Art Party Video
We regularly release Virtual Art Parties to help you and your children connect with music and art at home. Virtual Art Parties are the perfect way for kids and adults of any age to let their creativity flow, relax with the calming power of music and art, and find some inner tranquility while creating art inspired by the music being performed.
Art Party Steps
- Gather your art supplies. You can be creative with what you use. Some fun materials are:
- Markers, crayons, or colored pencils
- Paint
- Glue and pom pom puff balls, glitter, sequins, etc.
- Watch the Art Party video. You can watch it straight through or listen to pieces again before moving on to the next. You can guide you child(ren) through listening with the following questions:
- What did you notice?
- How does this music make you feel?
- Does this music remind you of anything?
- Check back regularly to watch new art party videos. Check out Inside the Orchestra’s YouTube Virtual Art Party Playlist or our Facebook page for regularly released Art Party Videos featuring different instruments of the orchestra.
Guided Music and Art Activities
Instead of free-form art making, your child(ren) can also work on guided crafts and activities as they listen. Here are some fun musical art crafts.
Xylophone Tape Resist Art
Babies Through Preschool
Tape resist art is a great way to get your youngest kid(s) hands-on. Have your little ones create their own instrument-inspired tape resist art, like this xylophone. You could also tape off shapes to look like a piano or music notes.
Sheet Music Prints
Babies Through Elementary School
Why not creat are directly ON some music? Print out sheet music online (or use old music if you have some at your house) and have your child(ren) paint or color on it while listening to the music. Some fun ways to go even further:
- Match the sheet music to the piece you’re listening to. If you’re watching Valerie Johnson’s video above, the first piece of music she performs is an etude by Donjon. You can print out that sheet music here and create art on that while you listen.
- For older children: Does your child already have some music background? They can use this knowledge to paint or color the sheet music:
- Have them color each note value (eighth note, quarter note, etc.) a different color
- Have them draw lines to connect all of one type of note, for example, all the quarter notes, all the low C’s etc. Then they can color inside the shapes that these crisscrossing lines make.
- In a more complicated piece of music, advanced students can find the melody line and trace along the melody with whatever color they choose.
Rubber Band Guitar Art
We’ve featured this fun pom pom drum painting before, but there are many other ways to use homemade instruments to create visual art. Your child(ren) can create paint splash art using an easy homemade “guitar” with just a few simple steps.
- Stretch rubber bands across an open container. A baking dish with a flat bottom or a shoe box work great.
- Paint the rubber bands with your favorite colors.
- Pluck your “guitar strings” to make music and art at the same time.
Playlist
This playlist features some of our favorite music that was inspired by works of art.