This is an activity we love doing here at the Museum & Theatre. Painting to Music teaches kids about lines, painting and tempos. It’s great to see how the paintings change when we switch from a fast song to a slow song. Try it at home with different kinds of music, paints and brushes.
Materials:
- Paint
- Paper
- Brushes, big and small
- CD player or radio
Look around you, there are lines everywhere! Not all lines are the same. Some lines are fast and others slow, some feel quiet and some feel loud. Some are big and bold, others small and delicate. Like people, lines can have feeling or mood!
Today you can explore this by painting lines. To get you into this mode, you’ll be painting to music! The types of lines you make should depend on the type of sounds you’re hearing. The music is the boss right now, so listen carefully and paint what the music feels like. Maybe it’s fast and loud music so the lines will be bold and plentiful. What if it’s soft and quiet music, will your lines be the same? Think about how fast you move your hand. Think about color. Bright and happy or gray and sad? Try listening to different types of songs or radio stations. What kind of lines can you create?
Vocabulary:
- Line directions- Horizontal, Vertical, Diagonal
- Line “families”- Straight, Curved, Angled
- Line width- Thick, Thin
- Line Length- Short, Long, Dashed, Dotted
