANCE MOVE; PLAY A  GAME - ALL THESE INSTRUCTIONS MUST BE  EXPLAINED IN DETAIL AS PART  OF THE TEACHER ACTIVITY) ; AS WELL AS
• ASSESSMENT TYPE AND  STRATEGIES  FOR EACH ACTIVITY

A WELL PLANED LESSON WILL NATURALLY PROGRESS FROM LOWER TO HIGHER- ORDER LEVELS OF THINKING WE WANT TO AIM TOWARDS  ENCOURAGING LEARNERS TO ENGAGE  IN FREE  MOVEMENT , FREE PLAY AND IMITATION ACTIVITIES IN THE INTRODUTION ( BLOOM LEVELS 1-2). DURING THE PRESENTATION PHASE, LEARNERS HAVE TO DISCOVER, REFLECT ABOUT, MANIPULATE MATERIALS TO INTERNALISE  NEW KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS THROUGH PLAY, DISCOVERY COLLABORATION AND REFLECTION ( TALKING ABOUT WHAT THEY ARE  DISCOVERING / EXPERIENCING) ( BLOOM LEVEL 3-5). FINALLY, IN THE  CONCLUDING PHASE , WE WANT LEARNERS  TO DEMONSTRATE THEIR UNDERSTANDING THROUGH  THE ART BY  CREATING AND PRESENTING AN ARTWORK, MUSIC PERFORMANCE  OR DRAMATISED WORK ( BLOOM LEVEL6). THESE PRINCIPLE APPLY NOT ONLY  TO A MUSIC LESSON BUT ALL LESSONS.

ASSESSMENT IN FOUNDATION PHASSE MUSIC

ASSESSMENT HAS BECOME  A TERM  THAT OFTENS EVOKES FEELING OF FEAR AND  ANXIETY IN LEARNERS AS THEY ARE UNCOMFORTABLE WITH THE NOTION OF  BEING JUDGED. THESE FEELING OF ANXIETY, IN TURN, IMPAIRS LEARNING AND ACHIEVEMENT AS LEARNERS NEED TO FEEL SAFE AND RELAXED IF SUCCESSFUL LEARNING IS TO TAKE PLACE. ASSESSMENT IS A MEANS FOR DETERMINING WHETHER LESSON AIMS HAVE BEEN ACHIEVED AND ALLOWS THE  TEACHERS TO MONITORS PROGRESS.

"WHEN WELL PLANNED AND IMPLEMENTED , ARTS INTERGRATE  IS ONE OF THE MOST  EFFECTIVE WAYS FOR A WIDE RANGE OF STUDENTS  WITH WIDE  RANGE OF  INTEREST, APTITUDE,STYLE AND EXPERIENCE TO FORM  A COMMUNITY  OF ACTIVE LEARNERS  ATKING  RESPONSIBILITY FOR AND OWNERSHIP OF THEIR OWN LEARNING" ( RENAISSANCE IN THE CLASSROOM, PG. XXVI)

ARTS INTERGRATION IS AN  APROACH TO REACHING  IN WHICH STUDENTS CONSTRUCT AND DEMOSTRATE UNDERSTANDING  THROUGH AN ART FORM. STUDENTS ENGAGE IN  A  CREATIVE PROCESS WHICH CONNECTS  AN ART  FORM AND ANOTHER  SUBJECT AREAA AND MEETS  EVOLVING OBJECTIVES IN BOTH  ( SILVERSTEIN & LAYNE, 2010)

