I loved Joan Miro's art when I was in high school. I considered myself a horrible artist, but as a teen, I really connected to his work. I'm not really sure why, but I think I intuitively understood Miro's sometimes-childlike imagery.
This lesson plan uses Miro's work to help middle-schoolers learn about geometry, describing curved lines, straight lines, and other geometrical objects in Miro's world. Students then create their own objects using what they have learned. My suggested musical work for this activity (to inspire different shapes)? Paul Hindemith's Symphonic Metamorphoses. Hindemith and Miro were contemporaries, although their artistic philosophies varied.
Maybe you've seen this fun little interactive area at the MoMA featuring Miro? It's where I got today's image.
What contemporary art have you been surprised to connect with? How do you think students could understand it in order to connect with it better?
Posts
December 11, 2009 at 9:42 AM
Cara,
I wonder if we could hear a sampling of Symphonic Metamoposes, in order to compare the style of each artist work and how thy relate to another.
December 14, 2009 at 8:25 AM
Cara, I like the opportunity to network with music teachers who might be able to help identify music compatible with art styles/periods that I'm teaching. Other than my own personal taste, which is more contemporary, I don't know music by historical periods or styles. While playing music during art class is a little difficult in elementary as there is much physical and verbal interaction, the blog would be a great resource. I am accustomed to using Miro with small children as his works lend themselves to identifying shapes (geometric and organic) and lines. You have taken it to another level with your music!
December 14, 2009 at 6:26 PM
Children really relate well to Klee, Chagall, and Miro. The childlike quality of their artistry masterfully lends itself to individual interpretation. Music and art go well together and I have experimented with all kinds of music but my favorite is found under instrumental "new age" music it quiets the soul but doesn't interfere with verbal discussions when played in the background. I like that you are combining different music and art to vary the intrapersonal experiences of children.
December 17, 2009 at 11:49 PM
Want to hear the Hindemith? Here's an awesome link to a BBC program where you can listen to the work and learn about it at the same time:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio3/discoveringmusic/ram/cdmhindesymvar.ram
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