Drawing to Instrumental Music

In this activity, students have an opportunity to respond to instrumental music, which has no lyrics. Simple art supplies are offered, such as colored pencils, crayons, or markers, and a plain sheet of paper for each student. As the piece plays, students are invited to scribble, draw, doodle, write, or simply listen as they see fit. After the piece has been played, students share the drawing or words and describe how the piece of music made them feel. If the class is relatively small, each student shares his/her drawing with the whole class; if it’s larger, students share their drawing in a group of 4–6. This activity has no right or wrong, and allows students at all proficiency levels to experience the music on a non-verbal plane and then share their art with others. They may have very few words about their art, because the art, not the words, is the statement.

Preparation

Make sure each student has a flat surface to draw on.

Procedure

1. Tell students that you are going to be drawing to music together, and then talking about your drawings. Tell them the name and composer of the music, and let them know how long the piece of music is going to be so that they can pace themselves (5–6 minutes is ideal). Let them know that during the piece, they can choose to draw, doodle, write words, or simply sit and enjoy the music with their eyes closed. 2. Distribute the paper and drawing supplies, making sure each student has several colors to work with. Make sure each student has a flat surface to draw on. 3. After the piece is finished, allow students to put finishing touches on their art. Then have them share their art with the others in the class, talking about how the music made them feel. The teacher may want to go first, or not go at all. 4. Students will respond to each other’s drawings and the stories about them. Often, surprising stories and feelings will emerge from the experience, and the class will feel closer because of the experience.

When to Use It

• After students have had a stressful semester, or the last day of the week • As an introductory activity when students are nervous about a new class

Level

Skills

Practice

Materials

• a clean piece of unlined paper for each student • a bunch of drawing materials with enough for each student to have several colors. You may put a bunch of pencils at each table of four rather than giving them to each student individually. • something to play the music — a CD player, a smartphone, or streaming from online

Preparation Time

The time spent choosing the piece and bringing the art supplies

Activity Time

Approximately 30 minutes

Sample Music

Cirque du Soleil, Yanni, New Age music, film music

Variations

1. If students are so inclined, you can put the drawings up on a wall, or collect them into a folder. 2. You could choose music that has words, but in a language with which nobody is familiar. For example, many “world music” pieces are in languages that are not known to most of their fans, such as the music of the Tuareg group from Mali, Tinariwen. 3. You could give a theme to consider prior to the music and see what items of that theme they may end up incorporating into the drawing.