music and art assignment

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Essential Question

How might visual artists use music as a tool for inspiration, and how might sound be reflected through art?

The word “synesthesia” comes from the Greek syn and aisthesis , which can be translated as “together” and “sense,” or “join” and “perception”. Both translations offer a good description of what the neurological condition of synesthesia embodies: a unity of senses that results in the experience of one sense when another is stimulated.

Many believe the groundbreaking Russian abstract painter Wassily Kandinsky was a synesthete. Kandinsky’s work explored his multi-sensory perception of color and music, which he termed a “joined perception” of sight and sound. “Kandinsky literally saw colors when he heard music, and heard music when he painted,” explains the Denver Art Museum’s Renée B. Miller, “he deployed color, line, shape, and texture to create a rhythmic visual experience that evoked an emotional response.”

While describing Kandinsky, Miller evokes several basic principles and elements of art—color, line, shape, texture, and rhythm—all of which have parallel meanings in music. Indeed, the “joined perception” of synesthesia has empowered not only artists such as Kandinsky and Van Gogh, but also musicians including Franz Liszt, Duke Ellington, Pharrell Williams, Lady Gaga.

In this lesson, students explore the principles of synesthesia through drawing to music. By viewing and analyzing artwork based on multi sensory perception, students will become aware of the role of the senses in art, and how sensory stimulation—such as listening to music—can be used as a tool for inspiration. Guided by a handout outlining the basic elements and principles of art, students will engage in active discussions about how sensory perceptions can be interpreted through color, line, and form. They will then apply these reflections on their own artistic work.

Upon completion of this lesson, students will:

• What synesthesia means in the context of art
• How to use the senses as a tool for inspiration
• Basic elements and principles of art
• About the artist Wassily Kandinsky
• Students will be able to demonstrate the role of the senses in visual art and synesthetic principles through drawing to music, and critical analysis of the works of Wassily Kandinsky.

M.K. Čiurlionis

Live kinetic painting to “the sea” (jura), composition vii, synesthesia definition, motivational activity:.

• Distribute Handout 1 – Elements and Principles of Art , and go over the terms as a class.

• What might “modality” mean in this definition?
• How would you describe this definition using your own words?
• What do you think this might mean? 
• Who might use synesthetic principles in their work? ( Encourage students to consider how a painter might translate sound to color, a musician might hear sound when she sees color, or how a chef might correlate smell with color, etc. )
• Are you aware of any artists in any fields that are synesthetes?
• Show students Video 1, “Live Kinetic painting to “The Sea” (Jura), by M.K. Čiurlionis, by Norman Perryman.”   Before starting the video, ask students to focus on how the music and art interrelate in the clip.
• In what ways do you think Perryman’s painting might reflect elements of the music that is playing? (Encourage students to consider the rhythm with which Perryman paints, as well as his approach to color, stroke, texture or anything else they notice.)
• In what ways might some elements of music and visual art share properties? Do you see any terms on Handout 1 that have applications in music as well?
• Do you think there is a “right” way to paint to music? How might you approach a painting if you were in Perryman’s position?
• Distribute 10 Post-it notes and a set of markers to each student. Instruct students to number their Post-its 1-10 on the back, so they can remember which drawing was made in response to which song.
• Encourage students to “feel” each song quickly and with minimal thought, and use  color, line and rhythm to draw what comes to mind while listening. Then play Song 1.
• At the conclusion of Song 1, have students stick their drawings on an empty wall/board in one long horizontal row, remembering where their drawing is so they can build a vertical column of Post-its 1-10.
• Repeat this procedure for songs 2 through 10. When complete, there should be 10 rows, one for each song, and as many columns as there are students. (Note: you may wish to include a note with a song or genre title for each row.)
• Do you see any patterns between your drawings and those of others?
• Do you see any patterns in various students’ approaches to visualizing sounds? How might these patterns relate to the music genres that they represent?
• In what ways do various people’s interpretations differ? Why do you think this might be? What might make two artists respond to sound so differently? (Encourage students to consider how background knowledge of a type of music or technical artistic ability may have influenced visual responses.)
• In what ways do you “see” rhythm? How do you think rhythm may have affected various artists’ choices of lines and form?
• In what ways might you “see” the tone you hear in music? How might tone affect our choice of color?

• What do you think Kandinsky might mean when he suggests that some painters find, “no satisfaction in mere representation”? What does he seem to believe music does offer in this sense? (Encourage students to consider the necessarily abstract nature of music–it’s not a picture of anything, just sounds that we hear and create our visions from.)
• How do you think Kandinsky’s Composition VII might reflect some of his notions about the abstract in painting? How might it suggest rhythm?
• What do you think Kandinsky might mean regarding the way each piece expresses “duration of time?” How do music and visual art differ here?
• Why do you think that Kandinsky suggests that color “cannot stand alone”?
• What do you think Kandinsky might mean when he suggests color and form have a “spiritual value”?
• In what ways might the color and form of art function like “harmony” in music? (Encourage students to consider the interaction of color and form much like the interaction of various notes through which we hear “harmony” in music.)

Summary Activity:

• Did you find it challenging to translate what you heard into color and line/form? Why or why not?
• How might your sense of a particular song’s emotional quality have impacted your color choices in relation to specific genres?
• How do you think rhythm and tone impacted your choices of line and form in relation to specific genres?
• Do you notice any trends or patterns within the class’s drawings? What are they and why do you think they occurred?
• How might you continue to use synesthetic principles in your own work?

Extension Activity:

• Practice drawing to music at home. Choose an instrumental song that inspires you, and draw what comes to mind. Explore which colors and lines/forms you can associate with the song, and develop this into a color scheme and style to use for a future work of art or design.
• Choose another one of the senses to explore visually, either touch, smell or taste. Again try to reflect on the colors and lines/forms these sensations evoke. A visual analysis of sensory elements can be a great starting point for a brand design. You could, for example, design a new packaging for your favorite perfume, starting from an analysis of the colors and lines/forms the smell of the perfume evokes.
• Conduct a full sensory analysis of your favorite snack food, reflecting on smell, touch (texture), taste, sight, and sound, and try to associate these sensations with colors and line/form to develop a color scheme and style for a new packaging design.

Handout 1 – Elements and Principles of Art Handout 2 – Kandinsky: The Visual Musician

National Core Arts Standards

• Anchor Standard #1-Generate and conceptualize artistic ideas and work.
• Anchor Standard #2-Organize and develop artistic ideas and work.
• Anchor Standard #3- Refine and complete artistic work.
• Anchor Standard #4-Analyze, interpret, and select artistic work for presentation.
• Anchor Standard #5-Develop and refine artistic work for presentation.
• Anchor Standard #7-Perceive and analyze artist work.
• Anchor Standard #8-Interpret intent and meaning in work.
• Anchor Standard #9-Apply criteria to evaluate work.
• Anchor Standard #10-Synthesize and relate knowledge and personal experiences to make art.
• Anchor Standard #11-Relate artistic ideas and works with societal, cultural and historical context to deepen understanding.

Career Technical Education Standards (California Model) – Arts, Media and Entertainment Pathway Standards

Design, Visual and Media Arts (A)

• A1.0 Demonstrate ability to reorganize and integrate visual art elements across digital media and design applications. A1.1 View and respond to a variety of industry-related artistic products integrating industry appropriate vocabulary. A1.2 Identify and use the principles of design to discuss, analyze, and create projects and products across multiple industry applications. A1.3 Describe the use of the elements of art to express mood in digital or traditional art work found in the commercial environment. A1.4 Select industry-specific works and analyze the intent of the work and the appropriate use of media. A1.5 Research and analyze the work of an artist or designer and how the artist’s distinctive style contributes to their industry production. A1.6 Compare and analyze art work done using electronic media with those done with materials traditionally used in the visual arts. A1.7 Analyze and discuss complex ideas, such as distortion, color theory, arbitrary color, scale, expressive content, and real versus virtual in works of art. A1.9 Analyze the material used by a given artist and describe how its use influences the meaning of the work. ia, and Entertainment | A2.0 Apply artistic skills and processes to solve a variety of industry-relevant problems in a variety of traditional and electronic media. A2.1 Demonstrate skill in the manipulation of digital imagery (either still or video) in an industry-relevant application. A2.2 Demonstrate personal style and advanced proficiency in communicating an idea, theme, or emotion in an industry-relevant artistic product. A2.3 Apply refined observation and drawing skills to solve an industry-relevant problem. A2.4 Use visual metaphors in creating an artistic product. A2.8 Plan and create artistic products that reflect complex ideas, such as distortion, color theory, arbitrary color, scale, expressive content, and real versus virtual. A2.9 Create a multimedia work of art that demonstrates knowledge of media and technology skills. A3.0 Analyze and assess the impact of history and culture on the development of professional arts and media products. A3.1 Identify and describe the role and influence of new technologies on contemporary arts industry. A3.2 Describe how the issues of time, place, and cultural influence and are reflected in a variety of artistic products. A3.3 Identify contemporary styles and discuss the diverse social, economic, and political developments reflected in art work in an industry setting. A3.4 Identify art in international industry and discuss ways in which the work reflects cultural perspective. A3.5 Analyze similarities and differences of purpose in art created in culturally diverse industry applications. A4.0 Analyze, assess, and identify effectiveness of artistic products based on elements of art, the principles of design, and professional industry standards. A4.2 Deconstruct how beliefs, cultural traditions, and current social, economic, and political contexts influence commercial media (traditional and electronic). A4.3 Analyze the aesthetic value of a specific commercial work of art and defend that analysis from an industry perspective. A4.4 Analyze the relationship between the artist, artistic product and audience in both an existing and self-generated project. A4.5 Analyze and articulate how society influences the interpretation and effectiveness of an artistic product. A5.0 Identify essential industry competencies, explore commercial applications and develop a career specific personal plan. A5.2 Explore the role of art and design across various industry sectors and content areas. A5.3 Deconstruct works of art, identifying psychological content found in the symbols and images and their relationship to industry and society. A5.4 Predict how changes in technology might change the role and function of the visual arts in the workplace. A5.7 Synthesize traditional art work and new technologies to design an artistic product to be used by a specific industry.

