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Dance is an integral aspect of human activity in a large percentage of cultures, allowing traditions, values and beliefs to be celebrated, and providing new ways of perceiving and understanding others and ourselves (Dinham, 2017). During my early primary years, I was involved in various dance classes such as ballet and jazz. Beginning to dance was a challenge for me in relation to confidence, being a shy and anxious child. Dance, I believe allowed me to express my emotions and feel free in an environment where various forms of expression were welcomed. I continued to dance during my high school years and progressed to learn the metalanguage of dance such as choreography, form, space and aesthetic appreciation (Ryan & Healey, 2008). Although personally for me, with dance came nerves and anxiousness, once completing and performing the dance I was accompanied by a sense of pride and accomplishment in the work and achievement I had made. I believe that dance has the ability to have a significant impact on students’ confidence and skills as it “satisfies the physical, mental and emotional needs of both body and mind” (Wright, 2012, p. 85).

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Visual arts are an art in which is to be appreciated by sight, for example paintings, sculptures, drawings and textiles (Wright, 2012). Throughout my life I have had various experiences with visual arts. During my primary school years, I was involved in a number of art activities such as print making, jewelry making, textiles and ceramics. During my younger years I participated in various arts and crafts workshops with my mother, and believe I significantly benefited from this on a creative level. Most recently in university workshops, I have also been involved in visual arts such as painting and drawing as seen in the photo below. As seen in Ryan and Healey’s ‘Knowledge Processes and the Arts’ table (2008), through this experience I was able to “learn new techniques for manipulating materials” through my use of paint on one side of the page to create the butterfly shown below. This activity allowed me to learn a new technique of painting, and portrayed how materials such as a folded piece of paper can be manipulated to create the art (Dinham, 2017). I believe this experimenting and learning of new techniques should be fundamental for all students.

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Music can be defined as sound whose patterns are related to the social and cognitive processes of a particular society and culture (Dinham, 2017). I began my interest in music in my early primary years, leaning towards instrumental music such as guitar and piano. Having a family which enjoyed music and encouraged it significantly fuelled by passion. Through my learning and playing of instruments I was able to “show progression of development through new sequences or works”, as stated in Ryan and Healey’s ‘Knowledge Processes and the Arts’ table (2008). As I developed my skills I was able to show this progression through the music I could play and create, and with the ease and skill I could play the instruments. I thoroughly enjoyed music as an art and believe it is beneficial both physically and emotionally, allowing relaxation and pride in what you have achieved, “a method of employing the mind without the labour of thinking at all” (Wright, 2012, p. 59).

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There are a variety of forms of drama such as child-structured role play, teacher-facilitated drama sessions, performances, plays, mime, radio plays, story telling or puppetry (Wright, 2012). Although public performances of drama has not been a strong passion of mine due to lack of confidence, by pushing myself to be involved in these events I have obtained skills and appreciation for the art. As stated in Ryan and Healey’s ‘Knowledge Processes and the Arts” table (2008), through my involvement in drama I was able to “experiment different ways of representing people groups or events”. An example of this is my involvement in a school festival called “Croc Festival”, which was a rural event which placed emphasis on drama and music. Through our performance I was able to learn how to represent groups of people through different techniques such as costumes, shadows, makeup, personality and stage setup. Additionally, through high school I was involved in various dramatic plays which were performed to the school. Although the thought of performing may be daunting, I personally believe drama is an integral aspect to students in promoting their confidence and highlighting their abilities to perform (Dinham, 2017).

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Media itself is defined as being things such as radio, film, music, television and print media such as magazines or newspapers (Dinham, 2017). Media art hence, is art which incorporates these aspects of media such as photography and digital media. Photography has always been my favourite art and has been a significant aspect of my life from early years to current time. My family have always kept a thorough record of mine and my siblings lives while growing up through photographs, and this ability to capture a memory and keep it provoked my interest in photography both digital and physical. I believe photography as an art has the ability to express one’s feelings and perspectives of certain objects, landscapes, people or situations. In recent years I have involved myself in various photography classes. As seen in Ryan and Healey’s “Knowledge Processes and the Arts” table (2008), through these photography classes I was able to “Experiment with new techniques and design elements”, allowing me to capture various perspectives and enhance my photographs. I believe photography should be an essential aspect of art classes in school as it allows the children to capture their memories and emotions through angles, perspectives and landscapes.