Exploring the magic of sound, movement and drama in nature!!! by

gloriamoloney — 2024-04-12 04:39:53 UTC

I would like to begin by acknowledging the Wurundjeri People, the traditional custodians of the land upon which I stand today. I pay my respect to the Elders past, present, and emerging, and recognize their enduring connection to this land, one that encompasses the present and extends into the future.

gloriamoloney — 2024-04-12 04:49:17 UTC

For the sound/music activity, I began by gathering children to quietly sit for a minute. I got them to listen and focus on hearing the sounds of nature around them whether it be the birds chirping, wind rustling, or insects buzzing. They were then asked to describe or mimic the sounds they heard. I then handed out simple musical instruments like xylophones, tambourines, maracas and objects from nature for them to mimic what they heard through the instruments. After, I lead the children to put what they learned together to create their own musical pieces.

gloriamoloney — 2024-04-12 04:54:18 UTC

For the movement/dance activity, I showed the children my on-country visit in Assessment 2 and got them to see the ducks swimming and quacking, the trees and reeds around the lake rustling, the water rippling and the cars driving. The children were then invited to spread out and mimic the movements they observed in the video. A music element was then added to guide the children through their movements and dance.

gloriamoloney — 2024-04-12 04:56:32 UTC

For the drama activity, I first told the children the story of my creative work, telling the children of the secret, magical world beneath Attwood Lake that is protected by ducks. I then got the children to participate in an imaginary play of my story, and they selected which character they wanted to act out. Simple props were provided to recreate the environment of the lake and enhance their imaginary play. They were encouraged to use their bodies and voices to express their characters' actions and emotions.

Consent from the parents

gloriamoloney — 2024-04-13 07:53:10 UTC

Since only one child, participated in the activities, and I planned to record photos and videos to be used in this assessment, I asked for and got permission from all parents to use any photos and videos taken during the activities.

gloriamoloney — 2024-04-13 11:42:14 UTC

Here I got Carter (the child) to close his eyes and sit still and listen to all the sounds around him (taking him on his own on-country visit). He told me he heard all sorts of different sounds such as crickets, the wind, the rustling of leaves, aeroplanes flying and cars driving nearby.

gloriamoloney — 2024-04-13 11:45:23 UTC

In this photo, I got Carter to mimic and recreate the sounds he heard using his voice and body. For example, when he heard the wind, he started to make swooshing sounds with his mouth and swayed his body like the wind. He also tried mimicking the aeroplane and cars, but he didn't know how to recreate the sounds of crickets and leaves he heard rustling.

gloriamoloney — 2024-04-14 03:56:07 UTC

Here I gave Carter instruments to recreate the sounds he heard. I also tried asking some open-ended questions such as "How many different sounds can you make with that?", etc.

gloriamoloney — 2024-04-14 04:03:27 UTC

After the last video I told Carter to make a musical song combining all the different sounds he heard using any of the instruments infront of him. As you can see, Carter was excited to show off his musical piece. I tried not to instruct him on how the instruments should be played but instead let him experiment with it on his own terms.

gloriamoloney — 2024-04-14 04:14:02 UTC

For this activity I began by getting Carter to watch my assessment 2 on country video and asking him what he saw, noticed and heard. I got him to watch it a second time asking him to watch the ducks moving in and around a lake.

gloriamoloney — 2024-04-14 04:14:19 UTC

I showed Carter another video of ducks swimming and moving around but this time it was a close up so he could see it properly.

gloriamoloney — 2024-04-14 04:14:35 UTC

Here, we discussed the different movements we had seen and how the ducks interact with their environment. After, we got up to spread out and mimic the movements of ducks through dance. I encourage him to explore different movements like swimming, quick steps for waddling, and stretching his arms out for flying.

gloriamoloney — 2024-04-14 04:14:56 UTC

For the second time around I played soft music that fitted the vibe for it to help guide Carter through the movements. I then added stops in the music where he freezes in his best duck pose, adding an element of fun.

gloriamoloney — 2024-04-14 04:15:14 UTC

Here he did a duck pose excitedly.

gloriamoloney — 2024-04-14 04:24:32 UTC

Here, he is swimming in the lake looking for the treasure hidden in the magical world under the lake.

gloriamoloney — 2024-04-14 04:24:48 UTC

This was Carter when he found the treasure he was looking for in the lake.

gloriamoloney — 2024-04-14 04:25:07 UTC

After listening to the story and being asked to play out the story, Carter first started by jumping into the lake like a duck.

