This month we studied Picasso's The Three Musicians. When asked what they noticed about this picture students said they liked the shapes. Some noticed the musical notes on the page. Others found it funny that circles could look like eyes. Some liked the colorful triangles. After noticing all the different shapes we could find around our classroom, we used shapes to create our own artwork.
We also used our bodies this past week to create many different shapes. We used our sense of hearing to listen to Moving with Mozart, a series of fun movement activities. After moving carefully following instructions, children were able to branch out and move anyway the music made them feel and to make the shapes we had found in the classroom with their bodies. We will repeat similar exercises throughout the year to help us understand concepts such as shape, size, high and low, fast or slow, etc. We will even use music as we explore adjectives ("Show me a heavy shape" or "Show me a sparkly shape").
You may choose to look at more artwork and listen to more music by the artists we discuss with your child at home. You can find artwork using google images or check your library. A great resource I like to use for classical music is classicsforkids.com. This site has activities and links to listen to musical selections. It is important to note that while we may discuss an artist or musician’s history, background and techniques, we do not expect children to memorize this information. We are not attempting to force children into artistic genius. Our goal is simply to expose children to great music and art and to utilize the work of the masters in teaching other important concepts.
We also used our bodies this past week to create many different shapes. We used our sense of hearing to listen to Moving with Mozart, a series of fun movement activities. After moving carefully following instructions, children were able to branch out and move anyway the music made them feel and to make the shapes we had found in the classroom with their bodies. We will repeat similar exercises throughout the year to help us understand concepts such as shape, size, high and low, fast or slow, etc. We will even use music as we explore adjectives ("Show me a heavy shape" or "Show me a sparkly shape").
You may choose to look at more artwork and listen to more music by the artists we discuss with your child at home. You can find artwork using google images or check your library. A great resource I like to use for classical music is classicsforkids.com. This site has activities and links to listen to musical selections. It is important to note that while we may discuss an artist or musician’s history, background and techniques, we do not expect children to memorize this information. We are not attempting to force children into artistic genius. Our goal is simply to expose children to great music and art and to utilize the work of the masters in teaching other important concepts.