VALUE OF ARTS INTERGRATION

HAS BEEN PROVEN TO CONTRIBUTE  TOWARDS HIGHER MOTIVATON LEVEL AMONG LERNERS  AND SUPPORTS ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT AND SOCIALISATION AMONG LEANERS . SCHOOLS  THAT ENCOOURAGE TEACHERS PLAY ARTS INTERGRATION STRATEGIES IN THEIR  TEACHING HAVE SHOWN IMPROVED  RESULTS WITH REGARDS TO LERANERS MATHEMATIC PERFORMANCE AS WELL AS  DECREASE DISCIPLINARY CHALLENGES. ARTS INTERGRATION PROVIDES TEACHERS  WITH THE OPPORTUNNITY TO PROMOTE  AND SUPPORT  THE DEVELOPMENTAL NEEDS OF LEARNERS WHILE OFFERING LEARNERS THE OPPORTUNITY TO ENGAGE  IN TEACHING AND LEARNING ACTIVITIES WHICH ARE FUN, FOSTER COLLABORATION AND CONNECTION AND  PROMOTES LEARNERS INNATE CURIOSITY, CREATIVITY AND IMAGINATIVE ABILITIES. WHEN FOUNDATION PHASE TEACHER UTILISE  THE ARTS THROUGHOUT THEIR TEACHING , THRY PROVIDE  LEARNERS  WITH MULTIPLE  MODES  FOR DEMOSTRATING  THEIR  UNDERSTANDING  OF ON - ARTS OUTCOMES WHILE  ACCOMODATING  VARIOUS  LEARNING STYLES  AND  NEEDS . ARTS INTERGRATION CAN LEAD TO  TRANSFORMATIVE  EXPERIENCE  FOR BOTH  TEACHER  AND LEARNERS  WHILE FPSTERING  CREATIVE AND  IMAGINATIVE CAPACITIES  OF THE  TEACHERS AND THE  LEARNERS ALIKE.

STRATEGIES FOR INCLUDING MUSIC  THROUHOUT YOUR DAY

• SONGS CAN EASILY USED WHEN  TRANSITIONING BETWEEN ACTIVITIES BY SINGING SHORT PHRASES INCLUDING  WHTA LEARNERS NEES TO DO: SING A SHORT PHRASE SUCH AS  " STAND  UP, SIT DOWN ON THE FLOOR". ASK LEARNERS TO SING ALONG  AVOID THEM  CHATTING OR GETTING  DISTRACTED  WHEN MOVING  TO THE AREA WHERE THEY HAVE TO SIT  DOWN.
• SING SPECIFIC SONG DURING DAILY  ROUTINE: SONGS ABOUT WASHING HANDS, PACKING AWAY, TIDYING UP, STANDING LINE, WAITING YOUR TURN, ETC.
• PLAYCALMING MUSIC SOFTLY WHEN  LEARNERS ARE REQUIRED TO WORK INDIVIDUALLY.
• WHEN LEARNER ARE GETTING  RESTLESS, PALY CALMING MUSIC  AND ASK LEARNERS  TO JOIN YOU  IN DOING SOME STRETCHES WITH THEIR BODIES AND PERHAPS EVEN JUMP UP AND DOWN A FEW TIMES ( THIS HELPS TO " RESET" THEIR  BODIES AND MINDS)  

THIS  STUDY UNIT WILL FOCUS  ON  VARIOUS MUSIC CONCEPT  AND VARIOUS TYPES  OF MUSIC ACTIVITIES. YIOU WILL LEARN HOW TO IDENTIFY  AND RESPOND TO THESE  CONCEPT THROUGH  MUSIC LISTENING AND MOVEMENT WHILE ALSO ACQUIRING  THE KNOWLEDGE  AND SKILLS  TO FACILITATE VARIOUS TYPES  OF MUSIC  ACTIVITIES  IN THE FOUNDATION  PHASE  BY USING  PRINCIPLES OF PROMINENT MUSIC EDUCATION TEACHING  METHODS.

INCLUSIVITY IN THE FOUNDATION PHASE 

MUSIC EDUCATION OFFERS  UNIQUE  OPPORTUNITIES FOR  ADDRESSING  INCLISIVE  GOALS IN EDUCATION. ALTHOUGH  THE FOCUS  OF THIS MODULE  IS NOT  INCLUSIVE  EDUCATION   AND SPECIAL NEEDS  AS SUCH,  IT  IS IMPORTANT  TO BE AWARE  THET , ALTHOUGH YOU MIGHT ONE DAY  TEACH IN  A  MAINSTREAM SCHOOL, YOUR LEARNERS WILL STILL HAVE DIVERSE  NEEDS  AND SOME  MIGHT HAVE UNIQUE  NEEDS  IN TERMS OF  LEARNING STRATEGIES , MOVEMENT ABILITIES, TRAUMATIC OR  ADVERSE CHILDHOOD  EXPERIENCES, POVERTY,  ATTENTION DEFICIT CHALLANGE , DYSLEXIA NOT YET  DIAGNOSED  OR IN  MILD DEGREE,  MIGHT FALL ON  THE  AUTRISM SPECTRUM OR  EXPERIENCE  HINDERED SIGHT  OR HEARING .

