This engaging workshop offers musically rich, Kodály inspired teaching and learning sequences that illustrate possible approaches to the Exploring and Responding strand of the Australian Curriculum: The Arts: Music v9. Participants will engage in activities in which learners respond through singing, movement, listening, analysis, and creativity. The session will also investigate ways to develop the whole child by strengthening cross curricular connections with HASS and Science inquiry units and by providing a variety of props such as stretchy bands, scarves, parachutes and puppets.

Designed for both specialist and generalist primary teachers, the workshop includes activities for students from Years 1–6. Although the session will include ways to promote individual student agency, participants will explore the ways in which Exploring and Responding can go beyond expressing personal preference – rather it is active music making and thinking that develops music literacy, critical listening, open heartedness and awareness of the importance of music in students’ lives and communities. The workshop will also explore ways to approach assessing student achievement in this strand.

Participants will leave with classroom ready strategies and resources that support learners of all ages to explore and respond with musical understanding as genuine musicians.