The Arts and Everything Else

Grades 6, 7, and 8

Ellen Atwood

Course Description:
This course will provide experiences for students to explore different
areas of the arts: music, dance, drama, visual art, literature, and media
arts including photography and cinematography in the context of
history, culture, the human experience, and the relationship between
the arts themselves. Because the arts are often interconnected,
particular areas of art allow for unique connections and segues in
learning. Through this course, students will have opportunities to
explore musical ideas, performance, history, and practice in
conjunction with other art forms. Activities will include composition
through choreographing dances to music and vice versa
through composing music to accompany dances. Activities will
incorporate visual art through painting canvases inspired by students
favorite pieces and painting while listening activities. Music and
cinematography will be explored through analyzing, observing, and
applying the ways in which musical styles and moods in drama are
connected. Finally, students will explore the ways in which art
forms have been connected throughout history through medieval,
renaissance, baroque, classical, romantic, modern, and contemporary
music periods. This course will apply music through singing, playing a
variety of instruments, collaborating with peers, composing, and
listening and will be open to students of all abilities and musical
backgrounds.

Rationale:
This course will fulfill the needs of students to practice creativity
through a wide variety of outlets and make important connections and
transfers between fields of art and other areas of learning. Music can
enhance the learning of many different fields, especially art.
Psychological research frequently cites correspondence of one skill
with another, the ties between musical and mathematical skillsthe
anatomical drawings of Leonardo at once embody scientific
observation and artistic expression (The Hudson River Museum 1982).
All students have a variety of talents in different fields, and every
student is an artist in some way. This course will help students realize
and explore their many talents through a variety of contexts and
experiences. It will give students who are more comfortable in one art
form or another an opportunity to grow in areas they may not have
explored. This course will also allow students to make transfers not
only between the areas of art but the areas of academia, humanity,
and life. Participation in school music and art programs has been
declining and many programs are being cut because there is not
always enough interest amongst students. One primary explanation
for this is that music education has become disconnected form the
prevailing culture (Kratus, 44). Traditional music education programs
no longer align with the musical interests and needs of most students.
Our culture has changed while many of our music education programs
have held the same curriculum and structure. 93 percent of
Americans agree that the arts are vital to providing a well-rounded
education for children. Also, 54 percent rated the importance of arts
education a 10 on a scale of 1 to 10. (Kratus, 44). It is clear that the
arts are vital and provide so many benefits for students. Because of
this, educators must find ways to keep these programs alive. This
class aims to keep the arts alive through reaching a wider range of
students from differing abilities and backgrounds. This class
encourages participation because it is inclusive, engaging, and more
relevant to students interest. It is designed to be accessible to all.
One way that music educators can make their classes more inclusive
and more meaningful is through providing participatory learning
experiences. Participatory in the context of music education means
music that is primarily social, used for bonding with others, and which
aims to involve all through an approach to music that is accessible to
all (Thibeault, 56). In participatory music, every participants
contributions are valued equally so that no student feels incapable or
unimportant. This class is participatory in nature because it is strongly
based in project-based learning, creativity, collaboration, and it is
accessible for students of every background and ability level. Students
will spend most of their time involved with hands on artistic
experiences and working with their peers. Through these activities
students will be exploring their talents in a meaningful way and
developing social, collaborative skills. In addition to reaching larger
demographics, this class can be an important introduction to creative
outlets, hobbies, and coping strategies for students. In a number of
quantitatively oriented studies it is revealed that music is actively
implemented in order (a) to modulate emotions and moods, (b) to
promote the ability to concentrate and focus attention and (c) to
generate or maintain social relationships (von Georgi, Gbel,
Gebhardt, 301). This is true for other areas of art as well. This class
encourages artistry that is life-long and therefore provides life-long
benefits in terms of psychological, social, and emotional health.
Students may leave this class having discovered a talent, skill or hobby
they never knew they had that they can utilize throughout their lives.

Expected Impact on Students:

Students will gain creative skills in every area of the arts. Students will
also have opportunities to collaborate with their peers through art.
This course can serve as a creative outlet for all students regardless of
their artistic inclinations and help them explore ways to transfer art
into daily life, culture, history and the human experience, among other
areas of learning. Students may also discover meaningful hobbies and
coping strategies through the exploration of the arts. Students will
leave this course with the understandings that the arts are
multipurpose and used for many different reasons including for
entertainment, for coping, for community, and for tradition, the arts
look and sound different across cultures and geographic areas, art is a
coping mechanism and a way to manage any emotion, and the arts are
often inspired by events or emotions and can encourage change.
This course addresses the following standards:
- HG.6 The student will explore historical and cultural aspects of music by
1. describing distinguishing characteristics of musical forms and styles from a
variety of cultures;
2.identifying the relationship of music to the other fine arts and other fields of
knowledge;
- HG.7 The student will investigate the role of music in society by
1. comparing and contrasting the development of music in diverse cultures
throughout history;
- HG.9 The student will analyze music by
1. describing music styles and forms through listening;
2. defining and classifying various musical styles that represent different
historical periods and cultures;
3. examining the importance of composers use of style, cultural influences, and
historical context for the interpretation of works of music
- HG. 11 The student will investigate aesthetic concepts related to music by
1. explaining how the context of a musical works creation may influence its
meaning and value
2. analyzing and justifying personal responses to works of music;
4. Explaining the value of music to the community and to society

