Lesson Plan
Drawing Tunes: Sonic Art
Students will be able to identify and visually represent various musical elements (texture, dynamics, timbre, instrumentation) through abstract drawing, enhancing their creative listening and artistic expression.
This lesson helps students develop a deeper appreciation for music by actively listening and interpreting its components visually. It fosters creativity, encourages cross-curricular connections between music and art, and provides a unique outlet for self-expression.
Audience
7th Grade
Time
45 minutes
Approach
Active listening, creative drawing, and guided reflection.
Materials
Whiteboard or projector, Speakers for music playback, Drawing paper (1-2 sheets per student), Drawing materials (crayons, colored pencils, markers), Warm-Up: Hear It, Draw It!, Slide Deck: Drawing Tunes: Sonic Art, Activity: Sonic Sketching Challenge, Rubric: Musical Masterpiece Rubric, and Cool-Down: My Musical Canvas
Prep
Teacher Preparation
15 minutes
- Review all generated materials: Drawing Tunes: Sonic Art Lesson Plan, Warm-Up: Hear It, Draw It!, Slide Deck: Drawing Tunes: Sonic Art, Activity: Sonic Sketching Challenge, Rubric: Musical Masterpiece Rubric, and Cool-Down: My Musical Canvas.
- Gather drawing paper and various drawing materials (crayons, colored pencils, markers) for students.
- Set up a whiteboard or projector and ensure speakers are connected and working for music playback.
- Select 3-4 diverse musical pieces (2-3 minutes each) that showcase different textures, dynamics, timbres, and instrumentation. Examples could include:
- **Classical (e.g., Grieg's
Step 1
Introduction
5 minutes
- Display the first slide of the Slide Deck: Drawing Tunes: Sonic Art.
- Teacher: "Good morning/afternoon, aspiring artists and musicians! Have you ever listened to a song and felt like you could 'see' the music? Today, we're going to explore that feeling by becoming 'sonic artists' – translating what we hear into what we draw!"
- Introduce the lesson's objective: "Our goal today is to listen to different types of music and use drawing to express what we hear in terms of texture, dynamics, timbre, and instruments. Think of your paper as a canvas for sound!"
- Briefly explain what students will be doing: listening to music clips and drawing their interpretations.
Step 2
Warm-Up: Hear It, Draw It!
10 minutes
- Distribute the Warm-Up: Hear It, Draw It! worksheet to each student.
- Teacher: "Before we dive into our main challenge, let's get our ears and hands warmed up with a quick activity called 'Hear It, Draw It!'."
- Explain the warm-up instructions using the worksheet: Students will listen to two short, distinct musical clips (around 30-60 seconds each) and quickly sketch what they 'see' or 'feel' based on the music, focusing on one or two elements.
- Play the first short musical clip.
- Teacher: "What kind of lines, shapes, or colors does this music make you think of? What emotions does it evoke?"
- Allow students 2-3 minutes to draw.
- Play the second short musical clip.
- Allow students 2-3 minutes to draw.
- Teacher: "Take a moment to look at your warm-up drawings. How did the different musical pieces inspire different visuals? We'll share some observations later."
- Collect the warm-up papers or have students set them aside.
Step 3
Introducing Musical Elements (Mini-Lesson)
10 minutes
- Display slides 2-6 of the Slide Deck: Drawing Tunes: Sonic Art.
- Teacher: "To help us become even better sonic artists, let's quickly review some key musical terms we'll be 'drawing'."
- Go through each term, using the slides and providing clear, simple definitions and visual examples:
- Texture: How many layers of sound are there? Is it thick or thin? Smooth or bumpy?
- Dynamics: How loud or soft is the music? Does it get louder or softer?
- Timbre: What is the 'color' or quality of the sound? (e.g., bright flute, warm cello, harsh trumpet, smooth piano).
- Instrumentation: What instruments do you hear? How do their unique sounds contribute?
- Teacher: "Think about how you could represent these with lines, shapes, colors, or even the pressure you use with your drawing tools. For example, a loud dynamic might be a bold, thick line, while a soft dynamic could be a faint, thin line. A smooth texture might be flowing curves, while a bumpy texture could be jagged lines."
