Expressive Arts Blog Week 4
This week we were in the music studio working with different instruments. We were looking at graphic soundscapes. This was in order to expand our knowledge of music and to give us a series of lessons that we could do with a class that the children could understand and enjoy but being creative and exploring different sounds and medias in order to create whatever they choose.
We learnt what a graphic soundscape is and how it works. It is when a certain sound or instrument is connected with a drawn picture which in turn makes up a key. So, clapping could be illustrated with a hand. They are then displayed in a boxed table which is read from left to right but everything in the one column is played at once. This is used to try and create an atmosphere through sound. The example we did as a whole class was fire works night. So, the individual sounds we had were bangs, talking background music etc. I thought this was a really good idea to start with as there are many different noises going on at the same time in a fireworks display. Also, most of us and children in a class will have been to a fireworks display or at least heard of them from afar. So, this means that everyone can have an input into the sounds being made to make the final sequence. We then went into smaller groups and got to chose what our soundscape was going to be and make it and the graphics to go along with it then we preformed them in front of the class.
I feel that this would be a really good activity to do with a class of children that could be split into a number of lessons. Such as discussing and coming up with ideas for themes. Then exploring the different instruments and online resources to come up with the different sounds that are going to be used. Then an art lesson where they make their graphic soundscape drawing all the little images and making up a key. Then finally putting it all together and sharing it with the class. I think this would be a really effective task to do with children to get them engaged with music and to get to explore different instruments that they may never have seen or used before. It is also cross curricular as it brings in digital technology using the internet and recording tools to make up the different sounds they wouldn’t be able to make with the instruments available. It also brings in their creativity and art as they have to draw and make their graphic soundscape. And then obviously music for when they make the final product and use the instruments. One experience and outcome that could be connected with this lesson would be “Inspired by a range of stimuli and working on my own and/or with others, I can express and communicate my ideas, thoughts and feelings through musical activities. EXA 0-18a / EXA 1-18a / EXA 2-18a”.
Reference
- Education Scotland (2004) – Curriculum for Excellence; Experiences and Outcomes [Online] https://education.gov.scot/scottish-education-system/policy-for-scottish-education/policy-drivers/cfe-(building-from-the-statement-appendix-incl-btc1-5)/Experiences%20and%20outcomes [Accessed on 5th February 2019]