Expected Impact on School/Community:

This class may have an impact on the amount of students that
participate in the arts in school and in the community. More students
may start participating in traditional music, art, dance, or drama
classes. Through this class, students may be more inclined to visit
museums and/or see dance or music performances in the community.
Students performance in the academic classroom may also improve
due to making connections between music and other fields and having
an artistic outlet to relieve stress. This course will expose students to
the unique qualities and artistic beauty across different cultures,
creating a more culturally competent group of students. Through this
course students will have opportunities for self-exploration, realizing
their strengths and talents and understanding how to process emotions
through the arts. This can create a healthier, happier community and
school environment.

Project Outline:
Project Title: The Arts and Everything Else

Project Description:
Students explore the arts in the context of human emotion, culture,
and history through several mini projects and one final project.
Through PowerPoint presentations, personal research, and
collaborative art projects students will gain a better understanding of
how the arts function throughout history, among different cultures, and
in throughout general human experience.

UbD Planning Template:

Stage 1 Desired Results
ESTABLISHED GOALS Transfer
with Standards Students will be able to independently use their
HG.6 The student will learning to
explore historical and Form multiple coping strategies
cultural aspects of music Collaborate and create with others
by Meaningfully connect multiple fields of learning
1. describing
distinguishing Meaning
characteristics of musical UNDERSTANDINGS ESSENTIAL
forms and styles from a
Students will QUESTIONS
variety of cultures;
understand In what ways do
2.identifying the
relationship of music to that the arts the arts function in
the other fine arts and happen for different cultures?
other fields of knowledge; many different Why/how do the
reasons arts bring
HG.7 The student will including for communities
investigate the role of entertainment, together?
music in society by for coping, for What would life be
1. comparing and community, and like without the
contrasting the for tradition. arts? How would
development of music in People use art people cope?
diverse cultures differently in How are the
throughout history; different characteristics of
cultures in music and other art
HG.9 The student will ways that may forms different
analyze music by look/sound between the civil
1. describing music styles different. war, WWII, and the
and forms through Art is a coping Vietnam War?
listening; mechanism and How have the arts
2. defining and classifying a way to encouraged
various musical styles that manage any change?
represent different emotion. What inspires you?
historical periods and The arts are How do you cope?
cultures; often inspired
3. examining the by events or
importance of composers emotions and
use of style, cultural can encourage
influences, and historical change
 Acquisition
Students will know Students will be skilled
at
Art has changed
drastically over Collaborating with
time, but still is peers
used for similar Performing music,
purposes. dance, and or drama
Art is Creating visual art
multipurpose in Connecting the arts
that it can be and emotion as well as
used for the arts and history
entertainment,
ceremonially, in
traditions, for
advertising, for
coping, for
therapy, among a
variety of other
uses.
context for the interpretation The arts hold
of works of music
connections with
many different
HG11 The student will
fields of learning
investigate aesthetic
including
concepts related to music
by psychology,
1. explaining how the history, and
context of a musical works language arts.
creation may influence its Art is a helpful
meaning and value tool in creating
2. analyzing and justifying connections and
personal responses to coping with ones
works of music; own emotions
4. Explaining the value of Art varies among
music to the community and cultures
to society Art can be
created
collaboratively or
on ones own.

Stage 2 - Evidence
Evaluative Criteria Assessment Evidence
-Students will be PERFORMANCE TASK(S):
assessed based on -Create a piece of visual art to represent a specific
creative efforts for emotion. This art can be created in the form of
both projects. photography, painting, drawing, or collaging and
-Is there clear effort must include elements that allude to an emotion
and intention behind or evoke similar feelings of the viewer.
the product? -Create a piece of art to represent a chosen
-Are students historical event or era. This art can be in the form
collaborating of dance, drama, music, or visual art and must
respectfully with artistically represent emotions or specific
peers? elements of an event or era. Students may
-Are students able to collaborate with peers for this task.
display connections to
another field of
learning through their
art?
OTHER EVIDENCE:
Students will be assessed throughout the unit
through the meaning and depth of their visual art
projects, cultural findings, mini presentations, and
final art projects.
Students will be assessed on their ability to
collaborate with others.

Stage 3 Learning Plan

Summary of Key Learning Events and Instruction
Day 1: How do the arts make us feel? Arts and emotion experience: play a
selection of several different songs, movie scenes, and dance pieces that
are representative of different moods and ask students to write down or
draw an image that represents how it made them feel. Why do the arts
move us in a way that nothing else can? Have a class discussion about how
we use the arts to feel happier or to wallow in sadness and discuss
students favorite types of art for these occasions. What makes a piece of
art happy, sad, confusing, or scary?

