S8156890 Abbey Steffen ECE2008 Music, movement and dramatic arts by

s8156890 — 2025-04-02 09:55:49 UTC

This was an interesting experience. Obviously, I have spent many days and nights out in my backyard, but when I was told to create something using my childlike senses, I kind of became excited. I studied audio engineering as a VET subject during school so choosing the language of music was defiantly my first option. As soon as I stepped out onto the gravel, my brain began to wonder... “We are composers of this miraculous composition” (Schafer, 2009, 2:17). And a composer I was - every time I turned around I found something else exciting to try. Some things weren't as successful as the others BUT I would always find something new and try again. In Music as a Language by Victor Wooten, he discusses how music and creativity is something that we are born with and as we age we loose the beauty of what music truly is, and that's the love of the sounds around us and the joy in which it brings. Does it have to sound like something Grammy worthy? Absolutely not, but it is something from the heart - and was a lot of fun! The song I chose to sing in my composition was "5 little speckled frogs" by Super Simple Songs - Kids Songs. I chose this, as it was a song I would sing to the children when I was the Babies Room Leader, either while I was trying to put them down to sleep, to distract them from their parents dropping them off or when they were just having a rough day. This is still a technique I use for these same children to this day 3 years later, when they are looking for a pick me up as it was a comfort for them at the time and is something, while a little silly, is a safety net for them still today. I loved the deep and earthy style of "Wala is life by Allara", and while my song is nowhere near as deep, the history, depth and meaning that my song has to the children at my centre, along with the earthy - nature sound felt like my own story telling experience.

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“But the sight of the stars always makes me dream… " - Vincent Van Gogh

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3 Little Frogs

"We are composers of this miraculous composition!" (Schafer, 2009, 2:17)

Rocks

s8156890 — 2025-04-04 10:32:57 UTC

Yakka's

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Bottle Brush

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Gum Tree

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Sticks

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Stick in Tree

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My Instruments!

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s8156890 — 2025-04-04 11:42:27 UTC

“Nature is universal and timeless. Nature is unpredictable. Nature is bountiful. Nature is beautiful. Nature is alive with sounds. Nature creates a multitude of places. Nature is real. Nature nourishes and heals.” (Wilson, 2007, pg.4) I love this quote as it really just sums up the importance of exploring natural environments as a child. Children have such amazing creativity and it's through exploring these languages that children “develop knowledgeable, confident self-identities and a positive sense of self-worth” (AGDE, 2022, pg. 31), while also being “connected with and contributing to their world” (AGDE, 2022, pg. 39) It could be as simple as a role play game,, an arts and crafts activity outside or even just having a jam to your favourite song. These are just some of the ways children experience these languages through play in the natural world?

Future Practice

s8156890 — 2025-04-04 11:52:57 UTC

Since studying this subject, I have realised how i many sometimes I have thought too much about completing the tasks of the day - completing the activities on the plan, ensuring that nappies/ toileting are done on time, making sure everyone eats and trying to ensure the day goes smoothly that I forget the importance of just letting children be children, and letting them do what feels right to them. Because as Wilson stated in their book, Nature and Young Children : Encouraging Creative Play and Learning in Natural Environments “Most of what children need to learn during their early childhood years cannot be taught. It’s discovered through play.”

Reference List

s8156890 — 2025-04-04 12:23:19 UTC

Allara - Topic ( 2018, Nov 14). Wala Is Life [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1XACgej9L80&t=1s&ab_channel=Allara-Topic

David New (2009) R Murray Schafer - Listen https://www.nfb.ca/film/listen/

TEDxTalks (2015 Nov 13) The difference between hearing and listening | Pauline Oliveros | TEDxIndianapolis [Video]. YouTube.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_QHfOuRrJB8&t=1s&ab_channel=TEDxTalks

TEDx Talks (2013, May 30) Music as a Language: Victor Wooten at TEDxGabriolaIsland [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2zvjW9arAZ0&t=1s&ab_channel=TEDxTalks

Denise (2022, November 18) Vincent Van Gogh and His Love For Painting The Stars https://www.weloveart.com/vincent-van-gogh-and-his-love-for-painting-the-stars/#:~:text=In%20one%20letter%20to%20his,to%20go%20to%20a%20star.%E2%80%9D

Wilson, R. (2007). Nature and Young Children : Encouraging Creative Play and Learning in Natural Environments. https://vucollaborate.vu.edu.au/content/enforced/1816406-ECE2008-1-2023-HWB-151670/Nature_and_Young_Children_Encouraging_Creative_Pla..._----_(Chpater_1_Children_creative_play_and_the_natural_environment)2.pdf?ou=2150926

Australian Government Department of Education [AGDE]. (2022). Belonging, Being and Becoming: The Early Years Learning Framework for Australia (V2.0). Australian Government Department of Education for the Ministerial Council.https://www.acecqa.gov.au/sites/default/files/2023-01/EYLF-2022-V2.0.pdf

Super Simple Songs - Kids Songs (2016, Oct 14) Five Little Speckled Frogs | Kids Songs | Super Simple Songs [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TtX8yVEF0-w&ab_channel=SuperSimpleSongs-KidsSongs