Performing Arts (B)

• B2.0 Read, listen to, deconstruct, and analyze peer and professional music using the elements and terminology of music. B2.2 Describe how the elements of music are used. B2.5 Analyze and describe significant musical events perceived and remembered in a given industry generated example. B2.6 Analyze and describe the use of musical elements in a given professional work that makes it unique, interesting, and expressive. B2.7 Demonstrate the different uses of form, both past and present, in a varied repertoire of music in commercial settings from diverse genres, styles, and professional applications. B8.0 Deconstruct the aesthetic values that drive professional performance and the artistic elements necessary for industry production. B8.1 Critique discipline-specific professional works using the language and terminology specific to the discipline. B8.2 Use selected criteria to compare, contrast, and assess various professional performance forms. B8.4 Use complex evaluation criteria and terminology to compare and contrast a variety of genres of professional performance products.

Production and Managerial Arts (C)

• C6.0 Understand the key elements of developing and promoting a production from creation to distribution. C6.4 Create a promotional example using electronic media.
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Musical Art

Categories *Grades 3-5 , *Grades 6-8 , *K-2 , Drawing

Home » Art Lessons » Drawing » Musical Art

By drawing or painting to music, students will learn to identify the similarities between music and art.

By Geoff Thompson [Geoff is a teacher from Whitby, Ontario, Canada.]

What You Need:

• Various music accompaniments (i.e. classical, pop, country, rock)
• Pencil crayons

What You Do:

This is an excellent abstract shape, and color balancing exercise.

• Students place the tip of their pencil in the middle of the paper and close their eyes.
• With their eyes closed, the teacher begins playing a song on the CD player.
• Students then begin moving their pencils in movements on the page that mimic the instruments or rhythms of the music pieces. (i.e. a drum solo might be penciled as a jagged heart rate monitor-like line)
• The teacher alters the music from style to style while the students keep their eyes shut.
• Eventually (when most of the page is covered in lines) the students are told to open their eyes and to trace (darkly) all the penciled lines with a black pencil crayon.
• Finally, students are instructed to color each individual shape (that has been created by the penciled lines) in such a way that none of the same colors are touching each other.

NOTE: Usually students enjoy this activity VERY much. They enjoy trying the music-eyes-closed-thing a lot. I suggest doing this a couple of practice times before drawing the final piece.

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Music and Visual Art: How Great Songwriting Holds the Keys to Understanding Art

• February 26, 2024

Last Updated on April 8, 2024

Table of Contents

What is the relationship between music and visual arts.

The intricate dance between music and visual art is a fascinating exploration of how different creative realms intersect, enrich, and inform one another. At the heart of both disciplines lies the fundamental pursuit of expression, communication, and connection with the audience, whether through the auditory journey of music or the visual narrative of art. This article aims to delve into the symbiotic relationship between these two forms of artistic expression, drawing on personal inspiration from music to understand its profound impact on visual creativity.

For me, music has always been a wellspring of inspiration. It influences my creative process and artistic output, imbuing my work with a rhythm and mood that might not have been discovered through visual exploration alone. This article reveals the reasons behind the resonance of music within my visual art practice, highlighting the universal language of creativity that transcends the boundaries of individual artistic disciplines. Through this exploration, we uncover not only the theoretical connections between music and visual arts but also the practical implications of this relationship in fostering a deeper understanding and appreciation of art in all its forms.

Music and visual arts, though distinct in medium, share core elements that serve as the building blocks of creation—Harmony (Composition), Rhythm (Patterns), Melody (Mood), Lyric (Narrative) and Structure (Presentation). Each of these elements plays a crucial role in the development of a piece, whether it’s a song that moves the soul or a painting that captures the heart. The parallels between music and visual art composition are not merely coincidental but are deeply rooted in the shared human experience of interpreting and expressing emotions, stories, and concepts through art.

Drawing from modern and contemporary art, this article will showcase how these parallels manifest in tangible forms. Artists like Mark Rothko, Jean-Michel Basquiat, and others have masterfully illustrated the relationship between music’s composition elements and visual storytelling. Their works serve as a testament to the intertwined paths of visual and musical artistry, echoing the sentiment that visual artists, much like musicians, compose their pieces with an intricate balance of harmony, rhythm, and narrative to evoke emotion and provoke thought.

Songwriting and Interdisciplinary Creativity

There are many crossovers in approach and shared creative processes within creative fields. Artists, seeking new and unique sources of inspiration can find insights into their own practice through interdisciplinary creativity research . From the origins of a concept, development of an action plan, implementation of a method, and finishing of a work, the visual arts, in particular, have much to learn from their musical counterpart.

In my article, Inside the Creative Mind , we explored how variety can help fuel creativity by providing a wider network of cognitive associations to produce more novel outcomes. This often results in the characteristic of creative individuals naturally being drawn to a range of subjects and themes outside of their own specialty.

Masterclass.com lists 5 Steps to Simple Songwriting . According to the article, the fundamentals of Songwriting are broken into 5 elements: Harmony, Rhythm, Melody, Lyric, and Structure. Let’s break each one down as it relates to the artistic process in the Visual Arts. If we take each step and apply it to the production of visual arts, we can explore in what ways can music be shown visually in visual arts and hopefully find some interesting takeaways for your own creative practice and understanding.

1. Harmony as Composition

Harmony in music refers to the chords that support the melody, creating depth and richness. In visual arts, harmony is seen in how colors, shapes, and elements are combined. This visual harmony creates a cohesive experience, where each component works together to enhance the overall impact, much like a chord progression complements a song’s melody.

Delving deeper into the principles of composition and balance can enrich this parallel further. Composition in visual arts involves the arrangement of visual elements in a way that is aesthetically pleasing and effectively communicates the intended message or emotion. Balance, a key principle of composition, ensures that no single element overpowers others, but rather all elements contribute to a unified whole.

Harmony in visual arts also includes the interplay of texture, form, and space. Texture adds depth and tactile quality, influencing how elements interact visually and emotionally with the viewer. Form, shape, and structure of objects within the artwork contribute to the overall harmony by guiding the viewer’s eye and creating a sense of movement or stability.

Space, both positive (the subject) and negative (the background), plays a crucial role in creating a balanced composition, allowing the elements to breathe and interact harmoniously. By considering these aspects, artists can create artworks where colors, shapes, textures, forms, and the distribution of space work in concert, much like a well-orchestrated musical composition.

The Harmony of Starry Night

One exemplary artwork that illustrates the parallel of harmony as composition is “The Starry Night” by Vincent van Gogh. This iconic painting, completed in 1889, masterfully demonstrates how harmony in visual composition can evoke deep emotional responses, akin to the way harmony in music enriches a melody.

In “The Starry Night,” van Gogh employs a vibrant palette of blues and yellows to create a dynamic and emotional effect. The swirling, expressive sky filled with stars that seem to pulsate with energy and light contrasts with the quiet, orderly village below. This contrast between the tumultuous sky and the serene village exemplifies harmony in composition; disparate elements coexist and complement each other, enhancing the overall impact of the artwork.

The use of color in “The Starry Night” is particularly noteworthy. The cool blues and greens of the night sky are harmonized with the warm yellows and whites of the stars and moon, creating a visual experience that is both vibrant and cohesive. This color harmony supports the emotional tone of the piece, conveying a sense of awe and mystery.

Furthermore, the painting’s composition—the way elements are arranged and interact—demonstrates balance and unity. The curving lines of the sky guide the viewer’s eye around the canvas, while the structured layout of the village provides a grounding counterpoint. This balance of movement and stability is a visual representation of harmony, similar to how chord progressions in music provide a foundation for a melody.