- Briefly open for 1-2 quick student questions or examples.
Step 4
Activity: Sonic Sketching Challenge
15 minutes
- Distribute fresh drawing paper and drawing materials to each student.
- Display slide 7 of the Slide Deck: Drawing Tunes: Sonic Art.
- Teacher: "Now for our main challenge: the Activity: Sonic Sketching Challenge! I'm going to play 2-3 different musical pieces, each lasting about 2-3 minutes. For each piece, your task is to create a drawing that captures the musical elements we just discussed."
- Explain guidelines:
- Listen Actively: Focus on texture, dynamics, timbre, and instruments.
- Draw Continuously: Let the music guide your hand. Don't worry about making a 'perfect' picture; focus on expressing the sound.
- Use Your Tools: Experiment with different colors, line types (jagged, smooth, swirling), shapes, and pressure to represent what you hear.
- No Talking: This is an individual, immersive experience.
- Play the first musical piece (2-3 minutes). Encourage students to start drawing immediately as the music begins.
- After the first piece, pause briefly. Teacher: "Now, get ready for a completely different soundscape."
- Play the second musical piece (2-3 minutes). Students should continue drawing, perhaps on the same paper or a new one if they prefer.
- (Optional: If time allows, play a third musical piece for 2-3 minutes.)
- Teacher: "Put your drawing tools down. Look at what you've created. You've just drawn music!"
Step 5
Cool-Down: My Musical Canvas
5 minutes
- Display slide 8 of the Slide Deck: Drawing Tunes: Sonic Art.
- Distribute the Cool-Down: My Musical Canvas worksheet.
- Teacher: "To wrap up, let's reflect on your experience as a sonic artist. On this exit ticket, I want you to tell me about your favorite drawing or a specific part of a drawing. What musical elements were you trying to capture, and how did you represent them?"
- Allow students 3-4 minutes to complete the cool-down.
- Collect the cool-down slips as students leave or as a closing activity.
- Mention that their drawings will be assessed using the Rubric: Musical Masterpiece Rubric and that they will have opportunities to share their work in the next class.
use Lenny to create lessons.
No credit card needed
Slide Deck
Welcome to Sonic Art!
Can you 'see' music? Today, we'll draw what we hear!
Introduce the lesson, gauge student interest, and state the objective clearly.
Musical Element: Texture
How many layers of sound? Is it thick or thin, smooth or bumpy?
Explain what 'texture' means in music. Provide examples or ask students for ideas.
Musical Element: Dynamics
How loud or soft is the music? Does it swell or fade?
Explain what 'dynamics' means. Use hand gestures to demonstrate loud/soft.
Musical Element: Timbre
What is the 'color' or quality of the sound? (e.g., bright, warm, harsh, smooth)
Explain 'timbre' as the 'color' of the sound. Ask students for instrument sound qualities.
Musical Element: Instrumentation
What instruments do you hear? How do their unique sounds contribute?
Discuss instrumentation and how different instruments create different sounds and feelings.
Visualizing Sound
Think: How can lines, shapes, colors, and pressure show these elements?
Recap the elements and transition to how students can represent them visually.
Activity: Sonic Sketching Challenge
Listen to the music and draw what you hear! Focus on texture, dynamics, timbre, and instruments. Let the music guide your hand!
Explain the activity instructions clearly. Emphasize active listening and continuous drawing. Set the expectation for no talking.
Cool-Down: My Musical Canvas
Reflect: What musical elements did you capture? How did you represent them in your drawing?
Introduce the cool-down/exit ticket. Ask students to reflect on their creative process and what they learned.
Warm Up
Warm-Up: Hear It, Draw It!
Instructions: Listen carefully to the two short musical clips your teacher plays. For each clip, quickly sketch what you hear or feel using lines, shapes, and colors. Don't overthink it—just let the music guide your hand!
Musical Clip 1
What did you hear? What did you feel? How did you draw it?
Musical Clip 2
What did you hear? What did you feel? How did you draw it?
Activity
Activity: Sonic Sketching Challenge
Objective: To visually represent musical elements (texture, dynamics, timbre, and instrumentation) through abstract drawing.
