DESCRIPTION: Students match musical selections with works of art.

OBJECTIVES: It's objective is to show how style can emerge from different cultural or societal contexts and be seen through many art forms.

PROCEDURE: Like painting and sculpture, music is another art form in which we can distinguish different styles. Who can name some different musical styles? (For each one mentioned, ask students if they can guess how people who like that kind of music would dance or dress.) As you can see styles are influenced by lots of things and expressed in many ways.

Some artists are inspired or influenced by music and some musicians are influenced by artists. Sometimes they collaborate with each other. Some artists are musicians and vice versa. Both artists and musicians might be interested in composition, harmony, unity, balance, tension, or repetition.

I thought we could play a matching game using works of art and music, created by different artists and musicians. Your task will be to match a piece of music with the work of art that you feel best matches the style of music played. First, let's take a careful inventory of this painting (or sculpture). Examine the visual elements of the artwork by identifying the lines, shapes, colors, and textures of the work, the arrangement of the visual elements, the subject matter, and the overall mood or feeling (guide the students in this exercise). Think about how these elements form a certain "style" to the work of art.

Now that we have examined the work of art, I will play short segments of music. As you listen to the music look at the painting (or sculpture). Now that you have heard the musical segments, which one has a similar style to the work of art you have just examined? What clues in the music helped you to select it to match the work of art? Why don't the other segments go well with the artwork that we are looking art? (Repeat the above with other artworks having the students talk about why the music and art have similar or different styles.)

VARIATION: Have the students produce their own "musical interpretationof a work of art by assigning sounds to elemnts of an artwork and create a composition.

Visual elements can be associated with or suggest certain sounds. What might the color red sound like? What might be its volume, pitch, and duration? Would it change if it was bright red or dark red? Does a straight line suggest a different sound than a jagged line?

Let's look carefully at a work of art and describe its visual elements and images. I am going to pass out a variety of musical instruments so that you can interpret a work of art with sound. One at a time, sound your instruments for the group. While looking at the work of art decide which visual elements can best be interpreted or orchestrated by the musical instruments, and then match each instrument to the elements selected.

I would like one student to conduct the orchestration by pointing to each element. Now play the entire composition while I record it. Study the composition as I play it back for you.

MINNESOTA GRADUATION STANDARDS:
(1) Read, View, Listen
(2) Write and Speak
(3) Literature and the Arts
(5) Inquiry

Age level: Appropriate for grades 4 and up.
Artworks used: Use all of the galleries.
Props needed: "Match the Music" tape and tape recorder.
Related to Minneapolis Sculpture Garden: No
Notes: A good place to discuss with students how society has a strong influence on individuals and groups.


© 1998 WALKER ART CENTER