“The Starry Night” also exemplifies how texture and brushwork contribute to harmony. Van Gogh’s thick, impasto brushstrokes add depth and intensity to the painting, creating a tactile quality that invites the viewer to experience the emotional and physical landscape of the artwork.

2. Rhythm as Visual Patterns

Rhythm in music is defined by patterns and beats, providing structure and progression. In the visual realm, rhythm translates to the repetition and arrangement of elements that create movement within the artwork. This visual rhythm guides the viewer’s eye, offering a dynamic experience akin to the temporal flow of music.

Expanding on this, the concept of rhythm in visual arts can also encompass directionality and flow, which guide the viewer’s eye through the artwork in a deliberate manner. This broader interpretation of rhythm can be instrumental in creating a narrative flow or emotional journey within a static piece. For instance, the strategic arrangement of lines and shapes can lead the viewer’s gaze from one part of the artwork to another, subtly telling a story or evoking a progression of emotions as the eye moves across the canvas.

Just as the rhythm in music can build anticipation, climax, and resolution, visual rhythm can simulate these phases through compositional techniques, guiding the viewer through a visual and emotional narrative. By manipulating visual rhythm, artists have the power to influence how viewers perceive and emotionally react to an artwork, crafting experiences that resonate deeply, much like a well-composed piece of music.

The Rhythm of The Kiss

Gustav Klimt’s “The Kiss” (1907-1908) is a striking example of rhythm as visual patterns in the realm of visual arts, showcasing how repeated elements can create a sense of movement and harmony that guides the viewer’s perception and experience of the artwork.

In “The Kiss,” Klimt employs a luxurious pattern of gold leaf and intricate designs that envelop the figures and the space around them. The use of repeating geometric shapes, floral motifs, and ornamental details across the canvas establishes a visual rhythm that draws the eye across the painting. These patterns not only unify the composition but also create a dynamic interplay between the figures and the background, blending them into a single, harmonious whole.

The rhythm in “The Kiss” is further emphasized by the contrast between the highly decorated, patterned areas and the more softly painted, organic forms of the lovers’ bodies. This contrast creates a visual cadence, akin to the rhythmic interplay between strong and weak beats in a musical piece. The patterns around the figures seem to pulsate with energy, enhancing the emotional intensity of the embrace and imbuing the scene with a sense of timelessness and universality.

According to the video below, the repeated stiff black squares represent masculinity. This is juxtaposed with the softer rounded circles of the female’s clothing which represents female ovum and fertility.

Moreover, Klimt’s use of gold leaf adds a tactile dimension to the patterns, making them almost musical in their visual impact. The gold not only catches the light, creating a physical rhythm as the viewer’s perspective changes, but also elevates the painting’s narrative, suggesting the sacred or sublime nature of the love depicted.

The flowing robes and the cascade of flowers and geometric shapes across the canvas mimic the natural rhythms found in life and nature, suggesting a deeper, cosmic harmony. This visual rhythm invites viewers to explore the painting in a non-linear fashion, moving between the lovers, the patterns, and the golden aura that surrounds them, much like a melody invites a listener to move through time and emotion.

3. Melody as Mood

Melody in music serves as the emotional hook, the memorable sequence that resonates with the listener. In visual arts, the equivalent is the tone and mood conveyed through the use of color, line, and composition. Just as a melody can evoke feelings and memories, the visual tone sets the emotional atmosphere of a piece, engaging viewers on a profound level.

Taking this idea further, specific visual techniques such as color theory, contrast, and lighting play crucial roles in establishing the tone of an artwork. For instance, color theory can be used to evoke specific emotions; warm colors might convey warmth and passion, while cool colors can create a sense of calm or melancholy.

Contrast can highlight focal points and direct the viewer’s attention, creating a dynamic that can be either harmonious or intentionally jarring, depending on the desired emotional effect. Lighting, too, can dramatically alter the mood of a piece, with soft, diffused light evoking a serene, contemplative atmosphere, and harsh, directional lighting creating dramatic tension. By thoughtfully applying these techniques, artists can craft complex emotional landscapes, guiding the viewer’s emotional journey much like a melody guides the listener through a song.

The Moody Melodies of Rothko

An example that illustrates the concept of melody as mood in visual art is Mark Rothko’s No. 61 (Rust and Blue), painted in 1953. Rothko, a leading figure in the Abstract Expressionist movement, is renowned for his large-scale color field paintings , which use color, form, and scale to evoke complex emotional responses.

No. 61 (Rust and Blue) exemplifies Rothko’s approach to painting as an emotional and spiritual experience. The artwork features large, soft-edged rectangles of color that seem to float against a contrasting background.

In Mark Rothko’s No. 61, the interplay between the rich, rusty blood color and the expansive fields of cool blue and deep navy creates a compelling visual tension that deeply affects the viewer. This juxtaposition of warmth against coolness does more than merely contrast hues; it evokes a complex emotional landscape within the observer.

The warm, rusty tones seem to bear down with a weight and intensity, suggesting a sense of urgency or passion, while the cool blue and navy offer a counterpoint of depth, serenity, and vastness. This dynamic interplay mirrors the nuanced ebb and flow of a musical melody, where the tension and resolution between notes and chords stir the soul.

Rothko’s masterful use of color in No. 61 invites the viewer into a contemplative space, where the emotional resonance of color harmonies provokes a profound internal reflection, akin to the experience of being enveloped in a poignant, beautifully rendered piece of music.

In addition, the scale of the painting, often viewed at a size that fills the viewer’s field of vision, further intensifies the emotional impact. Rothko intended his large-scale works to be experienced up close, allowing the viewer to feel enveloped by the colors and the mood they evoke. This immersive experience is comparable to the way a melody can dominate the listener’s attention, creating an emotional landscape that feels both vast and intimate.

4. Lyric as Narrative

The parallel between lyric in songwriting and narrative in visual arts is a profound exploration of how stories are told and experienced across different media. In songwriting, lyrics serve as the vessel through which stories, emotions, and messages are conveyed. They guide the listener through a journey, painting mental pictures, evoking feelings, and often leaving a lasting impact long after the song has ended. These lyrics are meticulously crafted, combining the power of language with melody to engage the listener’s imagination and emotions. Each word is chosen for its ability to resonate, to convey meaning, and to fit within the musical composition, creating a cohesive and immersive narrative experience.

In visual arts, the narrative is intricately woven through subject matter, themes, and visual symbolism, offering a rich tapestry of storytelling that engages the viewer on multiple levels. Artists select subjects that resonate with their intended message, using them as the protagonists of their visual story. Themes emerge as the narrative’s backbone, addressing universal concepts, personal experiences, or societal observations that invite deeper reflection. Visual symbolism further enriches the narrative, with artists employing symbolic colors, shapes, and objects to imbue their work with layers of meaning.

This symbolic language transforms the artwork into a dialogue between the artist and the viewer, where the interpretation of symbols becomes a key to unlocking the narrative’s full depth. Whether through a detailed representation that guides the viewer to a specific understanding or an abstract composition that encourages personal interpretation, the use of subject matter, themes, and visual symbolism establishes the artwork’s narrative, shaping its creation and defining its purpose.

The Lyricism of Basquiat

Jean-Michel Basquiat, with his explosively colorful and deeply symbolic artworks, serves as a vivid illustration of how the concept of Lyric as Narrative manifests in the realm of visual art. Basquiat, an artist who emerged from the gritty New York City street art scene of the late 1970s and early 1980s, infused his paintings with layers of meaning, blending text and imagery to convey complex narratives about identity, power, and society.

Basquiat’s work is characterized by its raw energy, spontaneous brushwork, and fragmented anatomy, which together create a visual language as potent and nuanced as any set of lyrics. His canvases are populated with a recurring set of symbols and motifs—crowns, warriors, skeletal figures, and cryptic inscriptions—that serve as characters and themes in his visual storytelling. These elements are not random; they are carefully chosen for their historical and symbolic resonance, acting as Basquiat’s vocabulary in his narrative exploration.

For instance, the crown motif, which appears frequently in Basquiat’s work, can be interpreted as a symbol of both majesty and struggle, highlighting the artist’s themes of black identity and resistance. Similarly, his incorporation of words and phrases—sometimes crossed out, other times emphasized—mirrors the lyrical practice of emphasizing certain messages while questioning others. This textual element of his art introduces a direct narrative component that invites the viewer to read the canvas as one would listen to a song, searching for meaning in the lyrics.

Basquiat’s ability to combine these elements into cohesive works that communicate powerful narratives is akin to a songwriter crafting a song where the lyrics, melody, and rhythm come together to tell a story. His paintings, like songs, are open to interpretation, with the narrative depth allowing each viewer to find personal resonance within the universal themes explored.

