ANAGI GUNASEKERA
· Creative Learning Experience Designer · Educator · Musician
The Goodville Program
Character-led social-emotional learning through stories, play, music and interactive design.
I first created the Goodville Program in 2021 as a children’s values education program, helping young preschoolers explore kindness, empathy and positive behaviour through original cartoon characters, songs and creative activities.
Since then, Goodville has grown into a broader learning design space for children aged 4–9, where I explore how children develop emotional awareness, self-confidence, responsibility, empathy and growth mindsets through designing playful and interactive experiences.
A central part of Goodville is observation. I continue to evolve the program based on what I notice in children such as their questions, behaviours, emotions, confidence, social interactions and ways of making meaning. Through puppetry, story quests, games, reflection tools, music, designed learning merchandise such as Goodness Tracker Boards, character-based resources and parent/teacher engagement, I create fun, colourful and accessible learning experiences that respond to children’s real needs.
Focus areas:
· Character-led learning · Social-emotional learning ·Growth mindset · Music and movement
· Play-based pedagogy · Child-centred design · Community implementation
Music Across Cultures
Intercultural music learning through listening, exploration, composition and creative expression.
I designed Music Across Cultures as a two-lesson learning sequence for Years 5–6, exploring how music can communicate culture, identity, place and meaning. The project grew from my observation and analysis of a creative music education seminar, where I became interested in how soundscape composition, experimentation and collaborative music-making could support meaningful learning.
The learning journey moves from exploration to creation. Students first listen to and compare musical traditions including Balginjirr Songlines, West African drumming and Beijing Opera, before drawing connections between musical elements, culture and meaning. They then experiment with instruments, body percussion and found sounds to collaboratively design a short fusion soundscape and represent it through graphic notation.
Alongside the learning sequence, I created supporting resources including listening prompts, cultural comparison activities, a graphic notation guide, soundscape composition materials and reflection tools. I drew on experiential and sociocultural approaches, Universal Design for Learning and Visible Thinking to consider how the experience could encourage creativity, collaboration, learner agency and intercultural reflection.
Project status: Designed learning sequence / proposed classroom experience
Focus areas:
Intercultural music education · Experiential learning · Collaborative composition · Graphic notation · Learner agency · UDL · Reflective learning · Curriculum design
Case Study: Creative Music Pedagogy in Practice.
Music Across Cultures: Learning Sequence & Resources