Painting to Music

Teacher Education in Art for Primary Schools - draft

- 1 - NUAE & UCSJ

Painting to music

An expressive integrated approach to storytelling,

picture drawing and decoration


- 2 - NUAE & UCSJ

1. Preparing the process and the classroom

Material: Sponges, brushes, paint, simple palettes, big table with white paper of good quality, tape,

buckets with water.

Put a piece of paper on the palette before the paint. It saves cleaning after use!

Music: The choice of music is very essential for the outcome of the process. Find a piece of music

that starts quietly and increases in volume and tempo. E.g.

Aims/ objectives

This element will Outcomes

At the end of this element the student will be

able to

Inspire the student to plan and conduct

an integrated process combining a

musical experience with movement and

painting

Challenge the student’s on classroom

arrangement and management

Select suitable music

Arrange a practical table or two with all

relevant material for the process

Plan a progression in colours according

to the music

Arrange and implement integrated

processes


- 3 - NUAE & UCSJ

2. Listen to music and set rhythmic marks

While listening to a piece of music the participants set marks with sponges on a big piece of paper.

In complete silence and concentration they move around the table setting marks according to the

instruction from the teacher. First white, then yellow, then red, then green, and then blue. The shifts

are carefully planned by the teacher. After blue the teacher can shift from sponges to brushes and all

colours perhaps finishing with black. When the music ends, you might have a session, where the

students in groups finalize the huge picture.

NB!! Painting to music can be arranged in many different ways. Experiment with different range of

colours, sizes etc. The main thing is to make the teachers able to develop, plan, implement, and

communicate new ways of arranging learning processes and teaching.

Aims/ objectives

This element will:

Outcomes

At the end of this element the students will be

able to:

Stimulate the audio, tactile and

kinaesthetic senses of the students

Stimulate the students’ awareness of

how music and rhythm creates emotions

Stimulate the student’s experience of

and reflection on the synergy between

rhythm, body movement and pictorial

marks

Stimulate a collective aesthetic process

Listen to own feelings created by the

music

Express feelings in colours, lines and

shapes by making marks according to

the music

Express an understanding of the

connection between music and body

movement

Cooperate during art processes


- 4 - NUAE & UCSJ

3. From painting to “experiencing” our picture

The students reach a common decision on how to hang up the huge picture. Spontaneous comments

to the process and the outcome of the picture is shared.

Key Questions

What did you feel during the process of moving around the table painting?

What do you think about the collective picture? Do you like is?

Do you think it is chaos? Do you think it is exciting?

Which associations come to your mind looking at the picture?

Which key-words come to your mind looking at the picture?

Key words and comments are noted on the blackboard for later differentiation.

Stimulate the fantasy and creativity as much as possible before adding a special focus

Do you find parts that refer to something? This question might lead to a discussion on different

styles!

Aims/ objectives

This element will

Outcomes


able to

Challenge the students to share different

experiences and opinions

Stimulate the students’ concentration

and ability to communicate and listen

Express their personal experiences

Listen concentrated to presentations

from other students

Reflect on the teacher as an facilitator


- 5 - NUAE & UCSJ

4. Reflections on Colours, Lines and Shapes

Aims/ objectives

This element will

Outcomes


able to

Stimulate and enlarge the language of

art within e.g. composition, space,

shapes, lines, colours, light/shadow,

contrasts, movement

Use differentiated concepts within e.g.

composition, shapes, colours and lines

Implement reading and appreciating own

and others’ pictures

The dialogue about the common picture can focus on composition,

lines, shapes and colours.

In connection to experiencing

colours focus can be lead to

reflections on the following contrasts:

light and dark contrast

warm and cold contrast

complementary contrast

quantity contrast

quality contrast

You can also set focus on

transparency

rhythm

depth

Key Questions The teacher guides the students to experience the picture

and express him-/herself:

Along which lines do your eyes wander?

This question might lead to discussion about

composition!

Do you favour special parts of the picture?

This question might lead to a discussion on colours!


- 6 - NUAE & UCSJ

5. Selection of “Figure” in a Fantasy world

The teacher creates a story – a fantasy world –, selects a theme to start a process, where each

student finally selects their piece of picture and creates a story to the picture.

Example:“Once upon a time a group of very famous ornithologists were gathered at an

international conference where each one was invited to present their best “photo” of a very seldom

bird. They were asked to present their photo together with facts about their bird: name, origin,

manners, living conditions such as food, reproduction, parental care and/or the conditions under

which it was found......”

Each student cuts a view finding frame out of a piece of A4. All holes have the same size44.

The student takes the identity of an ornithologist finding “his/her” bird. Each participant selects

his/her bird and tapes the frame on the huge picture where it is found.

The student has chosen his/her picture and sits down to “create” the story to be presented. Each

participant takes turn to present their story in front of the class. When finished the storyteller selects

the next picture to be presented and so on until all have had the chance to present.

Aims/ objectives

This element will

Outcomes


able to

Challenge the student to use their

imagination

Stimulate the student to select focus

Challenge the student to develop a story

from a chosen part of the whole painting

Stimulate oral presentation and

concentration

Select one part of the whole picture

according to the theme

Create a story related to the cut out

picture

Present the chosen picture and tell the

developed story for the class


- 7 - NUAE & UCSJ

6. Stories come alive in a Picture with a Title by an Author

Aims/ objectives

This element will

Outcomes


able to

Challenge the student to combine picture

and text

Stimulate students to experiment and

outline plan(s) for composition(s)

Stimulate students to discuss the outlines

plans and supervise each other in groups

of four

Challenge letter writing and reading VIX

Outline plan for composition

Discuss, receive and give response to

each other during artistic processes

Choose relevant typography for a strong

lay-out of picture and text

Write capital and normal letters with

different instruments

Discuss quality of different lay-outs

Then each student can cut out his/her piece and join a group of four to support the process of

creating lay-out to front-pages of individual books to be developed.

Cutting out Selecting focus Adding/removing Drafting

Working, experimenting, discussing and supporting each other in groups of four Guidelines


- 8 - NUAE & UCSJ

7. Individual Works in a common Presentation

Aims/ objectives

This element will:

Outcomes


able to

Stimulate the student to develop

different approaching to exhibiting and

presenting artworks

Arrange inspiring and educative

presentations during the aesthetic

process

Arrange exhibitions of all art works at

the end of the process

Continuous assessment Final presentation

Teacher reflections: How did I facilitate the process and quality in form and expression?


- 9 - NUAE & UCSJ

Making books

Aims/ objectives

This element will

Outcomes


able to

Stimulate the student to develop ideas to

combine art works into cross-curricular

activities

Take initiative to plan cross-curricular

processes

Arrange a process of making books

A.

Children make drawings of “My Sunday in

Hanoi”. The texts and the pictures are gathered

into a book printed professionally.....

B.

Grade 0 make drawings of “What I like very

much”. They tell the class about their picture

and their story is recorded and written by the

teacher to follow the picture. When the children

start in grade 1, this “homemade” book

becomes their very first reader.

Painting to Music

Documents

Transcript of Painting to Music