5. Structure as Production and Presentation

The structure of a song—its verses, choruses, and bridges—determines its overall flow and impact. In visual arts, this concept can be likened to the production of an artwork. It’s about how the piece is finalized and presented, ensuring it communicates effectively with its audience. This aspect of production values the viewer’s experience, aiming for optimal engagement and appreciation.

Delving deeper, the production values in visual arts, such as medium choice, scale, and framing, play significant roles in affecting the viewer’s experience. The choice of medium, whether it be oil paint, watercolor, digital, or mixed media, sets the tone and texture of the artwork, influencing its overall mood and message. Scale adds another layer of impact; a large-scale painting can engulf the viewer, creating an immersive experience, while a smaller piece may invite closer inspection and a more intimate connection. Framing and presentation further refine the viewer’s experience, guiding their focus and enhancing the artwork’s aesthetic qualities.

Additionally, the concept of “remixing” elements, a common practice in music production, can also be applied to visual arts. Artists can take existing motifs, styles, or elements from their own work or others’ and combine them in new ways to create something fresh and innovative. This approach allows for the exploration of themes and techniques across different pieces, creating a dialogue between the new work and its source materials.

Just as remixing in music can breathe new life into a song, remixing in visual arts can challenge traditional boundaries and expectations, offering new perspectives and enriching the viewer’s experience. By considering these aspects of production, artists can ensure their work not only communicates effectively but also resonates deeply with its audience, akin to a well-structured song.

Conclusion: Riding the Wave of Music and Visual Art

In closing, this exploration into the symbiotic relationship between music and visual art unveils a profound connection that transcends the traditional boundaries separating these disciplines. Through the lens of music songwriting and artistic composition in the visual arts, we discover a shared language of creativity that speaks to the fundamental human desire for expression, communication, and connection. This article has sought to delve into how the principles of harmony, rhythm, melody, lyric, and structure resonate within both realms, highlighting the universal threads that weave together the auditory journey of music with the visual narrative of art.

The works of visionary artists like Mark Rothko and Jean-Michel Basquiat serve as testaments to the intertwined paths of musical and visual artistry, illustrating how the core elements of music composition can deeply inform and enrich the process of creating visual art. This cross-disciplinary dialogue not only broadens our understanding and appreciation of art in all its forms but also sheds light on the practical implications of this relationship in fostering a richer, more holistic approach to creative expression.

As we reflect on the insights garnered from both music and visual art, it becomes evident that the integration of these artistic disciplines offers a wellspring of inspiration. By embracing the interconnectedness of music and visual art, artists are afforded new avenues for innovation, allowing them to craft works that resonate with a deeper sense of harmony and evoke a more profound emotional response from their audience.

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About the Author

Born in Chicago, I received my B.A. in Studio Arts with a concentration in Photography from Oberlin College. In 2001, I moved to Amman, Jordan where I worked both as a contemporary artist and as a photojournalist. I exhibited my photography in numerous exhibitions throughout the Middle East and internationally.

Eventually, I became the lead photographer for a Jordanian Lifestyle Magazine and Photo Editor for two regional publications: a Fashion Magazine and a Men’s Magazine. This allowed me to gain a second editorial eye for photography, as I regularly organized, commissioned, and published photoshoots from other talented photographers in the region.

While in Jordan, I also began teaching courses and workshops on Drawing, Seeing with Perspective, and Photography. I consider my teaching style to be somewhat radical but very effective and have received much positive feedback from my students through the years, who in turn became professional artists themselves.

In 2007, I moved to Berlin, Germany where I am currently based, and while I continue to expand my own fine art photography and contemporary art practices, I gain special joy and satisfaction from sharing my experiences and knowledge with my students.

For Creative Consultation Services click here .

To see more of my personal artwork  click here.

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Integrating Across the Arts: Art and Music

3 Min Read  •  Arts Integration

Like the sweet aroma of hot apple pie on a cold winter day, I find that visual art and music blend well very together.  Music is a universal language that extends to all corners of the earth. One can become as lost in music, as one does with a good book.  It teaches us much about society, trends, and lifestyles.  Additionally, music from a different culture can bring a whole new realm of musical genius to enjoy.

Classical music is my favorite, and it is always playing quietly in the background of my classroom.  The typically soft and rhythmic sounds are soothing to the mind and body. It also helps to provide a relaxed and comfortable atmosphere for my students.

As our students mature in age, we often experience a decreased confidence level in the ability to simply produce art.  A child’s ever-increasing concern to ‘fit-in’ is the culprit in student inhibition, leading to a dislike for art.

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder

Yes, beauty is in the eye of the beholder… But, this is something that many of our students do not yet fully understand.  To help curb this self-imposed roadblock, I like to show my students how music can become a liberating key in visual self-expression.

One of my art lessons that I teach starts with two types of classical music.  I’ll chose a soft string piece. Usually something like Pachelbel’s Canon in D. Then, a louder, more aggressive piece such as Carl Orff’s, O Fortuna.  I first point out elements of music within the pieces, the parts of the piece that give it identity and uniqueness.  Afterwards, we have a discussion that leads to analyzing each musical selection.  Students quickly find that what one person sees in music is not necessarily the same as what someone else may find.  This leads to some good discussion as differences in musical preference begin to surface.  Once your students begin to digest the piece they are listening to, they really begin to understand and appreciate the music for what it is… a masterful semblance of organized notes that produce orchestrated sound to evoke emotion.

Principles of Art

After we have listened to, and analyzed the music, we turn focus to the Principles of Art.  It’s fun to see students begin to make connections in basic elements and principles of music and art… How something visual can actually creatively translate to something audible.  Rhythm, Balance, Emphasis, Harmony, Variety, Movement, and even some of the Elements of Art as well.  Depending on how high a level of abstraction I think my class can achieve, I will even begin to link Color and it’s visual qualities to that of the music we have analyzed.

Finally, after we have spent meaningful time down the paths of art and music, I have my students close their eyes and just visualize as we again listen to our music pieces.  What they are hoping to achieve in their mind is not something recognizable, but rather a compilation of imagery that works with the music itself.  We are not trying to draw anything, to paint anything, to recreate a memory, or even moment in our lives.  At this point, we are learning how to listen to the music. We are learning how to understand what we hear, and learning how this impacts us as individuals.

Art and music

When students have reached a point where they feel ready to create, they turn to their canvas, all the while listening to their piece of choice from our two selections.  They are free to use color, or simply value.  Their work can be painted, inked, penciled, whatever they chose to their liking.

The free and creative work that comes from this exercise is incredible.  Students are surprised with their own results after seeing what they are capable of doing without the constraints of typical end-result expectancy.  From the teacher perspective, it is a breath of fresh air to see students experiencing and creating art without inhibitions of what they think it should look like, due to a pre-conceived idea, or notion.

At this point, you might be thinking that all this is not possible within one class period, and you’re right.  I have often split this entire lesson into two days, sometimes three, as the analytics of both music and art in this exercise can take quite some valuable, and necessary time.  The results however are priceless.

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Music and Art: How Musicians Use Art to Enhance Their Work

• Music and Art: How Musicians…

The world of music and art has long been intertwined, with musicians often drawing inspiration from visual aesthetics to enhance their creative process and connect with their audiences on a deeper level. From album covers to stage design, music videos, and live performances, artists have found innovative ways to merge music and art, creating captivating and immersive experiences for their listeners.

In this article, we will explore the fascinating relationship between music and visual art and delve into how musicians utilize various forms of visual expression to enrich their work.

Album Artwork: The Visual Gateway to Musical Expression  

Album artwork serves as the first visual encounter between musicians and their audience. Moreover, it provides a glimpse into the sonic landscape and thematic elements of an album.

Musicians collaborate with visual artists or designers to create captivating album covers that visually represent their music and establish an emotional connection with listeners through intricate illustrations, striking photography, or abstract designs. 

Notable examples of album artwork that have left a lasting impact include Pink Floyd’s “ The Dark Side of the Moon ,” designed by Storm Thorgerson. This iconic prism design not only became synonymous with the album but also reflected its introspective and psychedelic themes. 

Another iconic album cover is The Beatles’ “ Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band “. Designed by Peter Blake, the cover featured a collage of famous personalities that captured the album’s playful and experimental nature. 

These examples demonstrate how album artwork can enhance the overall music-listening experience by transcending from being mere packaging and becoming an integral part of the artistic statement. 

Music Videos: A Marriage of Sound and Vision

Music videos offer a powerful platform for musicians to translate their sonic narratives into visual storytelling. Through the creative use of cinematography, choreography, and visual effects, musicians bring their songs to life in captivating and imaginative ways. 

Adding Depth and Emotion Through Visual Medium

This visual medium, which adds an extra layer of depth and emotion to the music, enables musicians to convey their intended message more effectively.

