(Starting off with Aboriginal Acknowledgment before commencing experiences.)

Experience 1 (Sound) – Making different birds sounds or callings and showcasing their view of how birds sound like.

Experience 2 (Movements) – Moving the body and pretend they're a tree and if they were the wind how would they use body movement to show that’s wind.  

Experience 3 (Drama) – Move the whole body, pretend to be a pretty bird/ How would their body move if they were a bird/ use expressions to show what they think a bird would feel. (Act as a bird)

Reflection

Experience 1 (Sound)

During the experience, I expected the activity to run smoothly and have at least a few examples of different bird sounds from my friend. I didn't expect the experience to be in such a fast timely manner as the guest doing this experience implemented the activity smoothly and with ease. Something I would do differently next time would be planning my explanations more clearly without pausing or using not relevant words for my guest to understand better.

For my future practice of early childhood education, I can always make the experience more enjoyable by extending on children's learning of sounds. This could be playing games of I Spy the Sound and encourage children through listening to their nature environment to help them to implement the experience.

Based on implementing the experience of sound, I resonated to Allara Wala Is Life due to the birds or Kookaburra callings within the song and the different cultural sounds of tapping sticks incorporated to turn into music. Allowing audiences to imagining themselves in Allara's environment.

Experience 2 (Movement)

During the experience, I had a list of movements I thought my guest would have done but by surprise the guest implemented different movements as she had imagined trees and wind moving in a variety of ways. Once again, as stated in reflection experience 1, I wished there were clearer explanations of the experience or planning my speech beforehand to avoid any stuttering, which will show confidence.

For my future practice of early childhood education, by using information and experiences I have learnt to allow children to showcase their creative imaginations into movements. Such as having group discussions of everyone's ideas of tree or wind movements and watching videos or providing resources that expand on engagement of their body.

Based on implementing the experience of movement, I resonated to the reading Creative Dance-Play for Early childhood. They stated "Dance-play activities encourage young children to practice balance and motor skills while stretching the imagination" (Dance Teaching Ideas, 2020). Dance is a combination of movements, as young children stretch their imagination, it allows them to stimulate the brain. In order to extend on creative ideas and connects engagement of the whole body.

Experience 3 (Drama)

For experience three, I was intrigued by the acting of different birds as my guest was able to also state the types of birds as she acted them out. The big movements made, showed a lot of character and drama reminding myself of AT2 (Birds wing movement acts as drama). This time, I noticed some improvements in my explanation, and it allowed my guest to implement this experience better.

For my future practice of early childhood education, introducing Drama games (Mirror, Mirror) can allow children to build confidence in using body movements to create a role and make meaning. This consist of two people mimicking each other's slow moves.

Based on implementing the experience of drama, I resonated to the Bangarra Education Resources Mutton Bird Dance due to the visual arts, movement, acting and drama in the dance. They were able to tell a story based on their acting and movements of Mutton birds, which depicts the portrayal of Aboriginal history.

Overall Reflection

My perspective of music, movement and drama has changed while engaging with the unit content. I learnt music, movement and drama is so crucial for early childhood teaching and learning, as there's a variety of skill sets including the five domains, enjoyment, engaging the body and mind.

Rationale/justification

Based on my experience for assessment two, I got the opportunity to embrace my environment through connecting with my senses and the three temporal arts. Using the experience, I was able to create my soundscape linking it to sound and drama. I learnt to understand movements, sounds and drama of nature through my on-country visit, and was able to connect it with resources learnt in class.

Movement in the Wild: Nature as Dance Partner

By listening to the sounds and witnessing the movements of nature allows audiences to be inspired to move their body. "The person within the environment is able to sense the connection to natural element, which allows the expand of movement" (Candell, 2017).

About the Suzuki Method

Based on this reading of Dr. Shinichi Suzuki's beliefs, she expresses that children are capable and deserving of becoming great musicians. Teaching students to learn through listening allows them to express themselves or their emotions (Suzuki, 2024). In this reading links to children using sounds and music as a form of expression and vocabulary. By enjoying music, audiences begin to extend on developing their communication skills through music language.

Watershed by Cass Lynch

Cass Lynch talks about nature, her experience, Melbourne's waterways and connecting to Aboriginal history of Boonwurrung country. This connects to the land we live on as we learn about music, movement and drama of our environment. This is an acknowledgment of the importance of preserving the environment.

Lesson Steps

Experience 1 (Sound) (10 - 15 minutes) (Group Work)

1. Get children outdoors to listen to bird noises

2. If there are no evidence of birds, children can listen to soundscape from AT2

3. Children will be gathered together for group time and discuss their findings

4. Get children to demonstrate or take turns of recreating their view of bird sounds.

This links to Outcome 2.1.4 - Children are able to broaden their understanding of the world in which they live

Experience 2 (Movement) (10 - 20 minutes)

1. Gathering small group of 4 - 5 children, show photos and videos provided from AT2 to children.

2. Discuss about different movements of trees and wind or if they have any emotions or thoughts when they feel wind or see trees moving.

3. Allow children to spread out in a large space

4. Get children to close their eyes

5. Prompt children to move their body and pretend they are trees or wind

This links to Outcome 2.4.3 - Children demonstrate an increasing knowledge of and respect for natural and constructed environments

Outcome 3.2.4 - Children combine gross and fine motor movement and balance to achieve increasingly complex patterns of activity, including dance, creative movement and drama

Experience 3 (Drama) (10 - 20 minutes)

1. This will include acting in small groups of 4 - 5

2. Show videos of different types of birds or videos documented from AT2

3. Each child will get to choose a bird they are interested to act out.

4. As the teacher, demonstrate how you would act as a pretty bird to provide ideas for children

5. Children will act out their own birds at the same time.

This links to Outcome 2.4.4 - Children explore, infer, predict and hypothesise in order to develop an increased understanding of the interdependence between land, people, plants and animals

Allara – Topic. (2018, November 14). Wala Is Life. [Video]. YouTube. https:/www.youtube.com/watch?v=1X ACgej9L80

Bangarradance theatre. (2015, May 20). Bangarra Education Resources Mutton Bird. [Video]. YouTube. https:/www.youtube.com/watch? v=o-PV98Oshkc&t=137s

Candell, A. (2017). Movement in the wild: Nature as Dance Partner. The Earthbody Institute. https:/www.theearthbodyinstitute.com/2017/03/move ment-in-the-wild-nature-as-dance-partner/

Dance Teaching Ideas. (2020). Creative Dance-Play for Early childhood. https://danceteachingideas.com/creative-dance-movement-for-toddlers/

Lynch, C. (2021). Watershed. Arts House. https://www.artshouse.com.au/watershed-audio-experience/

Suzuki Association of the Americas. (2024). About the Suzuki Method. https://suzukidev.org/about/about-the-suzuki-method/