les beaux arts
Good day. I have to say it was a very good day. I feel like I got some stuff done today, and that always feels nice. I ran some errands and had dinner w/ Caleb tonight. It was nice -just the two of us, hanging out.My humanities class worked on their architecture projects- and I think they will be worthy of a display case.
Our next unit is music, and I have to say it is the hardest unit for me. I am such a visual person, and teaching music and it's elements are so very abstract. I am not a musician and have no training. I depend on my own music for examples, but to illustrate concepts like melody, rhythm, or texture- I like to compare music and things that are more visual, like art and theatre. There are some obvious comparisons- like Debussy and the Impressionists, or Edsel Gomez and Picasso http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5185360 . We also compare the rhythm of a movie with rhythm and I typically use the Flaming Lips "Superman" vs. The Iron and Wine version to demonstrate texture. Honestly, of all the areas of the "arts" I teach, this is my weakest.
I like to let the students bring in instruments and play examples. They usually teach me more than anything I can offer. It is hard not having the background nor a textbook. I am open to any suggestions.
The artists I cover are usually a few classical composers, some jazz (miles and Louis), then we spend a day on bob Marley. Like I said, I use my own music for examples- then we do a lesson on how music videos changed the music world and how they combine elements of film and music, etc. After teaching French for so long, it is nice to get to do something different, but I feel like such a phony sometimes.
Bon, au lit mes amis.
je vous embrasse.
moi
XoXXo
posted by lua at 21:04
3 Comments:
I would work some poison into the curriculum.
when we talk about music video's influence, it is usually about how it has affected the way an artist has to portray an image. we do watch some videos and we compare the elements of a video with elements of film. It is also an oppurtunity to discuss dance a bit, since i don't have time to do an entire dance unit.
yes, music is mathematical and i am not. plus, a painting or a sculpture is all there- for you to see all at once, whereas music is free from any physical restrictions of space. you only have a moment to capture or demonstrate various characteristics. paintings, buildings, sculpture, literature, etc.- they all stand still for me. music does not.
i am thinking of doing a lesson on the harlem renaissance and do a little jazz w/ some hughes.
of course we have to mention pot when bob comes up. but he is so incredibly important i can't leave him out for that. just like louis armstrong, or miles davis, etc.
when we discuss marley,i do a comparison w/ punk and reggae. look at where they were both talking about -and their backgrounds (socio-economic, not ethnic). there are a lot of similarities.
i want a good abstract piece to tie in a few pollocks. i can't remember what i used last year. this class would be easier to teach if i did the same thing each tri, but the kids are different and react differently, so i evolve with their interests. this group loved abstract-expressionism. this is the type of class that i really want them to like -or else they will never support the arts as adults.
wow! thank you so much. why can't YOU come HERE? you could be my guest lecturer.
you are right in that the class is very narrow. it is the arts selon moi. we do:
-criticism
-visual arts
-cinema
-theatre
-architecture
-music(elements, artists, and some instruments)
all in about 12 weeks. i will say i think there are some really great videos out there. i have a short attention span so they are like the ideal length for a movie. (i'm kidding- about the 2nd part)
i always tell my kids that bob marley and louis armstrong were both voted the most influential artists of the 20th century (louis 1st 1/2 and bob the 2nd half) and yes, they were both stoners. just like i tell them about bob's decision not to have the cancer removed from his toe was related to his religious beliefs. it was a part of who he was.
by punk, i was refering to late 70's brittish punk. (like the clash) young musicians from a working class/ poverty stricken background w/ a govn't that could care less about ameliorating the situation of the lower classes. musical genious that inspired many artists for generations- and spawned new genres. i could be talking about either one. (reggae or punk)there are other parallels that i have thought of, but i usally think of things like that while i am driving and can't write it down. one of my many theories. stay tuned.
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