1. As an Lskm 221 student I’ve learnt a lot regarding music as from the start to the end of semester was only focusing on music . I always thought that I knew what music is but with this module it’s quite a different story, with that been said I can say I only knew little with music and now I think I’m pretty equipped  with new knowledge regarding music education. I am now a little enriched on what to do on music play. What I lastly know about music play is that including music in your class makes learners to engage fully and makes class more fun

 2. What did you find challenging?

Integrating music with other subjects was quite a challenge, as well as applying music concepts either in the game or class lesson

 · Did you find the individual reflections meaningful? 

Yes, by them I was able to tell where I lack improvement which part to work tirelessly on to be able to balance all concepts in each study unit

· What would you change if you had the opportunity in future?

I would changed my attitude towards music content because including music in class makes learners more involved in the lesson, it helps in catching learners attention, disciplines learners and lastly makes class fun.

 3. What did you find interesting and meaningful?

What I found interesting was learning content of course, sharing my ideas with others (group members)

Music and play in foundation phase is very meaningful as it shapes and benefit learners in many ways , to mention few play Supports cognitive, physical, social, and emotional growth and development.

· What challenged you, and what do you still struggle to understand?

Application of music concepts in the games/ lesson games

Integration of music with other subjects

 · What didn’t you find valuable for your future teaching practice?

Nothing, reason being everything I learnt in this module throughout the year is valuable for future learning practice.

The building blocks of music are known as music elements.

We have music notions such as

1. Pitch, which refers to how high or low a piece of music sounds.

2. Rhythm- a regular, repeating pattern made up of varied lengths of movement or sound.

3. Harmony is when two or more notes are played at the same time.

4. Timbre a sound characteristic that allows you to distinguish separate instruments even when they are playing at the same pitch and rhythm.

5. Beat is a constant and regular pulse that may be heard in music and melodies

Experiencing and facilitating music concepts through movements, songs and games.

Learners frequently listen to music in order to recognize various musical aspects. They can demonstrate the music concept they've identified using locomotor or non-locomotor motions. They can demonstrate the melodic contour with their hands, for example, in pitch. They can demonstrate the difference between meter and rhythm by walking to the beat and clapping the rhythm, as well as using body percussion to clap or stomp their feet.

How do music concepts relate to life skills, mathematics and language education.

Music aspects such as steady beats, rhythm, and melody are used to teach spatial characteristics, sequencing, and counting in mathematics. Using musical activities to teach arithmetic will make learning more entertaining and appealing to children while also improving their cognitive thinking

1. In your opinion, reflecting on and synthesising all that you learnt in LSKM 221, what are the most important aspects to keep in mind when planning foundation phase lessons?

When the teacher do a lesson plan for foundation phase lesson must first start by being fun, creative grabbing attention activity. Ask them questions just to test on prior knowledge then take it from there. Another thing is that ask questions, allow learners to be actively involved. Avoid explaining all the time. Allow learners to challenge themselves. Learners should also be allowed to demonstrate or summarise to teacher to see if objectives of the lesson are met. Make use of caps documents as it shows how arts topic must correlate with lifeskills. If you’d want to involve music in your lesson do it at the beginning and at end of the lesson, act as a facilitator, provide guidance, play music suitable to lesson’s content, also provide activities which are based on the lesson of the day.

Furthermore teacher must be aware of the sort of assessment that is most appropriate for specific activities, based on lesson outcomes, developmental stage, and learning process. Then one can select acceptable assessment procedures and design an appropriate assessment form once they’ve decided the style of evaluation they’d want to use.

Teacher must think of a way to accommodate diverse needs of learners. teacher must also must develop a teaching and learning environment in which all students feel welcomed, safe, supported, appreciated, and as though they are a part of something bigger. You must also create teaching and learning activities that take into account your students' diverse interests and socio-cultural backgrounds.

1. What is your opinion about the value of utilising arts integration and play in foundation phase lessons?

It is very important to utilise arts integration and play in foundation phase because it does not only develops social and creative thinking abilities, but also increases learners' enthusiasm to learn while also allowing them to understand more about .

It also important for learners to be actively engaged in the teaching and learning process through arts integration and play, as it allows them to have fun while engaging in authentic, meaningful teaching and learning activities in social settings and demonstrating their understanding practically through the arts.

2. Has your perception and priorities with regards to lesson planning and the inclusion of music (and the arts) throughout your teaching and learning in the foundation phase changed? Please motivate your answer.

