https://youtu.be/zXYnQlym_u8

As you immerse yourself in the sound, move your body as if you are representing the natural elements there. You can be a bush, wind, wave, seagull, or any part of the landscape; let the dance bring spirit to your chosen representative. Listen deeply to the soundscape and allow your body to respond to the image of the sound you hear, as if you are becoming a character of nature and conveying your perspective through body language.

Additionally, if you pay attention closely, you will notice that the sounds of wave-breaking and wind remain constant, running throughout the piece. But why does the rhythm and melody shift? Because they are shaped by the weather. In the early morning, when the sky is filled with grey clouds, the sea feels tired and blue. But when the hidden sun broke through the clouds, it swept away all the darkness and blues. Lights touched everything, bringing life to breathing. 

Afterwards, when I visited the place in the afternoon, I was totally mesmerised by the breathtaking warmth from the sunset that embraced my body and healed my soul. The golden beams reached out to kiss my red cheeks, while the wind gently caressed my brunette hair, like a greeting of welcome back. The orange coloured an entire scenario, dancing across waves and seashore, making seashells glimmer like tiny jewels. 

Things shifted as the weather varied, so as people, we also view waves distinctly, feeling that they were aggressive before the dawn but gentle when the sunset cuddled. Perhaps because we could speak for ourselves, but it takes time for us to recognize nature’s voices. Therefore, that is also the purpose of my game: speaking the language of nature through the language of movements and music.

While I’m writing this reflection, my heart is still trembling with the wonder of nature’s miraculous moments when memories recall me to that day. I was fortunate enough to view three spectacular shades of the landscape: the grey morning, the vibrant midday, and the golden sunset; each spoke in different languages and carried its own stories, welcoming me to alter my angle to feel, hear, and immerse myself.

I recognized the call of the sea when I first entered the scenery. It was an aggressive scream from the ocean, embodied in the sound of breaking waves whenever they hit the seashore. Correspondingly, the sound of wind howling, leaves rustling, and other elements also awaken my sleepy mind to become more active. And that’s how music in natural settings motivated me, I collected these audio to make a journal reflection that is interpreted through music, combining those elements into a piano composition, I want to speak through the language of music (Victor Wotten, 2013). The notes symbolized the waves, with rhythm and tempo changes representing the sea’s varied moods. And as I mentioned earlier, there are constant sounds of wind and waves running throughout the audio that reminded me of nature’s ongoing voice, steady beneath its many faces. Deliberately, movements became another translation as I imagined myself as one of the elements existing in the landscape: I am lonely but turbulently, my “skin” changes from deep navy to vibrant olive and radiant orange at the end - I am the sea, and my movements symbolize wave breaking. On top of that, drama unfolded as I stepped into these roles, performing nature’s story while also witnessing it.

This experience engaged all my senses; I smelled the salt air, felt the changing wind, and saw colours shift from grey to jade to orange. The story unpacked behind attending elements also resonates with my life journey, as distinct shades of the beach convey a different thought and story to my young inner self. I have the same feelings of loneliness and chaos as morning waves when I first came to Australia. I always told myself that I had to be a strong and independent person outside, but the weakness and homesickness have killed my ego inside; the scenario adds blue to the picture, just like how society treated me back then. However, I found joy in this hustle and bustle life, I have found the “sun” that swept away all my worries and brought back my meaning of life. Hence, I started to “breathe” again. The vigorous sunset at the end also embodied my sense of fulfilment and peace in myself at the moment, when my life is back on track and I have figured out my own pathway after times of getting lost.

Wilson (2012) highlights that natural environments invite open-ended creativity, while Gandini and Vecchi (2011) argue that expressive forms like music, movement, and drama are essential ways of knowing. My creative work reflects this integration: sound, gesture, and drama together form a dialogue with place. Welch (2009) reminds us that storytelling requires respect; while I interpreted the sea, the story belongs to the place itself.

For my future teaching, this reinforces the value of unhurried, natural settings where children explore sound, movement, and drama. Approaches like those in Dance Teaching Ideas (2021) show how toddlers can embody waves, wind, or animals, supporting experiences where children interpret place in their own ways through body, voice, and imagination.

Dance Teaching Ideas. (2021, May 19). Creative dance movement for toddlers. https://danceteachingideas.com/creative-dance-movement-for-toddlers/

Edwards, C., Gandini, L., & Forman, G. (Eds.). (2011). The hundred languages of children: The Reggio Emilia experience in transformation. Bloomsbury Publishing.

Welch, W. (2009). Who owns the story? Storytelling, Self, Society, 5(1), 1–22. https://www.jstor.org/stable/41943296

Wilson, R. (2012). Nature and young children: Encouraging creative play and learning in natural environments (2nd ed.). Routledge.

Wooten, V. (2013, May 20). Music as a language [Video]. TEDxGabriolaIsland. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2zvjW9arAZ0