Artful Musical Chairs

Notes:

Artful Musical Chairs

Subject: Art Education

Grade Level: 1-2

Time Needed: one (60 minute) lesson

Inter-curricular Connections: Music Education

Previous Knowledge: Students will have taken a music class on rhythm and tempo

General Outcomes and Curriculum Connections:

Art Curriculum

Materials and Techniques:

• Demonstrate proper painting behaviour (eg. Cooperating with others, correct holding of brush, cleaning brush, and applying paint to surface)
• Apply different brush strokes to suggest lines of varying thickness and density

Elements of Art and Principles of Design

• Create various line patterns, e.g. stripes, spirals, zig zags and jagged lines

Development of Imagery

• Create images from experiences, ideas and imaginations
• Discuss visual ideas they and others create
• Create images that reflect their interpretation of feelings about a piece of music, story or poem

Responding to Art

• Describe works of art by identifying lines, colours, shapes, content, details, and exploring possible meanings

Music Curriculum

Students will be listening and identifying fast and slow tempos, they will also be focusing on the rhythm of the piece played

Specific Outcomes:

• To experiment with watercolours (pastels, or any other material)
• To learn that mistakes are okay
• Learn to cooperate
• Explore music as movement and colour
• Painting to a rhythm (visually see their interpretation of the rhythm on a page)

Rationale:

An introductory to watercolour where students can experiment with the medium, and to make a connection between art and music.

Materials and Resources:

Paintbrushes

Watercolour Paint

Cups for water

Paper (11”x15”)

Masking Tape

CD Player

Music CD (classical or modern) (Vivaldi’s Four Seasons; for the purpose of this unit)

Chairs

Introduction/Procedures:

Prep:

• Have tables set up in a circle or square (so that is easy for students to move to the next chair)
• Have paper taped to each students area so that paper will not move
• Have cup of water, paints, and brushes for every two chairs
• Have students put on their art aprons

Introduction:

• Talk about artists who use music as an inspiration for their artwork (Phillip Iverson, Joni Mitchell, Jackson Pollock)
• Talk about the music and the composer

• Explain rules of artful musical chairs
• While the music is playing you will be painting. Try to paint what the music makes you feel at the time (For example, colours, and lines that flow with music) The first session will be slightly longer than the rest.
• As soon as the music stops you will get up and move carefully to the your right until the music starts
• The music will start and you will sit in the seat closest to you (as long as it isn’t your own)
• continue painting on the page in front of you
• This process will continue until paintings are complete

Body

• Do musical chairs activity

Conclusion

• Have them return to their original art piece and look at how it changed

Clean-up

• Clean-up
• Students must wash their brushes, put their original paintings on a rack, and cleanup their original area

Follow-up

• Have students sit in a circle with their work, and discuss what they like and don’t like about their changed art work and why
• Talk about what they liked and disliked about the experience and why.
• What did they notice about watercoulours? (what happens when you use too much water or not enough, what happens if colours mix) And What they liked and disliked about watercolours and why.
• Talk about how the paintings represent the music (lines that follow rhythm, and colours)

Evaluation and Assessment:

• Observation (checklist)
• Did they follow-directions
• Did they cooperate
• From discussion what did they learn from the activity watercoulours
• Does the artwork reflect the music (For example, connection between brushstroke and rhythm)
• Did all students participate
• Did students make the connection between art and music (designs and colours in paintings)

o Did the successfully explore the medium

Reflection:

Next Class Summary

Students will take their paintings from this class and paint over top with acrylics to create an image that reflects the music.

Resources

http://www.princetonol.com/groups/iad/lessons/elem/Stephanie-watercolor.htm