gloriamoloney — 2024-04-14 06:26:16 UTC

What went as expected?
Overall, most of the activities went as expecteded and were as engaging and resourceful as I could make them. The sound and drama aspects of the activities were well understood by Carter, and along with his enthusiasm and excitedness, suggests that the activities were educational and are easy to understand for young children.
What did not go as expected?
While the activities were enjoyable and he wasn't able to follow it all the way through to the end, it was difficult constantly maintaining Carter's focus as his attention often wandered at times. This highlighted that some parts of the activities were too complex or lengthy, so adjustments may be needed to simplify certain aspects to keep children more engaged in the tasks.
What might you do different next time?
In the future, I may incorporate shorter tasks or add more engaging or exciting props to keep the attention of young children like Carter. While it's good that the activities were educational, I'll need to make them more engaging and age-appropriate to accommodate for different age groups.
How might you use this growth in your future practice of early childhood education
This experience has demonstrated the importance of tailoring activities to the developmental stages and interests of individual children in keeping them engaged. In my future practice, I will focus on observing children's reactions more closely and be ready to adjust activities in real time. Understanding the unique ways children engage in play will help me design more effective learning activities.
Overall reflection addressing: How has your perspective of music, movement and drama changed as a result of engaging with the unit content and required tasks?
Engaging with the unit content and these activities has helped deepen my understanding in how to integrate the languages of music, movement, and drama into early childhood education to support children's learning. Previously, I viewed these areas as separate parts of the curriculum to only be used in their own subjects. Now, I see them as interconnected elements that can significantly enhance children's learning and development in any subject when used correctly. This realization will inspire me to continually seek creative ways to incorporate the languages of sound/music, movement/dance and drama into my teaching practice, ensuring that learning is both effective but also enjoyable for children.

gloriamoloney — 2024-04-14 10:49:27 UTC

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

bangarradance theatre. (2015, May 20). Bangarra Education Resources Mutton Bird [Video]. YouTube.

Roy, D., Baker, W., & Hamilton, A. (2015). What are the Arts and what do they ‘do’? Teaching the arts: Early childhood and primary education (2nd ed., pp. 11–13). Cambridge University Press.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o-PV98Oshkc

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

Ungunmerr, M. (1988). Dadirri: Inner Deep Listening and Quiet Still Awareness. Retrieved from https://www.miriamrosefoundation.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Dadirri_Handout.pdf

Wilson, R. A. (2018). Nature play. Nature and young children: encouraging creative play and learning in natural environments (3rd ed., pp. 5–17). Routledge.

gloriamoloney — 2024-04-14 11:53:07 UTC

My on-country visit at Attwood Lake in Assessment 2 informed the development of the three activities for this assessment. For the sound/music activity, I got the children to immerse themselves in their surroundings. Similar to what I did for my on-country visit, the children closed their eyes and engaged themselves with the sounds around them, focussing on what they could be. For the movement/dance activity, I connected the activities the children would participate in to the natural behaviours of the duck I observed in my on-country visit. By getting them to observe the video of my on-country visit, I guided the children to mimic and dance to the movements of the ducks at Attwood lake in the way they thought the ducks moved and swam. For the drama activity, I related it to my creative work. Inspired by my dramatic storytelling of the magical world underneath the lake, I got the children to re-enact my story however they wanted through imaginary play. This allowed them to explore the roles of various characters from the story, and get them to experience the imaginative exploration I undertook during my on-country visit through their own perspective.

Ungunmerr's (1988) theoretical perspective and reflection on sound and inner deep listening was integrated into my sound/music activity. Her reflection illustrates that inner deep listening, or "dadirri" is about "tapping into that deep spring that is within us" (Ungunmerr, 1988), through which I got the children to listen deeply to nature and its sounds. Ungunmerr suggests that, by listening deely, a spiritual connection with nature can be made, which can develop what she calls "a special respect for nature" that recognises the land's sacredness and uniqueness (Ungunmerr, 1988), which I believe is an important concept for not only children, but all humans to learn. For the movement/dance activity, Roy et al. (2015) offers a theoretical perspective on the Arts, which I have incorporated into the activity. Roy et al. (2015) defines the Arts to be a fundamental “means of expression and communication” (Roy et al., 2015), and using this definition, I got the children to communicate their interpretation of a ducks movement in water, through a dance of their own. Ruth A. Wilson’s work on the importance of natural outdoor playspaces provided a theoretical perspective for the Drama activity. By getting children to reenact my story that features a magical, natural setting, I aim to develop an activity that takes advantage of young children's fascination of the natural world (Wilson, 2018). Wilson highlights that a restorative environment can "help people regain a positive mood" and leads to the "renewal of adaptive resources that have become depleted in meeting the demands of everyday life" (Wilson, 2018), which is made possible through creative play with nature and the environment.

gloriamoloney — 2024-04-14 12:16:34 UTC

Carter then decided to act as a guardian of the lake and fought the bad guys with his fists to stop them from destroying the magical lake.

gloriamoloney — 2024-04-16 12:29:21 UTC

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