For everything God created is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, because it is consecrated by the word of God and prayer.

1 Timothy 4:4

Teaching Music with Artistic Combinations

It is so fun to create things! Music, art, dance, literature, and poetry are very expressive  ways to create things and convey emotions. There are many ways to express how one is thinking and feeling. One way to teach music is to connect it with other types of art. Listen carefully to a piece of music first, then try some of the following to express your reactions to it.

Art - How does this piece make you feel? Does it want to make you laugh or cry?  Do you feel excited or calm? Does it remind you of a story or a person that you know? Does it remind you of a place – either real or imaginary? What do you think of as you hear the piece? What do you think the composer had in mind? What colors do you ‘see’ in your mind as you hear? Paint or draw your ideas while listening to your choice of music. It could be an exact picture of what you feel, or it may be colors and shapes. Be as expressive with your art as the composer was with her / his music.

Dance (Physical Education) * – Do you feel like moving when you hear music? How? Would you move fast (allegro) or slow (adagio)? Do you want to move in a bouncy, jumping way (staccato), or a smooth, flowing (legato) movement? How can you move differently when the music is loud (forte) or soft (piano)? Does the music want you to move in circular patterns or straight lines? Do you feel stiff or relaxed? Dance around a room where you have plenty of space (and parental permission). Don’t worry, it doesn’t have to be the cha-cha or waltz, just move in a way that feels natural to what you hear.

*I like to teach and review music vocabulary through motions and actions; it gives the students a chance to feel while they hear and can be very funny!  It also gets the ‘wiggles’ out of kids before you want them to sit still to do something!  Examples:

1 - To teach tempo ,  I sing a common song like “Mary had a little lamb” at different speeds, ask them to do a motion at that speed, and request the word for that tempo. I only pick a few per lesson.

2 – I do the same with articulations; sing the song staccato, accented, slurred, or however you wish. 

3 – Try it with different dynamics – sing forte, mezzo piano, pianissimo.

4 – Sing the song in different keys.  Pitch  of the song can also be felt by standing stretched up tall for high pitches, squatted down to the ground for low pitches, or somewhere in between for others.

Lesson extension: Have fun choreographing a favorite piece. Decide the movements you want to do and how many time to do them. Will you have a repeated pattern of movements that you dance, or will each movement be completely different? Are there sections in the music that repeat (like a main theme) that you want to bring out with your movements? When you come up with a combination of steps that you like, practice then perform it for your friends and family!

Literature & Poetry (Language Arts) - Notice the ‘arts’ in Language Arts. Composers like to write music to go with stories and poetry. Sometimes the music ideas come first; sometimes the words or lyrics come first. Either way, composers try to make them fit together well. Read a story or poem that has been put to music. Listen to the music too, of course. How does the composer tell about the characters and actions? Are there different ways to express the characters and their personalities? Great examples are: Darth Vader’s Theme being played by low, powerful, minor key notes; Jaws sneaking up sloooooowwwly, then frantically attacking faster!; Somewhere Over the Rainbow where a dreamer is imagining a beautiful place; Sleigh Ride (the one by Leroy Anderson) bells for the sleigh, a trumpet for the horse whinny; anything from Fantasia (shows an enormous combination of music, art, and stories); or the bird’s theme song in Peter & the Wolf  played by a high fluttery flute.

What does the composer do at a really exciting part of a story? How about a sad part? Talk about the dynamics, tone colors, pitches, tempos, keys – major or minor, and anything else that is used. 

Operas, operettas, ballets, and musicals are some places where composers get to be creative with stories. Even movies and television shows have background music that helps to tell the story. Next time you watch one of these, listen carefully to how the sounds can match the actions. It’s really fascinating! Sometimes the music even gives you a clue as to what is going to happen!

One of my favorite composers who has a great talent at this is John Williams.  He wrote the musical scores to several movies I’m sure you have heard including: Star Wars, Jaws, Indiana Jones, Close Encounters, and Harry Potter. The timing and the way he makes scenes come alive is just amazing! To see what I mean, watch one of the movies without the sound, then with the sound. How is it different? (Someday I’ll have to write a whole unit on his music!)

Lesson extension 1: Write a poem or story about one of your favorite pieces of music – preferably a piece that has no words so you can create your own ideas instead of the composer’s. Write about whatever the piece makes you think about. Use your imagination – it can be serious or silly!

Lesson extension 2: Try it in reverse. Pick a story or poem that you like and compose music for it. What instruments or sounds do you think would sound like the characters? How could you play them to make it sound like the actions of the story? Would you sing the words of a poem gently, angrily, happily? Trying it various ways can make a completely different song! By the way, it doesn’t have to be with traditional instruments. Household items and homemade instruments work great too!

Lesson extension 3: Create a poem or story with music of your own!

The arts are a sign of your God given creativity! When you are having fun and enjoying your creations (whether they be music, art, dance, literature, or other), share them with others!

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