Leveraging Digital Technology for Visually Stunning Videos

With the advent of digital technology, musicians in modern days have greater accessibility to tools and software for creating visually stunning music videos. As evidence, software such as Adobe Premiere Pro and Final Cut Pro X are widely used for editing and manipulating footage, adding effects, and synchronizing visuals with music. These software packages offer a range of features and functionalities that empower artists to craft visually compelling narratives.

Pushing Boundaries and Inspiring Examples

Many notable musicians have pushed the boundaries of music videos, incorporating intricate narratives, choreography, and thought-provoking visuals to enhance their musical expressions. For example, Beyoncé’s “ Formation ” music video skillfully combines powerful imagery, social commentary, and choreography to create a visually striking and politically charged work of art.

On the other hand, OK Go’s music videos are renowned for their inventive use of visual illusions, complex one-take shots, and creative choreography. While Childish Gambino’s “ This Is America ” uses symbolism, striking visuals, and powerful performances to address social and political issues, sparking important conversations.

Stage Design: Transforming Music into Visual Spectacles 

Live performances are not solely about the music. In fact, great musicians go beyond by utilizing stage design to create immersive environments that not only complement but also enhance their musical performances. This often involves incorporating elaborate stage setups, captivating lighting effects, mesmerizing projections, and interactive visuals, all of which have become common features in contemporary concerts.

Elements of Stage Design

Stage design encompasses various elements, including set design, lighting design, visual projections, and interactive technologies. 

Aspiring for cohesive and immersive narratives that captivate the audience, artists collaborate with visual designers, lighting technicians, and production teams to bring their creative visions to life. 

By integrating visual art into their live performances, musicians can transport their audiences into a world that blends music and visual spectacle seamlessly.

Technological Advancements and Possibilities of Stage Design

Advancements in technology have played a significant role in shaping stage design possibilities. For instance, LED screens, intelligent lighting fixtures, and projection mapping techniques allow artists to transform stages into dynamic canvases. While projection mapping, in particular, enables artists to project visuals onto irregular surfaces, bringing static objects to life and creating illusions of movement and transformation. Interactive technologies also allow performers to engage with their visuals in real time, blurring the boundaries between the artist, the music, and the visual elements.

Stage Design Inspiring Examples

Remarkable examples of stage design are the innovative performances of artists like Björk and Daft Punk. Björk’s concerts are renowned for their immersive and otherworldly experiences, often featuring elaborate sets, stunning costumes, and intricate visual projections that synchronize with her music. 

On the other hand, Daft Punk’s iconic pyramid stage design became a symbol of their electrifying live performances, combining lights, visuals, and music to create an unforgettable spectacle. 

Pushing Boundaries and Unforgettable Experiences

Today, artists like Kanye West and Lady Gaga continue to push the boundaries of stage design, merging music, fashion, and visual art to create unforgettable live experiences.

Digital Art and Music: Exploring New Frontiers

As technology continues to advance, the intersection of music and visual art expands further into the realm of digital art and immersive experiences. Today, digital tools, 3D animation, virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), and interactive installations open new frontiers for artists to explore and create multi-sensory experiences.

Software like Blender, Unity, and Unreal Engine allows artists to create 3D animations, interactive environments, and virtual worlds. Furthermore, these tools provide musicians with the ability to craft immersive visual experiences that go beyond traditional mediums. 

Blending Music and Visual Art with 3D Animation and VR

Furthermore, with the advent of Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR), artists can now transport their audiences into immersive virtual realms, where the boundaries between music and visual art blur. In these virtual environments, attendees not only experience the music but also have the opportunity to actively engage with their surroundings by interacting with the environment, manipulating visuals, and even unleashing their creativity by crafting their own art within the virtual space.

The Power of Software: Crafting Immersive Visual Experiences

Creative musicians have embraced digital art and technology to create groundbreaking experiences. For instance, The Gorillaz, a virtual band, has merged music and animated characters, blurring the line between reality and fiction. Their concerts feature a combination of live performances, animated visuals, and storytelling, bringing their music to life in a unique and captivating way. 

The Rise of Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR)

Other artists, like Travis Scott, have leveraged VR technology to host virtual concerts, allowing fans to attend immersive shows from the comfort of their homes. 

These innovative approaches demonstrate how technology can amplify the artistic vision and create unprecedented connections between music and visual art.

The intersection of music and visual art offers endless possibilities for musicians to enhance their work and connect with audiences on a profound level. From album artwork that serves as a visual gateway to music, to music videos that bring sonic narratives to life, and stage designs that create immersive experiences, visual art plays a vital role in elevating the music listening experience. With the advancement of technology, artists can explore new realms of creativity, incorporating digital art, virtual reality, and interactive installations into their musical expressions.

Are you ready to embrace the power of music and visual arts? Let Mello Studio be your partner in creating captivating and immersive experiences that resonate with audiences worldwide. Contact us today and let’s embark on a journey of artistic collaboration and innovation.

Q: What is the relationship between music and art?

A: The relationship between music and art is a complex and intertwined one. Music and art are both forms of creative expression that can evoke emotions, tell stories, and communicate ideas. They share common elements such as rhythm, harmony, balance, contrast, and expression, which form the foundation for their creation.

Music can inspire visual art and vice versa. Visual artists often draw inspiration from music to create artworks that capture the essence, emotions, or narratives conveyed by the music. Paintings, sculptures, and installations can be influenced by the mood, tempo, or lyrics of a particular piece of music. Similarly, musicians can find inspiration in visual art, using it as a starting point to compose music that reflects the colors, textures, and emotions evoked by the artwork. The relationship between music and art allows for a cross-pollination of ideas and creative influences, resulting in unique and multidimensional artistic expressions.

Music and art often intersect in various collaborative endeavors. Musicians and visual artists frequently come together to create immersive experiences, such as music videos, stage designs, and interactive installations. These collaborations blend the auditory and visual elements, resulting in a fusion of artistic disciplines that enhance the overall impact and storytelling potential of the project. Through these collaborations, music and art merge to create powerful and memorable experiences for audiences.

Q: What are the benefits of visual and performing arts?

A: Visual and performing arts offer numerous benefits to both creators and audiences. 

For creators, engaging in visual and performing arts provides an outlet for self-expression, creativity, and emotional release. It allows artists to communicate their thoughts, feelings, and experiences through a different medium, expanding their artistic language and fostering personal growth. Visual and performing arts also offer opportunities for collaboration and interdisciplinary exploration, as artists from different disciplines come together to create innovative and captivating works.

For audiences, visual and performing arts provide avenues for cultural enrichment, emotional connection, and intellectual stimulation. Engaging with visual and performing arts can evoke strong emotions, spark introspection, and offer a fresh perspective on the world. It can also foster empathy, as audiences connect with the stories and experiences conveyed through the art. Additionally, visual and performing arts contribute to the vitality of communities, serving as a means of cultural preservation and identity.

Q: Is music a performing art or visual art?

A: Music is primarily considered a performing art. It is a form of artistic expression that is primarily experienced through the sense of hearing. Musicians create and perform music using their voices and various instruments, engaging in live or recorded performances.

However, it is important to note that music can also have visual elements associated with it, such as music videos, stage design, and album artwork. These visual components enhance the overall music experience and create a visual dimension to the artistic expression. While music itself is predominantly auditory, the integration of visual elements can expand its impact and offer a more immersive and multi-sensory experience for both performers and audiences.

Q: Why are visuals important in music?

A: Visuals play a crucial role in music by enhancing the overall listening experience and adding depth to the artistic expression. Visuals provide a visual context, atmosphere, and narrative that complement the music, creating a more immersive and engaging experience for the audience. 

Album artwork serves as a visual representation of the music, setting the tone and creating a visual identity for the artist or the album. Music videos combine music and visual storytelling, allowing artists to convey their message, emotions, and themes in a visual format. Music videos can bring the lyrics and melodies to life through visual narratives, choreography, and cinematography, creating a complete audio-visual experience.

In live performances, visuals are essential in creating a captivating and memorable show. Stage design, lighting, projections, and visual effects can transform a performance into a visual spectacle, enhancing the audience’s connection with the music. 

Moreover, visuals in music can transcend language barriers. Music is a universal language, but by adding visual elements, it becomes even more accessible and relatable to diverse audiences. Visuals have the power to evoke emotions, convey messages, and communicate ideas in a way that surpasses linguistic boundaries. This aspect is particularly evident in music videos, where the visuals can help bridge cultural gaps and connect people from different backgrounds through a shared visual and auditory experience.

Q: How visual art is inspired by music?

A: Visual art has often been inspired by music, resulting in captivating artworks that visually represent the essence and emotions of the music. Artists across various mediums, such as painting, sculpture, photography, and digital art, have drawn inspiration from the melodies, rhythms, and themes of music to create their visual masterpieces.

