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Often we think of art as a purely visual experience. But here I'll be introducing you to sound
and movement-based activities that will engage your students' ears, voices, and bodies as
vehicles for connecting and imagining with works of art.
"Be the Art" is a movement-based exercise that involves acting out the gestures, poses,
or compositional elements in a work of art. After your group has had a few moments to
study the work, ask a couple students to get in front of the class and act out a particular
element that sticks out to them. Remind your students that they can have fun with their
bodily interpretations. Some students may try to mimic the lines or shapes in an artwork
exactly, while others may try to express the general feeling or mood of a painting. Both
are valid ways of responding to the work.
Involve the rest of the class by asking them to compare their classmate's poses against
the figures in the actual artwork. They can call out possible adjustments, or walk up
and gently correct the poser's arm or leg, for example, so that it better reflects the
look or feel of the artwork.
"Tableau" is a similarly terrific tool for engaging students with the details in a work
of art. It works especially well with large-scale paintings or sculptures that have many characters
and details. It can also be used with abstract works, by getting them to look closer at the
shapes and composition of a piece. Divide your class into "actors" and "directors."
The "actors" freeze their facial expressions and bodies to reflect the scene, while the
"directors" instruct the actors to adjust their positions using the artwork as a reference.
"Tableau" is all about paying attention to detail. While helping the "actors" to perfect
their positions, the "directors" will undoubtedly begin to notice and articulate new aspects
or spatial relationships in the artwork. At the end of this activity, ask the "actors"
to break their poses and share any new insights they gained about
the narrative or composition of the artwork.
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In music, rhythm is heard as the beat of drums, the clapping of hands, or the strum of a guitar.
In visual art, rhythm is seen with our eyes. "Rhythm Sequence" is an activity that creates
a sort of synesthesia between these two experiences of rhythm, by asking participants to assign
sounds to what they see. One good way to start off this activity is to have your students
listen to a piece of music with a regular beat, like a march. Then, show students how
artists also use regular rhythm in a nearby art work.
Here at MoMA, we often use this activity with Piet Mondrian's "Broadway Boogie Woogie" but
it can be used with any artwork that features random, regular,
or alternating patterns of colors, shapes and textures.
So we notice that in these lines we have different colors. We have grey yellow red and blue.
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With "Broadway Boogie Woogie," we will ask students to assign
each color a different sound.
Just one sound, one idea you have for a sound. So you guys are yellow, you guys are blue.
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You guys are red.
We then divide the class into an orchestra where each section "plays" an assigned color.
Choose one person to "conduct" the piece by tracing their finger over different parts
of the artwork, being careful to not actually touch the surface. As the conductor passes
her finger over various patterns, shapes, and colors, a soundscape emerges that will
shed new light into the way artists use rhythm.
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These sound and movement-based activities speak to students who are kinesthetic learners,
or who have particularly strong spatial or musical abilities. These can help involve
students who struggle with language due to learning or developmental disabilities. And
because the main mode of expression is through sound or movement, these activities can also
help bridge cultural and linguistic divides.
Jessica BaldenhoferAssociate Educator, School Visits & Partnerships
Lisa MazzolaAssistant Director, School and Teacher Programs
Stephanie PauAssociate Educator, Interpretation & Research
