Kutayib
4.3. Mirroring yourself in music & facourite songs
Session Objectives
By the end of the session, participants will be able to:
Know the difference between instruction-based learning and activity-oriented learning.
Apply activity-oriented learning by acquiring complex musical content through guided doing, rather than having to understand everything first.
Express their identity through music by listening to and reflecting on favourite songs.
Duration
02h 30min
Group size
Set by facilitator
Materials needed
Headphones, instruments, paper, pens, piano or music box, smartphone
Session Description
This session uses music as a tool for self-expression and connection. Through singing, rhythm, and movement, participants experience how creative activities can support learning, reflection, and emotional awareness. They explore the difference between learning through instruction and through active experience, while discovering how music can express identity and build connections within the group.
Duration: 75min (Warmup: 15, Rehearsal: 30, Reflection: 30)
Group size:
All together for warmup and rehearsal
Think - pair - share for reflection
Materials needed: Instruments, paper & pens, piano or music box
Everybody participates in a short warm-up that activates both the voice and the body.
A song is rehearsed in multiple layers, using the voice, body percussion, movements, and percussion instruments . It’s OK okay if the participants feel overwhelmed at first due to the required multitasking; that’s why it's important that they are guided competently. The participants should be able to trust in the leader’s ability to guide them towards a viable goal, despite the cognitive and coordinative overload.
Example Song 1: Sejdama Skand (Scandinavian folk song)
Example Song 2: Sithi Molweni (Zulu/Xhosa traditional)
In the plenary, these questions for reflection on the learning process are discussed::
During the process: How do I feel while doing this? Am I overwhelmed?
In the end, when the song is rehearsed: How do I feel now? Did my feelings change when I started understanding how to do it?
Questions for reflection on being musically active:
How do I feel when I sing?
What do I feel in my body when I sing? How does it change when I sing in different ways/manners?
Did I ever “learn” to sing? How? Does one need to learn it?
Objectives:
Being active in a multi-layered and complex form of song.
Understanding the difference between “instruction-based learning” and “activity-oriented learning”.
Duration: 30min
Group size: Think – pair – share
Materials needed: Paper & pens
Facilitator / Instructor makes a short presentation about Instruction-based learning vs. activity-oriented learning.
→ Instruction-based learning: “you need to understand something first before you can start doing it.
Understanding → insight → experience
→ Activity-oriented learning: “you can (and sometimes should) learn something by starting with the activity itself.”
Experience → insight → understanding
→ Activity-oriented learning is based on the theory of constructivism:
When we learn something new we need to interact with the world and reflect on it. This enables us to build our own representation of reality and understanding of our environment. Since we all have our individual representation and knowledge of the world, we do not learn by simply listening to someone else's explanation of something new. We rather need to actively engage with the matter at hand and then reflect on our experiences and integrate our insights into our construct of the world.
Students answer the reflection questions with the think-pair-share method and make notes.
Objectives: Learning about activity-oriented learning, reflecting on its use and application.
Duration: 45min
Group size: Think - pair
Materials needed: Headphones, music box, smartphone
The workshop leaders introduce themselves by presenting a piece of their favourite music and elaborating how it represents their identity. This serves as a model for the following exercise.
The participants pick a song or musical piece which they like.
They answer the questions on the worksheet.
They form pairs and share their music as well as the parts of the worksheet they are comfortable to share.
Objectives: Picking a favourite song, reflecting on it in regard of one’s own identity and sharing it with others.