For instance, abstract expressionist painters like Wassily Kandinsky and Piet Mondrian were deeply influenced by music. They sought to capture the harmonies and rhythms of music through their use of color, form, and composition. Kandinsky believed that color and form could evoke emotions similar to how music does, and his paintings were often described as visual symphonies.

In the realm of photography, artists like Linda McCartney and Anton Corbijn have created iconic images of musicians that convey the energy, passion, and spirit of the music they represent. These photographs capture the essence of the musicians’ performances and become visual representations of their music.

Digital artists have also embraced the fusion of music and visuals. Through the use of technology and interactive installations, artists create immersive experiences where the music becomes a driving force behind the visual elements. These installations often respond to the music’s rhythm, creating synchronized visual patterns or projections that engage and captivate the audience.

Visual art and music share a symbiotic relationship, each inspiring and influencing the other. Visual artists find inspiration in the melodies and emotions of music, while musicians draw from the visual aesthetics and concepts to shape their sonic creations. This interplay between visual art and music enriches both disciplines, resulting in a vibrant and interconnected artistic landscape.

Author:  Ali Alawi

Ali is a writer who is passionate about creating informative content. Besides nodding to the beats of good music, he geeks out over technology and personal finance.

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Nine Teaching Ideas for Using Music to Inspire Student Writing

By Natalie Proulx

• May 10, 2018

Some of the greatest written works of our time have been inspired by music. Walt Whitman conceived of and wrote “Leaves of Grass” while listening to opera . Alice Walker, Langston Hughes, Ntozake Shange and Ralph Ellison were all moved by spirituals, jazz and blues . And Lin-Manuel Miranda’s rap musical “Hamilton” was born of his love of hip-hop . These writers understood what many educational researchers know — that music opens up pathways to creative thinking, sharpens our ability to listen and helps us weave together disparate ideas .

In this teaching resource, we suggest nine exercises to use music to inspire student writing — from creating annotated playlists and critical reviews to music-inspired poetry and personal narratives. Each idea pulls from Times reporting, Opinion pieces and multimedia on music to give students a place to start. The activities are categorized according to three genres: creative and narrative writing; informative and explanatory writing; and persuasive and argumentative writing.

How do you use music in your classroom? Let us know in the comments.

Creative and Narrative Writing

Exercise #1: Write a story or poem inspired by music.

One way you might let your students be inspired by music is to have them describe in words what they hear, a method Jean-Michel Basquiat employed in his poetry and paintings.

In “ Bowie, Bach and Bebop: How Music Powered Basquiat ,” Ekow Eshun writes:

In 1979, at 19, the artist Jean-Michel Basquiat moved into an abandoned apartment on East 12th Street in Manhattan with his girlfriend at the time, Alexis Adler. The home, a sixth-floor walk-up, was run-down and sparsely furnished. Basquiat, broke and unable to afford canvases, painted with abandon on the walls and floor, even on Ms. Adler’s clothes. The one item that remained undisturbed was Ms. Adler’s stereo, which had pride of place on a shelf scavenged from the street. “The main thing for us was having big speakers and a blasting stereo. That was the only furniture I purchased myself,” said Ms. Adler, who still lives in the apartment. When Basquiat was around, she recalled, “music was playing all the time.” On Thursday, the exhibition “Basquiat: Boom for Real” opened at the Barbican Center in London. The show focuses on the artist’s relationship to music, text, film and television. But it is jazz — the musical style that made up the bulk of Basquiat’s huge record collection — that looms largest as a source of personal inspiration to him and as a subject matter.

Invite your students to read the article and then listen to the Times-curated Spotify playlist “ The eclectic taste of Jean-Michel Basquiat ” as they view his art and read his poetry . Discuss what they notice about the musical influence in Basquiat’s work. How do the content, colors, textures and shapes in his paintings resemble the sounds they hear? How are these reflected in the words, phrases, mood and rhythm of his poems?

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Music in the Classroom: 13 Ways to Use Songs in ELA

“After silence, that which comes nearest to expressing the inexpressible is music” (Aldous Huxley). Think about the last time you felt truly inspired. Was music a part of the experience? Music has a way of bringing dull moments to life, putting words to the indescribable, and healing troublesome situations. Considering all of the mental and physical health benefits of music, it only makes sense to use it while teaching. But how? In this post, you’ll find eleven meaningful ways to use music in the classroom.

1. BELL RINGERS

Use music as a bell ringer. Pose a question on the board that relates the song to whatever skill students are currently learning. Songs make for engaging mentor texts. Try “Fly” by Nicki Minaj for parallelism or “Jolene” by Dolly Parton for repetition, figurative language, or characterization.

We often use timers in the classroom. When students have a few minutes to respond, when you’re transitioning between activities, or when students are cleaning up after an activity, use music! Add some spice to your timers and help students finish tasks on time with songs for a change of pace. A simple way to manage this is to ask students for their favorite *clean song at the beginning of the year. Then, create a playlist ( YouTube and Spotify are simple options ) so that you can quickly pull it up and select a different tune each time.

3. BRAIN BREAK

Research shows students need brain breaks. Intentionally insert dance breaks or yoga stretches into your lesson plans! You don’t have to play the entire song…just enough to lighten the mood and relieve some stress. Show students how to stretch their forearms and their necks as they relax their minds.

4. FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE

Using music in the classroom is the perfect avenue to reinforce figurative language. Show students the difference between figurative and literal, and help them see how a text’s impact would be lessened without it. “Stereo Hearts” by Gym Class Heroes is excellent for metaphors, “Love Song” by Taylor  Swift for allusion, and “Grenade” by Bruno Mars for hyperbole.

Mix grammar reinforcement into whole-class reviews, small group interventions, or station activities after direct instruction. Playing songs like “Call Me Maybe” by Carly Rae Jepsen can help students to analyze a variety comma rules in an authentic text. Listening to music is just one more way we can give students an opportunity to hear fluent language, which ultimately builds their reading and writing fluency skills.

6. STORY ELEMENTS

When reading literature, we can allow students to analyze how songs relate to the setting, conflicts, character, and theme of the text. Doing so helps them to dig deeper into the story and make connections. How does Alanis Morisette’s “Ironic” echo how Mathilde feels at the end of “The Necklace” or Della and Jim at the end of “The Gift of the Magi”? Or, what is the connection between the themes of Ray Bradbury’s “The Veldt” and St. Vincent’s “Digital Witness” ?

7. NARRATIVES

Find songs that have narrative structures, and use them as mentor texts to review story elements before reading or writing fictional works. This behind the scenes look at Disney highlights some of the ways popular songs are intentionally created to impact narrative elements.

8. VOCABULARY

Music in the classroom is fun when paired with vocabulary. Play a clip from a song, and ask students to write a short paragraph or talk with a small group to explain how some of their vocabulary words relate to the lyrics. For instance, while playing “Popular” by Ariana Grande, students might write about words like  introspection, insights , epiphany , or  renegade.  Find a song your students would enjoy, and let them think outside the box to make connections.

Use music in the classroom to teach poetic elements. After all, it IS poetry! How does the song writer use rhythm, rhyme, and figurative language to enhance the listening experience? Make studying poetry relevant and engaging while asking students to think analytically. Doing so can ease the transition into complex texts. Grab this free handout for any song to get started.

10. MOOD AND TONE

Raise the level of thinking in the room by using songs to teach the concepts of mood and tone. Finding analogies for complex concepts helps to make abstract terms more concrete. Students often get confused with tone and mood. Trying to find ways to help them, I reflected on what has helped me to internalize these concepts. I think of them in terms of music…a sound amplifier. Mood is how I feel while listening, but tone is the author’s voice in the work. I use an equalizer to help students see how the mood and tone fluctuate throughout a song, poem, or other fictional text using this visually appealing activity .

11. MNEMONICS

After visiting the Ron Clark Academy in 2008, I was so encouraged by how teachers use music in the classroom to enhance memory. One of the biggest takeaways I had was finding ways to put ELA concepts to music. On the plane ride home, I spent time finding popular songs and experimenting with replacing the lyrics with words that would help students remember what we were learning.

But, a more effective way to do this is to have students do the work! After modeling an example, put them in small groups or pairs and give them the chorus to a popular song. ( They can also pick one themselves if they can do it quickly. ) Then, ask them to change the lyrics (but try to keep the same number of syllables to match the music) to words that will help them remember the topic.

12. REFLECTION

Engage students in a meaningful reflection on their year by combining writing, grammar, and music. Students tend to get a little stir-crazy at the end of a semester or year. However, we still want them to be focused and honing their writing skills. One solution I’ve found is to ask them to create a playlist to reflect on a period of time (i.e. – a year, a semester). You can read about the lesson I use in this post , or just grab the activity here!

