The document summarizes the participant's experiences in an arts intensive week. It describes activities done in different art forms like media arts, drama, dance, visual arts, and music. Key activities included learning about shot composition in media arts, creating tableaus and body shapes in drama, developing handshakes and partner dances in dance, making a personal collage in visual arts, and exploring musical elements and instruments in music. The reflection at the end discusses how the participant initially saw themselves as non-artistic but realized through the week that everyday activities like photography, music, and pretend play are creative. They feel more comfortable seeing themselves teach arts in the classroom now.

1. Creative Artefactsby Alan Whelan

2. Media Arts
with Karen Inwood
Learnt about shot composition;Rule of thirds, leading lines, vectors, natural
frames, contrast, filling the frame, centring dominant eye, patterns and
symmetry.
As small groups, we demonstrated different shot compositions using our
bodies to portray the type of shot.We made a vista on the ground using the
rule of thirds, wooden sticks as the border and fabrics to represent the sea,
mountains and sky.
We were then asked to go outside and take photographs, keeping
composition techniques in mind.Then in small groups, we were asked to
use the Little Lunch app and create a short story.
How allowing students to develop their own vocabulary,story boards and
visual icons can help them help them understand and learn about shot
techniques and composition easier.This also creates a social justice

3. Media Arts
Composition
The images on the right demonstrate
different shot compositions.
The tree demonstrates vectors, and
how lines can indicate height.
The shelter demonstrates symmetry,
recurring patterns and leading lines.
The two shots of the same plant
demonstrates how changing the focus
point can change the subject without
changing the shot.

4. We started Drama with a game of “Zoom Ball”.This involved
sitting in a circle and passing a ball of energy to the next
person while making the sound effects for the ball.This was
then expanded upon by introducing body movements and
sounds to either reverse the direction (hands in the air while
saying “WOAH”) or throw the ball across the circle (point at
the intended catcher and say“zzzzzZZAP”).
We then split into small groups and went through some
tableaux,scene portraying and body shapes activities which
are detailed on the next wall.
After this, we discussed Reader’s Theatre and how easy it can
be to get most children involved with a good book and a
healthy dose of enthusiasm from the educator. Reader’s
Theatre can lead to students developing their own scenes
either parallel to or inserted into the story.
You can also develop activities based around events
happening in the school or the wider community.
Drama
with Valerie Harrold

5. Drama
with Valerie Harrold
As a small group, we were asked to create a
tableaux from images we were given. Ours can be
seen in the frame to the right.
Expanding on this, we were given a location to
portray, which was a hospital.We were then given
a statement, which we had to create a scenario to
act out within our location. Our statement was
“I’m lost”, I think we were all a bit lost at that
point.
This process was very natural and almost easy for
me. My own knowledge and experiences from
watching improvisational TV (‘Monthy Python’,
‘Whose line is it anyway?’and ‘Thank god you’re
here’) was a massive help.
Val then guided us through an activity on how to
create objects with people, the example to the
right is a helicopter.

6. Dance
with Kerrin Rowlands
We started Dance by travelling around the room in time with the music, then pairing up. We continued to travel
around the room in time with the music, but also varying the ways in which we were travelling, hopping, twirling,
high/low.
We discussed the different time scales used in dance; 1, 2, 4 and 8; and were tasked with creating a handshake
with our partner to go in time with a 4 beat. We then expanded on the handshake, first by mirroring it with our
other hand, then by moving around each other and finally supporting each other by leaning against one
another.This was all done to four separate 4 beats.
After this, we watched ‘Moth’ by Bangarra Dance Theatre. Each of us was asked to identify two movements and
mimic them. As a pair, we were asked to combine the four movements into one. Then we looked at the different
elements of dance and tried to incorporate several of them into our dance to modify it and make it our own.
We decided to use time, body parts and shadowing to make our dance unique to us. We slowed and quickened
adjoining movements to create a sharpness. Our head protruding was initially just our hands. Initially we were
facing each other and moving in sync, we decided to stagger our start times and use shadowing to create our
final dance sequence.

7. Visual Arts
with Noeleen Curran
In Visual Arts, we were tasked with making a collage under the
heading of:“Places we belong”.
We decided to make our own individual collages and bring them
together at the end on a spinning cylinder.
Even though we all made our own personal collages, I felt the
piece as a whole spoke to me and my experiences and life journey
so far.
How moving from Ireland to Australia changed and shaped my mid
to late twenties. Going from being a very indoor and grumpy
individual to a relaxed and outdoors loving person.

8. Music
with Karen Inwood
We started Music by discussing the different
elements of music. The rhythm, pitch, form, structure,
timbre, texture, dynamics and expression.
We danced around the room to a variety of music
types; latin, jazz, dance; with different elements; soft,
loud, fast, slow, guitars, keyboards.
From here we practiced on some of the instruments
in the room; xylophone, metallophone, maracas,
guiro and a tambourine.
We then discussed musical notation and how
allowing children to make up their own notations for
sounds allows them to understand music in their own
way.

9. Reflections
Coming into the arts intensive week, I was quite nervous and apprehensive about the whole thing. I had never
considered myself an arts or creative person. The only arts I remember from school is doing cookie cutter type
arts and craft.
During the week, I realised that what I do as part of my job and just being a father are creative and arty. The
photos I have been taking for years. The instruments I have learned to play and the others that I try to play,
strumming, picking and beating away at some resemblance of a rhythm on it. The pretend and make-believe
play I do with my daughter, younger cousins and students in work. Dancing around the house and work. The
drawing, painting and doodling I do in work and at home.
I had never linked what I do in everyday life to the Arts and couldn’t see myself teaching arts. Now, I can see
myself teaching arts comfortably as a classroom teacher or even as a specialty teacher.
Thank you for showing me that arts does not always have to be the polished finished product we see so much in
galleries and the media.