September 29, 2015

Arts Integration through Music and Theatre at Queen Elizabeth Elementary

ArtStarts' Elfred Matining and Sarah Kim returned to Queen Elizabeth Elementary to work with teachers and support staff again this month on their Pro-D day on September 25. This time they brought multidisciplinary artist and facilitator Rupinder Sidhu to offer the workshop Arts Integration through Music and Theatre.

Rup led participants through various activities including clapping games and body percussion that were tied into numbers and math. Rup taught participants bol, Punjabi for speak, and tied this into the math concept of division. Teachers found that these activities could easily be applied to Queen Elizabeth Elementary’s classrooms of K-4 students, some of whom are special needs learners.

Moving into the theatre component of the workshop, the group worked on tableaux and "setting the scene" activities, and how various thematic systems could be demonstrated through theatre.

After each activity, the group would reflect, ask questions and discuss how the activities could be applied to curriculum in their classrooms.

The session ended with a talking circle where participants described their highlight of the workshop. Many voiced how they were inspired and excited to apply what they had learned right away with their students. They had a lot of fun and laughed a lot! This is the power that amazing facilitation and the arts can have on educators. Thanks to Rup for a great workshop!

Here are some comments from teachers at the workshop:

"I really appreciated that all the activities not only integrated content with the arts but also addressed multiple learning styles and balanced left/right brain development." —Grade 1 teacher

"Rup was an excellent facilitator who made everyone comfortable." —Grade 1 teacher

"It all spoke to me. Simple, fun, not hard to arrange, no cost for materials, super practical and applicable." —Grade 2 teacher

"It was good to be up and moving, and learn through movement, fun and play." —Grade 1 Teacher

"I found the theoretical application helpful to explain to parents." —Grade 3 teacher

"I work with special needs children in the classroom. The rhythm and sound activities are a great way to integrate these children into the classroom and to teach counting, adding, etc." —Educational Assistant

If you would like to learn more about hosting Arts Integration through Music and Theatre at your school, please contact us at [email protected]

You're also invited to join us at our next professional development workshop for teachers held at the ArtStarts Gallery in downtown Vancouver on the province-wide Pro-D day on October 23, 2015: Making Spaces: Transforming a Classroom Through the Creative Process. This full-day event will engage your creativity with two hands-on workshops, while exploring arts integration as an approach to teaching. Register now at artstarts.com/infusion

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