I'm listening to John Mayer, "Why Georgia" and a certain line of the chorus jumps out at me. "Am I living it right". It's something I think we all ask ourselves from time to time. Am I making the right choices? Am I making the most of what I have? This leads me to consider my career trajectory and where I want it to lead. Considering it's arts programs for disadvantaged kids that I want to facilitate I start to second guess my choices. Should I have studied to be a Music, Drama or Visual Arts teacher instead of my initial Bachelor of Science Dip Ed.
But I quickly squash this heckling doubt with the knowledge that I am living proof that anybody can use the arts to help benefit others. I am an educator that uses the arts to help convey key information or to gather important stories from participants. I honestly believe that you don't have to be the next Picasso to incorporate drawing into your education program, the next pop sensation to break out into song mid session or a theatre graduate to infuse drama into your next lesson. We need to teach kids and ourselves that the arts are accessible and enriching for everyone. We should all feel more than capable and welcome to have a go.
Don't get me wrong to bring more credibility to your next big art project it would be great to host a type of artist in residence program where you could invite a relevant artist/s along to help guide the kids in their work. However who's to say you should wait around for the next big art project to use the arts as a teaching tool. Why not get the kids to make a sound orchestra where groups of 3-4 come up with their own sound and then elect a conductor to stand out the front to start, stop, soften and increase the volume of the relevant noises each group created. These noises might surround a certain theme like transport e.g. 'choo choo' for a train or 'honk honk' for a car. Maybe it's animals you're looking at. There are a whole host of sounds the kids could come up with, when considering animals. A simple drawing activity like 'Mr Squiggle' might tickle your fancy. If students are learning new numbers or letters you can ask them to create a drawing out of a particular number or letter they've been learning. See what happens when you give them a chance to get creative whilst familiarising themselves with the new script.
On Friday when I arrived at school in the afternoon the little kids were asking to do the vocal warm up I ran with them last week before we sang the nutrition song that I have been blogging about. Now I've participated in one or two music education professional development seminars, I've worked as a performing arts specialist primary teacher and used music while working as a museum education officer however I never studied music at university. Truth be told I can't even read music or play a musical instrument. This didn't stop me a week ago from making up a vocal warm up of nonsensical sounds that could transverse language barriers and engage a room full of kids .
So my advice take a note from Albert Einstein's book when he said "Imagination is more important than knowledge"
Whether you work in a school, library, museum, zoo wherever - don't be afraid to be an artist and in turn inspire your students to be artists.
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