The learnings of the two-part workshop will manifest through incorporating African Music from the Ashanti Region, Ghana with tribal tunes,movements, rhythms through a live guitar workshop to engage participants..Therapeutic programs for children with various learning disabilities and developmental delays such as Autism spectrum disorder have shown to improve their mental and physical health. Physical movements incorporating cultural and multilingual music and dance enhance children’s sensory, cognitive and communication skills. During the workshop professionals gain insight on recent studies and practices aligning with music and dance movement for special needs and mental health challenges, while supporting their overall well-being.The second part of the workshop will focus on therapeutic dance and movement using the North Indian Classical Dance form of ‘Kathak’.
Learning Objectives
- To gain more insights on the importance of Music and dance therapy.
- To learn about culturally relevant pedagogies such as Afrian Music and Indian Classical and Folk Dance Forms.
- To share and explore their lived experiences with music and dance through the engagement with children.
- To build unique teaching tool kits by learning, musical activities that engage children of all cultural backgrounds.
- To encourage educators to create creative curriculum that aligns with the principles of Diversity, Inclusion and Equity (DEI).
- To make educators, families and children of all cultures feel represented and express themselves freely in a safe space.
Presenters:
Ishaa Vinod Chopra
Ishaa’s approach extrapolates her lived experiences in mental health and applies them to research, mental health advocacy, and multidisciplinary arts. In her Memoir ‘Finding Order in Disorder’; in lucid, simple prose, she addresses what it is like to be diagnosed with bipolar disorder, how it affects interpersonal relationships, and how societal norms influence our understanding of and responses to mental health issues. As a Research Associate of a York University Master’s Thesis documentary project titled ‘Unfinished,’ she explores her journey in mental health through an autoethnographic documentary film.
Afia Konadu Kyei (George Brown College)
Afia Konadu Kyei is a student originally from Ghana. Her life experiences as a young girl have shaped her passion for children with special needs. Afia is an Algonquin College alum with a Bachelor of Early Learning and Community Development, where she achieved her dreams and built on her French. Afia’s research interests are autism, behavioural science, and how behaviours happen. She collaborates with other NGOs in this field across Africa to advocate for children with developmental disabilities.