Day 2: Students will portray an emotion with visual art. Before beginning
the project, provide examples of artwork inspired by specific emotions.
Explain that art is subjective but that there are qualities within specific art
that are representative of specific emotions. Provide students with
magazines with which they can cut and create collages displaying an
emotion of their choice. Students may also paint, draw, or use photos from
home to create their emotional visual art. Show students some famous
examples of art that display very specific emotions. Have a discussion
about why the elements of this art evoke these emotions.

Day 3: Look at the arts from different cultural perspectives. Assign student
groups with which to examine one assigned cultural art tradition. Allow
students to do their own research on computers at school about their
chosen cultures. Provide students with examples such as Mariachi Bands,
African dance and drumming, and Bollywood. Students must find the
geographic area/areas in which this tradition occurs, what kind of artistic
elements this tradition entails, how often and for what occasions this
artistic tradition occurs, and the history of this artistic tradition (if known).
At the end of class, have student groups share their findings with the class
and compare and contrast elements from each culture. At the end create a
giant venn diagram with circles to represent each artistic tradition and a
middle section for comparisons between each.

Day 4: Explore the arts and history. Look at the evolution of art throughout
history from The middle ages onward in a PowerPoint presentation. Have
students choose a specific historical event or era throughout history and
find three pieces of art created during that time. Have students compile
these pieces of art into a brief presentation to explain the significance of
these pieces of art to their specific events. Students may be in groups for
this mini project.

Day 5: Continue the exercise of exploring history through art by assigning

students the project of choosing another historical event or era for which to
create their own piece of art. Students may be in groups for this project.
Students can create art through any medium to portray this event and the
emotions associated with the event.

Day 6: Presentation of student art to the class with a brief explanation of

how their artistic choices reflect emotion or the historical event.

ADAPTATIONS & MODIFICATIONS

-Provide a daily outline on the board of what to expect in class that day
-Assign group members if needed to avoid students feeling left out
-Provide extensions for deadlines if needed.
-PowerPoint presentations will be given with large font and visual aids to aid
in the learning of material
- Provide multimodal examples for material covered such as visual aids,
listening examples, video clips.
 EXAMPLE END OF PROJECT ASSESSMENT RUBRIC:

Task: 3 2 1 Tot
al:

Content: Students art is Students art is Students art is

thorough, creative and not clearly
thoughtful, engaging but thought-out
engaging, and not as thought- and not
creative out and engaging
thorough

Historical Students art Students art Students art

Event: accurately somewhat vaguely reflects
reflects their reflects their their chosen
chosen historical chosen historical event
event in a historical event
creative way

Collabora Students worked Students Students

tion: cooperatively product was product was not
with others by collaborative collaborative
respecting each but not every and there was a
other and member lack of respect
allowing each contributed and
member to equally contribution
contribute from group
members

Justificati Students are able Students are Students are

on: to provide able to provide unable to
multiple accurate one justification provide
justifications the for their artistic justification for
reasons for their decision making their artistic
artistic decision- in the context decision
making in the of their making in the
context of their historical event context of their
historical event. historical event

Budget

Quantit
Use
Item Name (How will this be used by Cost y Overall
(linked to provider) students/teacher?) (per unit) Cost

UkulelesRogue Thesecanbeusedtoexplore 10pack 2 $700

musicthroughaccompanying $350
singing,coveringsongs,and
 exploringcomposition

HandyArtAcrylic Thesecanbeusedforavariety Setof12 2

2 $117.90
Paint ofartprojectsinthecourse pints
$58.95

NascoArtists Thiscanbeusedforapainting $9.59 20 $191.90

Canvas16x20 projects

NikonCoolpix16 Thiscanbeusedforany $260 2 $520

MPDigitalCamera filming,cinematography
projectsoractivities

OptomaX341 Thiscanbeusedfor $349 1 $349

Projector presentations,PowerPoints,
showingfilms,andclass
lectures

AmazonThisis Thistextcanbeassignedfor $9.83 20 $196.60

YourBrainon studentstoreadandunderstand
MusicbyDanielJ thefunctionofmusicinthe
Levitin brain

SweetwaterFinale Thissoftwarecanbeusedfor $279 1 $279

softwareversion25 studentstoarrangecoversand
composeforstudentsinthe
classtocollaborate
Total Cost: $2, 354.40

References/Works Cited:

The Hudson River Museum (1982)

Thibeault, M. D. (2015). Music education for all through participatory

ensembles. Music Educators Journal, 102(2), 54-61.

Kratus, J. (2007). Centennial series: Music education at the tipping

point.Music Educators Journal, 94(2), 42-48

Georgi, R. V., Gbel, M., & Gebhardt, S. (2009). Emotion modulation by

means of music and coping behaviour. Music that works, 301-319.
doi:10.1007/978-3-211-75121-3_19