Page 20 - The Song Room 2020 Year in Review

WHAT WE SAW IN 2020
COURAGE AND COLLABORATION
In her first Song Room session one of our teachers said very adamantly, ‘I am not going to be doing any music at all during this remote learning time. It’s all too much’.
Thank you ARTS:LIVE! You are an amazing resource. I find them engaging and very educational. My students find the videos especially useful and so do I as a teacher!”
PATRICIA VAN KEMPEN, THE ARTS TEACHER CLOYNA, WINDERA AND MOFFATDALE SS QLD
At the beginning of remote learning teachers
were overwhelmed. They felt they did not have the headspace or time to spend on activities that were not core learning related activities. It was important that we were respectful, practical and collaborative at this time.
Our reluctant teacher who had enrolled in the Music In Schools Mentoring program learnt that 2020 was indeed the perfect time to bring music into their practice to keep students connected and to explore new methods of delivery.
During remote learning in Victoria, The Song Room team reassured, supported and mentored teachers online with practical assistance in planning and sourcing online content. Teaching Artists guided teachers to use ARTS:LIVE to access easy and engaging activities. Janene Potter, Teaching Artist
at Naranga Specialist School, Frankston worked collaboratively with her teachers to develop ideas that would link back to learning outcomes once students returned to the classroom.
Feeling more self-assured, one teacher combined her new music skills with existing visual art skills which
she felt more comfortable with. She had students create cut-out cardboard ukuleles that they decorated with woollen strings and a bridge, learning about the instrument and how to hold it as they went. Students were immediately curious and excited about learning the instrument when they got back to the classroom.
Teachers at Grovedale West Primary School were blown away by how much musical knowledge the students picked up during remote learning and how much
they enjoyed it. They said it was a unique and special time seeing their students participate in their remote learning music activities. Many teachers said if it hadn’t been for DUET and their introduction to ARTS:LIVE, their students wouldn’t have had any interactive
music tasks to do at home.
MOTHER OF GOD SCHOOL VIC
IMAGE: THUY VY
20 THE SONG ROOM: 2020 YEAR IN REVIEW