Yes, inclusion of music and arts integration plays a very huge role in learners  during the lesson. It helps learners in demonstrating their understanding of the lesson through arts. Music and art integration in foundation phase encourages learners to  be actively engaged in the lesson, it also helps in developing social and creative thinking abilities. Inclusion of music also increases learners eagerness to learn. It also allow learners to have fun, engage in authentic and meaningful teaching.

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Play is prevalent in many African cultures and the wider African background, where we frequently see characteristics of play when individuals participate in music and dance activities.

In the African context, play is a way in which people communicate, compete, test, instruct and enjoy. Because of this complex and multi-dimensional character of play, a musical performance can both be ritual and play.

OUTCOMES OF PLAY

Play is an important part of learning since it engages both the mind and the emotions. Play is a way of life that necessitates a certain level of openness and willingness.

The other educational goal of play is to instill in children particular behaviors, beliefs, and values that are healthy and beneficial to society.

Play fosters cognitive growth and development, physical development, as well as social and emotional development, in the foundation phase.

Help learners to master a variety of intellectual, physical, and social skills and concepts by          

It also helps children do better in terms of cognition, socialization, and movement/coordination than those who have fewer opportunities for engagement, according to research.

How do music games support holistic development?

By means of students taking part in teaching and learning activities that incorporate play concepts, they can grow holistically by participating in authentic, meaningful activities. Learners in the foundation phase develop cognitively by improving their problem-solving abilities and learning about cause and effect while also growing cognitively.

These students gain cognitive abilities such as "identifying, classifying, sequencing, observing, discriminating, making predictions, drawing inferences, comparing, and determining cause-and-effect linkages" (Brewer, 2007, p. 148) as a result of their participation in play activities. Learners gain creative thinking skills and solve difficulties when they are required to find ways to achieve specific goals while adhering to fluent rules during play.

 Importance of games in culturally diverse classrooms

Learners must collaborate in order for the game to be successful and fun. Learners develop a sense of belonging and are given the freedom to be anybody they wish in class. Play has a calming impact. The youngster can work through personal issues through play and imagination. Play provides an emotional outlet wh= ile also fostering a sense of community.

Teaching and learning practices that address outcomes in many areas simultaneously while enabling learners to demonstrate their grasp of concepts and abilities through arts integration. Arts integration is a teaching method that emphasizes active participation in teaching and learning activities, as well as experiential learning, genuine learning, collaborative learning problem solving and reflection When we choose to apply arts integration principles in the foundation phase, we need to engage learners in teaching and learning activities which encourage them to draw on their prior knowledge with the aim of discovering new concepts and skills and to demonstrate their understanding in a practical way through the arts (Silverstein & Layne, 2010)  As a result learners can express how music makes them feel through drawing or writing a story.  Additionally Foundation phase learners can internalize new knowledge and abilities by engaging in authentic activities with real-life relevance through arts integration activities. Learners can benefit from arts integration tactics because they allow them to prioritize in-depth comprehension of new concepts and abilities on a practical level before moving on to abstract symbols.

What I found interesting about arts integration is that it is about a teaching and learning system and philosophy that uses a creative inquiry-based process to establish a level of personal connection and depth in the classroom. It allows teachers to encourage and support learner's developmental needs while also allowing learners to participate in exciting teaching and learning activities that foster cooperation and connection while also promoting learner's natural curiosity, creativity, and imaginative talents. Furthermore when foundation phase teachers incorporate the arts into their lessons, they give students different ways to demonstrate their understanding of non-arts outcomes while catering to a variety of learning styles and needs. It fosters good mood in class and promote concentration.

what i found a  difficult was theoretical framework for arts integration in foundation phases is its aspects as they can be a bit confusing and challenging to understand

This has indeed been a challenging week for me with regards to my health as well as my studies but nevertheless that did not stop me from learning and grasping the little I've grasped.

Working through SU1 quite few interesting things were learnt. First and foremost I learnt about the development stages of foundation phase learners which are  Erikson's stages of psychological development, Piaget Cognitive development theory which includes Pre-operational stage, Concrete operational stage. Vygotsky and Zone of proximal development.

Not only did i learn about  the above mentioned aspects but I also learnt about music and holistic development.

Music plays a very huge role in in foundation phase learners some of the reasons could be it sharpens their assertiveness, abstract reasoning and creativity.

It also enhance attentiveness, multitasking and promotes numeracy and literacy with that been said indeed music is a valuable tool to foundation phase learners

Last but not least holistic development is the approach to learning that emphasizes the importance of the physical, emotional and psychological well-being of children most especially in early childhood.

It is further divided into five aspects namely physical, emotional , social , spiritual and intellectual.