# data[].attributes.body
I was reminded of my own childhood by this experience—chasing butterflies, listening to insects, and making up stories in the breeze. It demonstrated to me how children also creatively interact with nature through sound, movement, and imagination. I used all of my senses to fully immerse myself in the garden throughout my visit. Making the Garden Orchestra gave me the opportunity to explore sound, movement, and drama all at once, demonstrating how imaginative play may be encouraged by environments of nature.

# data[].attributes.body
I chose to sit and be present when I visited my home garden. The first thing I noticed when I sat in my garden was the color—daisies and roses standing in gentle purples and yellows, and rows of lavenders shining in purples. The petals seemed to whisper secrets to the breeze as they swayed slowly.

I sat quietly, closed my eyes, and started to listen. I could hear birds singing in chorus from the trees, bees humming busily, and the distant hum of an airplane flying overhead. I could hear children laughing at the school across the street from my house, and I could feel my cat, Riichi, rubbing my leg.

When I took a deep breath, I could smell the earthy smell of dirt, the fresh green of sun-warmed leaves, and the soothing scent of lavender.

I could feel the cool sensation of the breeze on my arms, the warmth of the sun on my face, and a soft silence surrounding me.

My senses took me into my imagination at that very instant. The garden evolved into more than just a place; it was now a story, a concert, and a whole tiny world.

# data[].attributes.body
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VRZkwQP0SFY

My garden's lively sounds and movements became the inspiration for this concert. I pretend to be a conductor of the concert in this video, where the wind, airplane, butterflies, bees, flowers, birds, and even my cat Riichi join the orchestra. I explored how the natural world may be turned into a setting for imaginative play using sound, movement, and a little drama.

I was motivated by Wilson (2018), who outlines how children are encouraged by nature to observe sounds, rhythms, and movements and to use these observations to inform games and stories. Every day sounds, such as the buzz of bees or the laughing of children from the school across the street, were transformed into instruments in my garden, and the orchestra came to life with gestures and storytelling. The Garden Orchestra was made by combining these artefacts with the background music I composed using GarageBand.

# data[].attributes.headline
Lavender sways in the wind with the music playing on the radio from school

# data[].attributes.subject
Lavender sways in the wind with the music playing on the radio from school

# data[].attributes.body
I became mindful of the many levels of sound surrounding me as I closed my eyes and listened carefully. The rustle of leaves added a soft wind, the birds made a lively chorus, the bees hummed like strings, and the unexpected rhythms came from children's laughter and faraway airplanes. I was able to create a rich, layered soundscape that represented the dynamic life of the garden by recording these natural sounds and combining the background music I composed using GarageBand. This process is in accordance with Wilson's (2018) statement that nature offers an abundance of auditory experiences that promote imaginative play and education. Murray Schafer also noted that "the soundscape becomes quite miraculous when you listen carefully to it" (New, 2019). This shows how careful hearing improves awareness and encourages creative interpretation, proving that listening is an extremely creative process rather than a passive one.

# data[].attributes.body
I started using movement as a means of physically interacting with my garden's music. I moved my arms as they moved with the birds, wind, and bees while playing the role of conductor and using two chopsticks as batons. My movements created a conversation between my body and the surroundings by mimicking the fluttering of butterflies and the swaying of flowers. I got a connection when I saw Mutton Bird (Bangarra Dance Theatre, 2008) because the dancers' movements gave the impression that they were actually becoming birds rather than just imitating them. Their actions demonstrated the close ties present between spirit, land, animals, and people. This acted as a reminder that stories can be effectively conveyed without the use of words by using the body.

# data[].attributes.body
Each part of the garden became a character as drama joined the performance as a living narrative. As the conductor of The Garden Orchestra, I greeted the audience and invited them to an imaginative concert in which my cat, Riichi, also participated. The garden itself came to life in this staging, with each bloom, breeze, and bird contributing to the drama as it emerged.

The spirit of The Parallaxis, which is characterized as "a game of walking between worlds" and "a collective conjuring" in which everyday life becomes magical when we tune into it, is strongly reflected by this approach (Kilby, 2017). Similar to The Parallaxis, my artworks offer viewers to enter a world where well-known objects—petals, wind, and animal companions—become co-narrators. Drama becomes more than just a performance because of this common imagination landscape; it becomes a means of experiencing and engaging with the world.

# data[].attributes.headline
Future practice in early childhood education settings

# data[].attributes.subject
Future practice in early childhood education settings

# data[].attributes.body
As I reflect on this experience, I can see how integrating drama, movement, and music may give children rich, multimodal methods for learning about and understanding the world. I listened to the sounds of birds, bees, and wind in my garden orchestra, integrated these rhythms with my body, and dramatized the surroundings with character and storytelling. This is similar to the Reggio Emilia approach, which calls the environment "the third teacher" and acknowledges the educational value of various learning aspects (Wilson, 2018). Early childhood settings should provide children with real opportunities to make decisions, experience the impact of how they act, and develop a sense of competence and empathy, just like my garden encouraged me to participate deeply and respond creatively. Learning is impacted by relationships, customs, and the values represented in the surroundings, in addition to the physical place. My experience has shown me that children learn best when they are allowed to freely explore, experiment, and play in many ways, engaging their bodies, voices, imagination, and all senses.

# data[].attributes.headline
A Soundscape of Music Created in GarageBand

# data[].attributes.subject
A Soundscape of Music Created in GarageBand

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Hồng Ngọc Nguyễn - Hồng Ngọc Nguyễn's Album