INTEGRATING MUSIC & ART

Arts integration refers to classroom instruction that builds in content and different skills from
different art areas such as dance, visual arts, theatre and music into the core subject curriculum such
as math, science and language arts. Integrating the arts into curriculum engages, interests and
inspires students to work to the best of their abilities. Students are given the opportunity to build on
higher order thinking skills, social skills and strategies for success when the arts are integrated into
curriculum. The number one predictor of future success is creativity.
Benefits of integrating the arts:
The material appeals to a diverse range of students
Art facilitates new areas of exploration
Improve comprehension and retention of new material
Helps students recognize new skills in themselves and others
Provides a way to differentiate instruction
Encourages collaboration and community building
Art requires thorough exploration of all details
Inclusive of all students

The arts are an essential element of education, just like reading, writing, and
arithmeticmusic, dance, painting, and theatre are all keys that unlock
profound human understanding and accomplishment.
William Bennett, Former US Secretary of Education

The future belongs to young people with an education and

the imagination to create.
President Barack Obama

Arts-Based Learning is
All About Creative
Thinking, Which Is All
About Coordinating
Higher Order Thinking
Processes to Solve
Problems.
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HOW I WOULD
INTEGRATE ARTS INTO
MY CLASSROOM

Resources & Examples:

Math
Art can be helpful when introducing and exploring topics
such as symmetry, fractions and geometry. In my
classroom I would have many visual materials to help
students grasp topics in an artistic way. For example:
Students could use MIRA mirrors to create artistic works
and then focus on identifying symmetry.

French Language Arts

When teaching introductory french immersion, integrating
music into the curriculum has countless benefits. With
music comes repetition and the more exposure students
have to the material the higher the chance of retention.
Youtube can be a great resource for modelling vocabulary
and its use. I may also have students come up with a song
or a verse to practice their vocabulary.

Science
There are many interesting ways to integrate both art and
music into the science curriculum. Using art to explain
concepts gives a clear visual which is essential for some
students learning. Music can be used to highlight concepts
such as sound and vibrations and art can be used to
expand knowledge and experiment with topics.

Langauge Arts
Music and art both can easily be implemented into the
elementary language arts curriculum, it could be as
simple as singing the ABCs. An idea I would take into my
classroom would be to have students create a short story
or piece of writing and then create a visual illustration to
match their story. To further this activity students could
also add a score and music to this creation and then
present all three elements of the project to the class.
Music gives us a language that cuts across the disciplines, helps
us to see connections and brings a more coherent meaning to our
world. Ernest Boyer, President, Carnegie Foundation
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