I took this video of the walking path next to my house (Westmeadows,country of Wurundjeri Woiwurrungwuvaroung ) where spring flowers were everywhere.The place was quiet and peaceful. So I just started wondering and letting my imagination run.

The path twisted and turned with every step on I could hear the crunch of leaves under my feet.The sun peeked through the trees and seemed welcoming me .The flowers ,smell of flowers like they encourage me to keep going and see what is around the next corner.

I totally got lost in the moment ,imagining tiny creatures hiding in the petals and secret messages in the shadows .Everything felt like it had its own story. By the time I reached the end of the path I realised this little walk had turned into a playful story all on its own. It really made me think to slowing down ,noticing world around me, and how music can be a kind of language that speaks without world (Ungunmerr-Baumann,2001)

While telling this story ,I realised I was practising something a lot like Dadirri,Miriam Rose Ungunmerr’s idea of deep listening and quiet awareness(Ungunmerr-Baumann, 2001. I wasn't just walking ,I was noticing ,feeling and connecting with everything around me ,the flowers ,The Sun,even the sudden imagination of a bridesmaid flower bouquet .I was fully alive and paying attention with my whole self, not just my eyes.

At the same time I noticed the rhythm of it all ,which reminded me of what Victor Wooten says about music as language(Wooten,2000)The steps ,birds movement ,sudden imagination of a bouquet and the beat of my heart. It all became a kind of soundtrack just like music. The story had rhythm ,emotion and movement and I was listening and responding to it real time.

Connecting this to my teaching practice , I see how drama ,movement ,music and deep listening all work together to help children explore and express(Wright,2012;Pacini-Ketchabaw, Kind, & Kocher, 2016). Kids ,like me on my wedding walk drama can notice imagine and interact with their surrounding and then turning ordinary spaces in to stories when we combine movement ,music and listening we create opportunities for creativity, expression and connection just like Dadirri teaches ((Ungunmerr-Baumann, 2001))

In the end, my little ‘When the sun smiles ,you know its a party ,wedding walk Drama’ wasnt just funny adventure ,it was a reminder that deep listening ,imagination and rhythm are everywhere,if we take the time to notice them 

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

Wright, S. (2012). Children, meaning-making and the arts (2nd ed.). Pearson Australia.

Wooten, V. (2000). The music lesson: A spiritual search for growth through music. Berklee Press.