Using Music and Drama in Arts and Crafts

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Using Music
and Drama
in Arts and Crafts
Musical Art
The relationship between Art, Music and Drama
is extremely close in the primary classroom. It is
often difficult to do one activity without involving
the other. Read how to combine the three through
creative lesson planning.
➜ Picture Lyrics and Illustrating Songs
Teach a song using only pictures! For this activity,
choose a song which has lyrics that can be easily
represented by pictures and divide the song
into short sections. Then instruct different
groups what to draw. For example, if the song
is ‘Old MacDonald’ your pictures may
be the following:
After that collect the pictures and display them
randomly on the floor. Sit the students in a circle.
Listen to the song together. Play it again and stop
the music after each section. Ask students to
arrange the pictures in the same order as the
lyrics. Then stick the pictures to the wall in the
correct order and use them as visual guide for
singing along to the song. Alternatively, make
a ‘washing line display’.
Classroom management tips
When you have built up a song collection,
pupils can choose which song they’d like to sing
by pointing to the display or washing line.
Lyrics (Verse 1)
Picture Instructions
Old Macdonald had a farm (E-I-E-I-O).
Group 1: draws a farm and an old farmer.
And on that farm he had a cow (E-I-E-I-O).
Group 2: draws a cow in a field.
With a moo moo here and a moo moo there,
here a moo there a moo everywhere a moo moo.
Group 3: draws a cow making lots of noise.
Old Macdonald had a farm (E-I-E-I-O).
Group 4: draws farm and an old farmer.
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➜ Instruments and Imagination
1. Introduce your students to different
instruments of the orchestra.
Bring a collection of music (on CD) to class so
that students can listen and learn to identify
which instrument is being played. It is best to
choose music where the instrument is playing
a solo (e.g. a violin, horn, guitar, drum solo or a
concerto).
2. Ask your students to paint or make
the instruments using junk.
Ensure there is a variety of objects and material
to fire their imagination.
Suggested activity
Tell your learners to combine their instruments
and associations in a picture. For example, they
could draw a bird dreaming about playing the
flute and flying high above the clouds.
➜ Paint the Music
We naturally associate music with certain colours
and forms. This activity is similar to the previous
idea, but now we look at how music makes us
react in general rather than concentrating on
specific sounds and instruments.
3. Listen to the instruments again and play
an association game.
Students write down words, or draw pictures
they associate with the sound. Encourage
students to use their imaginations. Ideas can be
concrete or abstract. Doubtless you will have to
help them with vocabulary. With luck, they will
come up with something like this:
• the tambourine sounds like …
Christmas, parades
and surprises.
• the flute sounds like …
birds, flying, clouds
and dreaming.
shut their
en
list
eyes and
gine?
What colours do you ima
you see?
do
ms
for
or
What shapes
r mind?
What pictures form in you
1 Tell your studentots atopiece of music.
2 Play the piece again, but this
time invite students to paint a
picture using the colours and
forms they have thought about.
Encourage the use of mixed
mediums.
• the drums sound like … traffic,
the circus and hunting.
e
is finished, share th
music
3 When thewi
th the class.
paintings
to describe what
Ask your students
Has anyone else
.
they have painted
mething similar?
so
wn
in the class dra
by the results.
You’ll be surprised
For musical craft ideas visit:
http://www.dltk-kids.com/crafts/music/index.htm
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Using Music and Drama in Arts and Crafts
Dramatic Art
➜ What is this?
play the What is it?
r,
1 As a warmeden
ts sit in a circle and
game: stu
. a pencil,
pass an object around (e.g
a box, piece of paper).
2 Everyone tries to think of an
alternative use for the object and
does a mime with it to demonstrate.
For example the pencil may become
a lipstick or a chopstick. Other
students observe and say the word
in English, if they know it.
, such as
ource to work with
res
3 Choose a ns
stic bottles.
, yoghurt pots, pla
egg carto
e the same object.
Everybody must us
4 Ask your students to work in pairs
and transform the object into
something different using other
art materials. Give the students a
strict time limit to do this.
5 When they have finished their creations, put
all the pieces of art on a central display
table. Play the same What is this? game again.
Suggested activity
Students form pairs and use the two objects
they have made. Tell them to create a role play or conversation that includes their works
of art. For example, if they have made a boat
and a flower vase from a plastic bottle they
must find a connection between these two
objects and invent a situation.
A: Hello Captain! How are you today?
B: I’m fine, but my wife’s got a bad cold.
A: Oh dear, give her these flowers.
➜ Visiting the Gallery
Convert a corner of the art room into a gallery
by displaying students’ pictures, paintings and
sculptures. Tell your students they are going to
visit the gallery. In pairs, students invent a roleplay expressing their opinions about the work
on display. Guide them with the expressions
they need in the conversation.
➜ Puppet Shows
There are hundreds of ideas for making puppets
and stages.
To discover just some of them, visit:
www.makingfriends.com/puppet_making.htm
www.dltk-kids.com/type/paper_bag.htm.
Making puppets useful, however, is quite another
matter Here are some tips for you and your
students when putting on a puppet show.
• Introduce your puppet to the audience.
• Interact with and involve the audience.
Ask questions.
• Make sure the audience can see the puppet’s
face. It should be obvious which puppet
is talking.
• Make your puppet move about and use all the
space on the stage.
• The following movements are effective
(depending on what type of puppet you have
made): jumping up and down, shaking or nodding
head, chasing, running, flying, side stepping,
kissing, dancing in different ways.
• Handle the puppet slowly to make its
movements and emotions clear.
• Puppeteers should speak slowly, loudly
and clearly.
• Different puppets should have different voices
or accents.
• Remember: a puppet show must be pleasing to
the eye and make the audience laugh!
B: Thank you very much! She’ll like them.
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