Workshop music and art at Gideåskolan

Song, music, movement, dance and focus on body language. Communication with songs and different directions. Variation between exercises where the children create completely free and exercises that are more controlled and challenges the children to follow instructions and adapt to the group.

Aims and Objectives

  • To increase the cooperation between all children in the group. Reduce exclusion and group formation. Make all to feel involved in the aesthetic processes.

Description

We begin by sitting in a ring on the floor. It is important that everyone sees each other and that all adults participate. We start singing a song where every child gets to know the names of the others and then we repeat all the names singing "Fun That You're Here" to every child. The opening song collection is about 20 minutes long and are about the body and how to use it in motion and dance, that we are all different but still equal. We practise focusing and letting others stand at the center. We inspire eye contact and to look at each other when we sing. After the song collection we go into the part of the workshop that is about creating through image and form. The teacher places the children in three groups standing at three different tables. In this way, we give no room for anyone to just want to cooperate with their best mate while someone else never becomes "chosen". Today's exercise is free creation accompanied with music. On each table there is a large sheet of paper where the children paint with watercolor. We do not provide instructions on what the painting should contain. The music pedagogue plays on the piano while the children paint. When the music stops, the children change the place and continues to paint at the place where the friend just stood and painted. The music continues and the children's creation as well. In the end, the sheet of paper has become a work of art. In the end we gather and sing again. Now the songs are about friendship, being together, that it's good that we have each other, etc. A boy says: "This song is so nice. We'll take it again!"

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