Celebrating music in the local community : an academic service-learning project to bring music into children's lives in the local primary school

Academic service learning, or community engagement, has been developed by universities to provide mutually beneficial outcomes to the local communities using the expertise of their students who, through their engagement with the community enhance their knowledge, understanding and reflection skills. This paper describes a primary school based academic service learning project in which six undergraduate music students focussed on using and extending their knowledge and expertise in music and other art forms, by teaching the creative arts in a culturally diverse, low socio-economic primary school, and reflecting on their experiences. The students had no teacher education training, but were hoping to enrol in a teacher education course when they completed their B. Arts (Music) degree. Throughout the service-learning project the students worked with the teachers to present music-based creative arts lessons across different grades, as well as presenting music and drama workshops in an After School Arts Programme, thus providing the children with creative arts experiences which they may not have had otherwise. As the students reflected on their experiences, they developed their understanding of the children and their diverse backgrounds as well as enhancing and strengthening their own reflective and higher order thinking skills, their self-awareness and confidence in teaching and their learning and implementing effective teaching strategies in relation to music and the other creative arts. Mutually beneficial outcomes were achieved both by students and the school community, as a result of this academic service-learning project.