13. TECHNOLOGY

This year, I’ve been using Garage Band to help students create short pieces to dig deep into thinking. Can students use Live Loops to create a song that echoes the way a character feels? the mood or tone of a text? the plot twists and turns in a narrative? the personality of a character or relationship between two characters? If you don’t have access to Garage Band, there are other apps and online programs you could use instead. Do a quick Google search for free music creation apps, or ask your students for suggestions.

Songs make for high-interest mentor texts that you can use to practice almost any language arts concept or skill. Using music in the classroom is a simple way to engage students, make learning relevant, enhance classroom culture, and raise the energy level in the room. So, try sprinkling it into your lessons!

11 MEANINGFUL WAYS TO USE THE ARTS IN ELA

11 ways to use color in ela class, 10 engaging lessons for ela.

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Browse Course Material

Course info.

• Dr. Florian Hollerweger

Departments

• Music and Theater Arts

As Taught In

• Signal Processing
• Game Design
• Theatrical Design
• Film and Video

Learning Resource Types

Music and technology: sound design, readings and assignments.

This page lists the reading, homework and final project assignments for the course. Sample student work is included for some assignments and the final project.

Reading assignments detailed in the table below are drawn from the following sources.

Required Textbook

• Note: We will make extensive use of Andy Farnell’s Pd examples, which accompany the Designing Sound book and can be downloaded from the MIT Press website. Many of these Pd examples are referenced and linked within the course lecture notes; please see the Lecture Notes page for detailed download and installation instructions.

Chapters 1 and 9–14, which provide a practical introduction to Pd, are also available from the author’s website: Excerpt from Designing Sound (PDF) . Please note that the chapter numbers in this Excerpt version differ from those in the MIT Press textbook, and that the latter will be used for all references in the reading assignments schedule and any other course materials.

Additional Required Readings

Anderson, Chris, et al. Film Sound Cliches: Film Sound Stereotypes and Common Logic Flaws .

Crawford, Chris. “The Computer as a Game Technology.” Chapter 4 in The Art of Computer Game Design: Reflections Of a Master Game Designer (PDF) . Osborne / McGraw-Hill, 1984, pp. 35–44. ISBN: 9780881341171. (Electronic edition of a text originally published in 1982.)

Ament, Vanessa Theme. “What We Use for . . . Performing the Props.” Chapter 8 in The Foley Grail: The Art of Performing Sound for Film, Games, and Animation . 1st ed. Focal Press, 2009, pp. 89–101. ISBN: 9780240811253. [Preview with Google Books ]

Mars, Roman. “ 99% Invisible—Episode 15: The Sound of the Artificial World .” Podcast, 2011. 4'54".

Westerkamp, Hildegard. “Soundwalking.” In Autumn Leaves. Sound and the Environment in Artistic Practice . Edited by Angus Carlyle. Double Entendre, 2007, pp. 49–54. ISBN: 9780954807436. (Also available in a slightly different online version from eContact!, an online journal for electroacoustic practices.)

Written Responses to Reading Assignments

A short written response assignment accompanies each reading assignment, as listed in the table below. Your responses need not be very extensive (a short paragraph is enough), but it should demonstrate that you have actually read the material. Try to be concise and pay attention to form, grammar, spelling, etc. To support a good discussion, I plan to make your written responses to all readings viewable for all students in this class. (If that thought troubles you, please let me know before you submit your first response.)

Assignments Key

ED = Recording and Editing Assignment

EX = Sound Design Exercise

FP = Final Project

PD = Pure Data (Pd) Assignment

RD = Reading Assignment with brief written response

WR = Written Assignment

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• Introduction

Early Indian and Chinese conceptions

Ancient greek ideas, music in christianity, 17th- and 18th-century western conceptions.

• The concept of dynamism
• Referentialists and nonreferentialists
• Intuition and intellect
• Symbolist contributions
• Contextualist theories
• Information theory
• Considerations related to performance practice
• Music and worldview
• Tonality and meaning

• Who was Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart?
• How old was Mozart when he began playing music?
• What are Mozart’s most famous compositions?
• What did Mozart contribute to Western music?
• What is Ludwig van Beethoven known for?

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• The Canadian Encyclopedia - Music History
• The Metropolitan Museum of Art - Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History - Music in the Renaissance
• Milne Library - Music and the Child - Music: Fundamentals and Educational Roots in the U.S.
• University of Florida Pressbooks - Music and Health (Development Version) - Physics of Sound
• Frontiers - How Music and Instruments Began: A Brief Overview of the Origin and Entire Development of Music, from Its Earliest Stages
• Library of Congress - The Moldenhauer Archives - The Rosaleen Moldenhauer Memorial - Music History from Primary Sources
• Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy - The Philosophy of Music
• PBS LearningMedia - What Is Music? | Music Arts Toolkit
• music - Children's Encyclopedia (Ages 8-11)
• music - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up)
• Table Of Contents

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music , art concerned with combining vocal or instrumental sounds for beauty of form or emotional expression, usually according to cultural standards of rhythm , melody , and, in most Western music, harmony . Both the simple folk song and the complex electronic composition belong to the same activity, music. Both are humanly engineered; both are conceptual and auditory, and these factors have been present in music of all styles and in all periods of history, throughout the world.

Music is an art that, in one guise or another, permeates every human society. Modern music is heard in a bewildering profusion of styles, many of them contemporary, others engendered in past eras. Music is a protean art; it lends itself easily to alliances with words, as in song , and with physical movement, as in dance . Throughout history, music has been an important adjunct to ritual and drama and has been credited with the capacity to reflect and influence human emotion . Popular culture has consistently exploited these possibilities, most conspicuously today by means of radio , film , television , musical theatre , and the Internet . The implications of the uses of music in psychotherapy , geriatrics , and advertising testify to a faith in its power to affect human behaviour . Publications and recordings have effectively internationalized music in its most significant, as well as its most trivial, manifestations . Beyond all this, the teaching of music in primary and secondary schools has now attained virtually worldwide acceptance.

But the prevalence of music is nothing new, and its human importance has often been acknowledged. What seems curious is that, despite the universality of the art, no one until recent times has argued for its necessity. The ancient Greek philosopher Democritus explicitly denied any fundamental need for music: “For it was not necessity that separated it off, but it arose from the existing superfluity.” The view that music and the other arts are mere graces is still widespread, although the growth of psychological understanding of play and other symbolic activities has begun to weaken this tenacious belief.

Music is treated in a number of articles. For the history of music in different regions, see African music ; Oceanic music and dance ; Western music ; Central Asian arts: Music ; Chinese music ; Japanese music ; Korean music ; Islamic arts ; Native American music ; South Asian arts: Music ; and Southeast Asian arts: Music . See also folk music . Aspects of music are treated in counterpoint , harmony , instrumentation , mode , music criticism , music composition , music performance , music recording , musical sound , music notation , rhythm , scale , and tuning and temperament . See also such articles as blues , chamber music , choral music , concerto , electronic music , fugue , jazz , opera , rhythm and blues , rock , symphony , sonata , theatre music , and vocal music . Musical instruments are treated in electronic instrument , keyboard instrument , percussion instrument , stringed instrument , and wind instrument , as well as in separate articles on individual instruments, such as clarinet , drum , guitar , kayagŭm , piano , tabla , and theremin .

Historical conceptions

Music is everywhere to be heard. But what is music? Commentators have spoken of “the relationship of music to the human senses and intellect,” thus affirming a world of human discourse as the necessary setting for the art. A definition of music itself will take longer. As Aristotle said, “It is not easy to determine the nature of music or why anyone should have a knowledge of it.”

Early in the 20th century, it was regarded as a commonplace that a musical tone was characterized by the regularity of its vibrations; this uniformity gave it a fixed pitch and distinguished its sounds from “noise.” Although that view may have been supported by traditional music, by the latter half of the 20th century it was recognized as an unacceptable yardstick. Indeed, “noise” itself and silence became elements in composition , and random sounds were used (without prior knowledge of what they would be) by composers, such as the American John Cage , and others in works having aleatory (chance) or impromptu features. Tone , moreover, is only one component in music, others being rhythm , timbre (tone colour), and texture . Electronic machinery enabled some composers to create works in which the traditional role of the interpreter is abolished and to record, directly on tape or into a digital file, sounds that were formerly beyond human ability to produce, if not to imagine.

From historical accounts it is clear that the power to move people has always been attributed to music; its ecstatic possibilities have been recognized in all cultures and have usually been admitted in practice under particular conditions, sometimes stringent ones. In India, music has been put into the service of religion from earliest times; Vedic hymns stand at the beginning of the record. As the art developed over many centuries into a music of profound melodic and rhythmic intricacy, the discipline of a religious text or the guideline of a story determined the structure. In the 21st century the narrator remains central to the performance of much Indian traditional music, and the virtuosity of a skillful singer rivals that of the instrumentalists. There is very little concept of vocal or instrumental idiom in the Western sense. The vertical dimension of chord structure—that is, the effects created by sounding tones simultaneously—is not a part of South Asian classical music; the divisions of an octave (intervals) are more numerous than in Western music, and the melodic complexity of the music goes far beyond that of its Western counterpart. Moreover, an element of improvisation is retained that is vital to the success of a performance. The spontaneous imitation carried on between an instrumentalist and narrator, against the insistent rhythmic subtleties of the drums, can be a source of the greatest excitement, which in large measure is because of the faithful adherence to the rigid rules that govern the rendition of ragas —the ancient melodic patterns of Indian music.

