Arts integration is very important because it is a method learners can use to take responsibility of their learning, and it can be used by different kinds of students that have different abilities, interests and learning styles. Using art integration benefits learners so much because they can show their ideas and skills. when learners learn art integration they gain lot of skills from it and some experience.

ASPECTS THAT I FIND INTERESTING

Learners can share the experience or skills they have about music, learners engage in essential music activities and promotion of creative capacities for both teachers and learners.

ASPECTS THAT I FIND CHALLENGING

Understanding the aspects and concepts of music in the Foundation Phase.

What made some learners uncomfortable is doing an activity that was not explained to them, and having to sing a song that they do not understand its rhythm. Some learner was not happy about the song because the song is a Zulu song, and the other learner was not comfortable or rather happy about dancing in front of boys as it is against her religion. In future I would use English songs as it is the medium of instruction, and that would make it fair on every learner, or when teaching language, I will use songs for that specific language other than that I will use English songs. As a future Foundation Phase teacher I would use songs that are related to Grade 2 when playing games.

Regarding utilizing between Indigenous African music and western art music I would go with utilizing Indigenous African music because children understand better when things or lessons are taught or explained to them in a way they understand better. So I'm saying I would utilize Indigenous African music because I would want my learners to understand my lesson and enjoy it. I mean children do have to have fun in learning because learning is fun and learning can be enjoyable. So that is how I would approach my lesson in music. And I would not want my learners to forget their culture by teaching them western art music and not saying utilizing western art music is wrong, but it would come out effective. And music is very important in the African culture, because it tells stories from one generation to the other. The content is inclusive, because I can teach a child melody from both western art music and Indigenous African music and it serves as the same in both. I for one do not have any suggestions as I feel that the content is very inclusive and not biased. 

I go by the name Mpho Hazel Mokgadi.

Greetings to you sir and my fellow future teachers. I go by the name Mpho Hazel Mokgadi. I am a young intelligent girl from a small village outside Mafikeng called Rooigrond.

Firstly I would like to say I think I have read and understood SU1 which is about Holistic Development which is the development of a child intellectually, mentally, physically, emotionally and socially. I understand that Vygotsky's theory states that zone of proximal development is the presence of someone with skills and knowledge apart from that of a learner. And it consists of 4 stages namely; sensorimotor, preoperational, concrete operational and formal operational. From my point of view I think that the Erikson developmental theory focuse more on the influence of social interactions and relationships on learning. It believes that relationship and interactions play a big role in the growth of human growth, it also focuses on the true meaning of relationship in the learners in the foundation phase.

The Piaget cognitive development theory highlights that children learn when interacting with the world and that their knowledge is based on skills that already exist and prior knowledge. And he believes that foundation phase learners falls between the 2nd(preoperational) and 3rd(conrete operational) stages. In the preoperational stage children use words and images to show objects, and in concrete operational stage children are able to solve problems that are related to conversations and reversibility. 

Erikson's stages of psychosocial development focuses mainly on children's physical, social, personal, spiritual and emotional wellbeing. Lastly I would say that I believe that music has a connection to the body and the mind. Reason why I'm saying that is because when you're listening to music your body relaxes and your mind can function well. So if music can do that to an adult imagine what it could do to a child between the ages of 5 and 11 whom are foundation phase learners. It would boost their mood. Make them to learn new words. It could make them to learn new things if they were to sing and pointing out at the things they sing about. It would help develop reasoning and language. And if learners sing they would recognise the repeated words in the song and the rhyming and the patterns. That's why I say music is very essential to learners.