Materials: Drawing paper, colored pencils, crayons, or markers.
Instructions:
- Prepare your space: Get your paper and drawing tools ready.
- Listen actively: Your teacher will play 2-3 different musical pieces. For each piece, focus on the following musical elements:
- Texture: Is the music thick or thin? Smooth or bumpy? How many different sounds are happening at once?
- Dynamics: Is the music loud or soft? Does it get louder (crescendo) or softer (decrescendo)?
- Timbre: What is the unique sound quality or "color" of each instrument or voice? (e.g., bright flute, warm cello, harsh trumpet, smooth piano).
- Instrumentation: What specific instruments do you hear? How do their individual sounds contribute to the overall piece?
- Draw Continuously: As each musical piece plays, let the sounds guide your hand. Don't worry about drawing recognizable objects; focus on expressing the musical elements using abstract lines, shapes, and colors. Your goal is to capture the feeling and structure of the music.
- Use Your Tools Creatively:
- Lines: Use thick, thin, jagged, smooth, swirling, or straight lines to represent different musical qualities.
- Shapes: Create organic or geometric shapes based on the music's structure or feel.
- Colors: Choose colors that you associate with different timbres, dynamics, or moods.
- Pressure: Vary the pressure of your drawing tools to show changes in dynamics (harder for loud, lighter for soft).
- No Talking: This is an individual, immersive experience. Let the music and your creativity flow without interruption.
Get ready to listen and draw!
Rubric
Rubric: Musical Masterpiece Rubric
Lesson: Drawing Tunes: Sonic Art
Objective: Students will be able to identify and visually represent various musical elements (texture, dynamics, timbre, instrumentation) through abstract drawing.
| Criteria | 4 - Exceeds Expectations | 3 - Meets Expectations | 2 - Partially Meets Expectations | 1 - Needs Improvement |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Representation of Texture | Drawing clearly and creatively reflects a sophisticated understanding of musical texture (e.g., complex layering, varied line quality for smooth/bumpy). | Drawing reflects a good understanding of musical texture with varied line qualities and layering to represent sounds. | Drawing shows some attempt to represent musical texture, but it may be inconsistent or unclear. | Drawing lacks clear representation of musical texture. |
| Representation of Dynamics | Drawing vividly and accurately conveys changes in musical dynamics (loud/soft, crescendo/decrescendo) through effective use of pressure, line thickness, or color intensity. | Drawing effectively conveys musical dynamics through use of pressure, line thickness, or color intensity. | Drawing attempts to show dynamics, but it may be inconsistent or difficult to interpret. | Drawing does not clearly represent musical dynamics. |
| Representation of Timbre | Drawing demonstrates a strong and imaginative connection between visual elements and the unique timbres of instruments/voices (e.g., specific colors/shapes for different instrument sounds). | Drawing shows a good connection between visual elements and the timbres of instruments/voices. | Drawing makes some connection between visual elements and timbre, but it may be vague or limited. | Drawing shows little or no connection between visual elements and timbre. |
| Representation of Instrumentation | Drawing clearly and thoughtfully differentiates and integrates the sounds of various instruments heard in the music. | Drawing identifies and integrates sounds of multiple instruments. | Drawing attempts to represent instruments, but differentiation may be weak or incomplete. | Drawing does not clearly represent or differentiate instruments. |
| Creative Expression & Effort | Student demonstrates exceptional creativity, active listening, and sustained effort, resulting in a unique and thoughtful artistic response. | Student demonstrates creativity, active listening, and good effort in their artistic response. | Student shows some creativity and effort, but engagement or focus may have been inconsistent. | Student shows minimal creativity or effort in their artistic response. |
Cool Down
Cool-Down: My Musical Canvas
Instructions: Take a moment to look at your drawings from today's "Sonic Sketching Challenge." Choose one drawing or a specific part of a drawing to reflect on. Answer the questions below.
-
Which musical piece did you choose to reflect on?
-
Describe what musical elements (texture, dynamics, timbre, or instrumentation) you were trying to capture in your drawing.
-
How did you use lines, shapes, colors, or pressure to represent these musical elements visually?
-
What was the most challenging part of translating music into art today?