Chinese music , like the music of India, has traditionally been an adjunct to ceremony or narrative. Confucius (551–479 bce ) assigned an important place to music in the service of a well-ordered moral universe. He saw music and government as reflecting one another and believed that only the superior man who can understand music is equipped to govern. Music, he thought, reveals character through the six emotions that it can portray: sorrow, satisfaction, joy, anger, piety, love. According to Confucius, great music is in harmony with the universe, restoring order to the physical world through that harmony. Music, as a true mirror of character, makes pretense or deception impossible.

Although music was important in the life of ancient Greece, it is not now known how that music actually sounded. Only a few notated fragments have survived, and no key exists for restoring even these. The Greeks were given to theoretical speculation about music; they had a system of notation, and they “practiced music,” as Socrates himself, in a vision, had been enjoined to do. But the Greek term from which the word music is derived was a generic one, referring to any art or science practiced under the aegis of the Muses . Music, therefore, as distinct from gymnastics , was all-encompassing. (Much speculation, however, was clearly directed toward that more-restricted meaning with which we are familiar.) Music was virtually a department of mathematics for the philosopher Pythagoras ( c. 550 bce ), who was the first musical numerologist and who laid the foundations for acoustics . In acoustics, the Greeks discovered the correspondence between the pitch of a note and the length of a string. But they did not progress to a calculation of pitch on the basis of vibrations , though an attempt was made to connect sounds with underlying motions.

Plato (428–348/347 bce ), like Confucius, looked on music as a department of ethics . And like Confucius he was anxious to regulate the use of particular modes (i.e., arrangements of notes, like scales) because of their supposed effects on people. Plato was a stern musical disciplinarian; he saw a correspondence between the character of a person and the music that represented him or her. Straightforward simplicity was best. In the Laws , Plato declared that rhythmic and melodic complexities were to be avoided because they led to depression and disorder. Music echoes divine harmony; rhythm and melody imitate the movements of heavenly bodies, thus delineating the music of the spheres and reflecting the moral order of the universe. Earthly music, however, is suspect; Plato distrusted its emotional power. Music must therefore be of the right sort; the sensuous qualities of certain modes are dangerous, and a strong censorship must be imposed. Music and gymnastics in the correct balance would constitute the desirable curriculum in education. Plato valued music in its ethically approved forms; his concern was primarily with the effects of music, and he therefore regarded it as a psychosociological phenomenon.

Yet Plato, in treating earthly music as a shadow of the ideal, saw a symbolic significance in the art. Aristotle carried forward the concept of the art as imitation, but music could express the universal as well. His idea that works of art could contain a measure of truth in themselves—an idea voiced more explicitly by Plotinus in the 3rd century ce —gave added strength to the symbolic view. Aristotle, following Plato, thought that music has power to mold human character, but he would admit all the modes, recognizing happiness and pleasure as values to both the individual and the state. He advocated a rich musical diet. Aristotle made a distinction between those who have only theoretical knowledge and those who produce music, maintaining that persons who do not perform cannot be good judges of the performances of others.

Aristoxenus , a pupil of Aristotle, gave considerable credit to human listeners, their importance, and their powers of perception. He denigrated the dominance of mathematical and acoustical considerations. For Aristoxenus, music was emotional and fulfilled a functional role, for which both the hearing and the intellect of the listener were essential. Individual tones were to be understood in their relations to one another and in the context of larger formal units. The Epicureans and Stoics adopted a more naturalistic view of music and its function, which they accepted as an adjunct to the good life. They gave more emphasis to sensation than did Plato, but they nevertheless placed music in the service of moderation and virtue. A dissenting 3rd-century voice was that of Sextus Empiricus , who said that music was an art of tones and rhythms only that meant nothing outside itself.

The Platonic influence in musical thought was to be dominant for at least a millennium. Following that period of unquestioned philosophical allegiance , there were times of rededication to Greek concepts, accompanied by reverent and insistent homage (e.g., the group of late 16th-century Florentines, known as the Camerata , who were instrumental in the development of opera ). Such returns to simplicity, directness, and the primacy of the word have been made periodically, out of loyalty to Platonic imperatives , however much these “neo” practices may have differed from those of the Greeks themselves.

In the 21st century the effects of Greek thought are still strongly evident in the belief that music influences the ethical life; in the idea that music can be explained in terms of some component such as number (that may itself be only a reflection of another, higher source); in the view that music has specific effects and functions that can be appropriately labelled; and in the recurrent observation that music is connected with human emotion. In every historical period there have been defectors from one or more of these views, and there are, of course, differences of emphasis.

Much of the Platonic-Aristotelian teaching, as restated by the Roman philosopher Boethius ( c. 480–524), was well suited to the needs of the church; the conservative aspects of that philosophy , with its fear of innovation , were conducive to the maintenance of order. The role of music as accessory to words is nowhere more clearly illustrated than in the history of Christianity , where the primacy of the text has always been emphasized and sometimes, as in Roman Catholic doctrine , made an article of faith. In the varieties of plainchant , melody was used for textual illumination; the configurations of sound took their cue from the words. St. Augustine (354–430 ce ), who was attracted by music and valued its utility to religion, was fearful of its sensuous element and anxious that the melody never take precedence over the words. These had been Plato’s concerns also. Still echoing the Greeks, Augustine, whose beliefs were reiterated by St. Thomas Aquinas ( c. 1225–74), held the basis of music to be mathematical; music reflects celestial movement and order.

Martin Luther (1483–1546) was a musical liberal and reformer. But the uses he envisioned for music, despite his innovations , were in the mainstream of tradition; Luther insisted that music must be simple, direct, accessible, an aid to piety. His assignment of particular qualities to a given mode is reminiscent of Plato and Confucius. John Calvin (1509–64) took a more cautious and fearful view of music than did Luther, warning against voluptuous, effeminate, or disorderly music and insisting upon the supremacy of the text.

In reviewing the accounts of music that have characterized musical and intellectual history , it is clear that the Pythagoreans are reborn from age to age. The German astronomer Johannes Kepler (1571–1630) perpetuated, in effect, the idea of the harmony of the spheres, attempting to relate music to planetary movement. René Descartes (1596–1650), too, saw the basis of music as mathematical. He was a faithful Platonist in his prescription of temperate rhythms and simple melodies so that music would not produce imaginative, exciting, and hence immoral, effects. For another philosopher-mathematician, the German Gottfried von Leibniz (1646–1716), music reflected a universal rhythm and mirrored a reality that was fundamentally mathematical, to be experienced in the mind as a subconscious apprehension of numerical relationships.

Immanuel Kant (1724–1804) ranked music as lowest in his hierarchy of the arts. What he distrusted most about music was its wordlessness; he considered it useful for enjoyment but negligible in the service of culture. Allied with poetry , however, it may acquire conceptual value. Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel (1770–1831) also extolled the discursive faculties, saying that art, though it expresses the divine, must yield to philosophy. He acknowledged the peculiar power of music to express many nuances of the emotions. Like Kant, Hegel preferred vocal music to instrumental, deprecating wordless music as subjective and indefinite. The essence of music he held to be rhythm, which finds its counterpart in the innermost self. What is original in Hegel’s view is his claim that music, unlike the other arts, has no independent existence in space, is not “objective” in that sense; the fundamental rhythm of music (again an aspect of number) is experienced within the hearer.

After the 18th century, speculations upon the intrinsic nature of music became more numerous and profound. The elements necessary for a more comprehensive theory of its function and meaning became discernible. But philosophers whose views have been summarized thus far were not speaking as philosophers of music. Music interested them in terms extrinsic to itself, in its observable effects; in its connections with dance, religious ritual, or festive rites; because of its alliance with words; or for some other extramusical consideration. The only common denominator to be found, aside from the recognition of different types of music, is the acknowledgment of its connection with the emotional life, and here, to be sure, is that problematic power of the art to move. Various extramusical preoccupations are the raison d’être of “contextualist” explanations of music, which are concerned with its relation to the human environment . The history of music itself is largely an account of its adjunctive function in rituals and ceremonies of all kinds—religious, military, courtly—and in musical theatre. The protean character of music that enables it to form such easy alliances with literature and drama (as in folk song, art song, opera, “background” music) and with the dance (ritual, popular entertainment, “social,” ballet ) appears to confirm the wide range and influence that the Greeks assigned to it.