I learned a lot while taking Introduction to the Arts as my FYS.

I learned not
only about myself but I learned so many things about art as a whole. I learned many
new things about music. Strengthened my knowledge for theater. Plus found a new
appreciation for visual arts. This class opened my eyes to many new things. Without
this class I would not of enjoyed this semester as much as I did.
I consider myself a creative thinker. To me being a creative thinker means I
never stop learning. Everyday I’m learning new things, especially in this class. I
learned so many things I’ve never heard of before. Some of the new things I learned
I really enjoyed. Some on the other hand not so much. But being able to learn new
things good or bad will always impact your life. I learned things I can’t wait to use
when I’m a teacher and something we did I hope to never do again. But that’s a part
of life and a part of becoming a creative thinker.
The first section we worked on was the music section. It was probably the
shortest section but it was probably the section I thought the most in. If I had to pick
one class that helped grow is the class with Leland Clark. Leland talked to us about
the history of music. Music has come a long way and I never really noticed until
Leland told us. He talked a lot about sampling and how it’s all around us. It’s weird
to see parts of songs my mom use to listen to become a part of my songs I listen to
today. My mom always use to tell me when a part of a song, but I never believed her
till now. Everything he said that day is true and I believe it will be true forever.
The second section we worked on was the theater section. I’ve been a theater
nerd as long as I could remember. But during this section we talked a lot about
theater professionals. The one who stuck out most to me is our day with Wendy.
Directing a show is a theater dream of mine. As Wendy talked about her experience
as a director and it made the dream of directing to me more real. She gave us some
great times and stories of personal experiences that I will always keep me.
The final section was the visual arts section. I was really not into visual arts
until I took this class. The class I liked the most was the painting class with Erica. I
never have painted before but it was the most fun I have had in a long time. It was so
relaxing and it will be a fun activity to do with students one day. This activity would
be a great lesson to help students learn their colors.
I was so glad I got put into this class. I honestly learned a lot. I feel like being
in this class will help me in the long run. Not only in my personal life but my
professional one as well.
1. Liz’s version of the Muffin Man song- I could see
myself using this in a classroom one day. I want to
be a first or second grade teacher. At that age
learning words and letter sounds are very
important. Liz’s activity will be very helpful and it
is very easy to change the words depending on the
letter I would be using.

2. Incorporating Music into any subject- in the

movie about the Boston Public School System they
showed many different ways of incorporating
music into a lesson plan. Music is a create tool
because kids love it and if the tune is catchy
enough it will get stuck in their heads.
Incorporating music can be used in any subject
like, math, science and English.

3. Having students choose a song that has

meaning to them- having someone choose a song
they like helps people get to know them, when I
am a teacher I can see myself having my students
pick a song that they love to help me get a better
understanding of my students.
1. Oral interpretation-public speaking is a big part
of no matter what career you take. Being a
teacher or whenever I’m acting I always need to
use good public speaking skills. Marianne gave us
a lot of tips that are helpful for the classroom or
the stage.

2. Having kids act out A book- Marianne talked to

us about how kids are very hands on learner and
they liked to be involved. When I am a teacher I
will teach my kids a book but then have them act
it out. They will get to play characters and being
characters will help them understand the story.

3. Name Dance- I work at a theater company with

young children. Working with these children I
help them a lot with their movement on stage.
The name came can be used not only for their
names but also their character names. It will
really help them step out of their comfort zone.
1. Printing- the type of printing Seet Fun taught us would
be a great activity to do with young children. They can get
their hands dirty and have some fun. They can print
anything and it would be a great way to teach them about
textures.

2. Ceramics- kids like to play with clay so ceramics would

be a great activity to do with a class and they can use it to
make things like mother’s and father’s day gifts.

3. Environmental Art- Kids love to be outside. Plus they

love to get dirty. Making environmental art is a great way
to them to play outside. But also it could be used as a
great science lesson too about the weather or the season.