MUSIC ELEMENTS 

ARE THE BUILDING BLOCKS IN MUSIC. THROUGH , COMBINING THE DIFFERNT  ELEMENTS , WE CAN  CREATE MUSIC. TONE REFERS TO A SPECIFIC  MUSIC ELEMENTS  THAT GIVES MUSIC  ITS CHARACTERISTICS SOUND AND  THROUGH WHICH WE DIFFERENTIATE BETWEEN MUSIC AND NOISE. THE BASIC ELEMENTS OF  MUSIC ARE:

• DURATION (OF NOTE)  - INCLUDING MUSIC  CONCEPTS OF BEAT, METER, RY\HYTHM AND TEMPO
• PITCH ( OF NOTE)
• INTENSITY (OF NOTE )
• TEXTURE 

IT FOCUS ON SOME LEARNING AND DEVELOPMENTAL THEORIES AS APPLICABLE TO FOUNDATION PHASE LEARNER AS WELL AS HOW  MUSIC AND MISIC EDUCATION CAN SUPPORT THE HOLISTIC DEVELOPMENT OF FOUNDATION PHASE LEARNER.

IT CONSISTS OF  THREE LEARNING THEORIES NAMELY ERIKSON'S STAGE OF PSYCHOSOCIAL DEVELOPMENT, PIEGENT'S COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT THEORY AND VYGOTSKY AND ZONE OF PROXIMAL DEVELOPMENT.

MUSICAL DEVELOPMENT IN FOUNDATION PHASE

WHEN CHILDREN ENTER  SCHOOL, THEY HAVE DEVELOPED  THE A BILITY TO SELECTIVELY  LISTEN, AND  DIRECTED LISTENING INCREASE ON- TASK BEHAVIOR AND LISTENING DURATION. THIS IS AN EXTREAMELY IMPORTANT DEVELOPMENT BECAUSE  IT ALLOWS CHILDREN TO FOCUS  ON  SPECIFIC MUSICAL ASPECTS.

MUSIC AND THE HOLISTIC DEVELOPEMENT OF FOUNDATION PHASE  LERNERS.

ENGAGEMENT IN AUTHENTIC , PLAY BASED MUSIC ACTIVITIES COULD SUPPOERT  THE HOLISTIC DEVELOPMENT OF FOUNDATION PHASE LEARNER. IT IS THEREFORE, IMPORTANT  THAT LERENERS EXPERIENCE MUSIC  ACTIVITIES, NOT ONLY WITH THE AIM OF DEVELOPMENT MUSICIANSHIP SKILLS, BUT  TO PROMOTE THEIR HOLISTIC DEVELOPMENT.

PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT.

MUSIC ACTIVITIES, ESPECIALLY MOVING MUSIC  (DANCING) AND PLYING  INSTRUMENTS PROMOTES  PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT. WHEN LEARNER  HAVE OPPORTUNITIES TO PLAY INSTRUMENTS, THEY DEVELOP  BOTH GROSS AND FINE MOTOR SKILLS  AS WELL AS HAND- EYE COORDINATION AND MIGLINE CROSSING. DANCING TO MUSIC ALLOWS LEARNER  TO DEVELOP BALANCE, COORDINATION, GROSS MOTOR SKILLS AND BODILY AWERENESS. CIRCLE GAMES ARE ALSO VALUEBALE  MUSIC ACTIVITIES TO INCLIDE IN FOUNDATION PHASE AS THESE GAMES SUPPORT HAND-EYE COORDINATION, MIDLINE CROSSING AND TIMING .

COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT.

THROUGH ENGAGEMENT IN MUSIC ACTIVITIES IN FOUNDATION PHASE  LERANERS ALSO HAVE  OPPORTUNITIES FOR  COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT. MUSIC  EDUCATION  ENHANCE ATTENTIVENESS, MULTITASKING  AND  PROMOTES  BOTH NUMERACY AND LITERACY SKILLS  WHILE  PLAYING ON MUSIC INSTRUMENT SUPPORTS LEARNERS' VISUAL SPATIAL  DEVELOPMENT. WHEN LEARNER  SING  SONGS IN VARIOUS  LANGUAGE  AS WELL AS  THEIR HOME LANGUAGE , THEY EXPAND  THEIR VOCABULARY BY LEARNING  NEW WORDS  IN THEIR  MOTHER  TONGUE OR  LEARNING A NEW LANGUAGE  AS  WELL AS  LEARNING  ABOUT PHONICS .