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Tuesday, September 05, 2006 10:08 AM Last Updated |
Music & Art in Child Care By: Christine L. Pollock
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Welcome to Music & Art in Child Care Weekly Column! Email Christine with your comments or suggestions to: Music.CCMag@Eudoramail.com. Ravel
Munch and the Expressionist Movement By: Christine L. Pollock
Should I? Or should I not? It was a great debate in my mind about whether or not I should write about Edvard Munch this week. He was, without a doubt, one of the greatest artists that Norway has yet produced. That was clear. However, most of his works and his life were not, in my opinion, the sort to be studied by young children.
I finally decided that I would write about him and focus on one painting that could be studied with the children. The rest of the article I will gear more towards the providers.
I have not taught the children in my care about Edvard Munch yet. When I do, I plan to say that he was an incredibly gifted man who could put his thoughts into pictures. He has a lot of bad things happen to him and that made him sad. That is why he drew a lot of sad pictures. I will show them the picture entitled “Street in Åsgårdstrand” (http://sunsite.dk/cgfa/munch/p-munch14.htm) to discuss. I will also talk about he used many types of art to of express his emotions.
Edvard was really a man tormented by the events of his life. He was born on December 12, 1863 and died in his sleep in 1944. His childhood was spent in Oslo, the capital of Norway. When Edvard was 5, his mother died of tuberculosis; when he was 14, his sister Sophie (who was 15) also died of the same disease. He found these deaths extremely difficult to deal with. Later on in his life, his father also passed away and that affected him as well since there were several unresolved issues between them.
Although the popular art of his day was focused on light, happy scenes, Edvard’s works focused on death, grief and sickness. It is said that he was one of the first painters of the Expressionist movement.
Expressionism is a form of art where the artist puts emotions into a picture rather than making it look realistic. Therefore, the final product is often distorted. An example of this is a very famous painting that Munch did entitled “The Scream” (http://sunsite.dk/cgfa/munch/p-munch12.htm ). As you look at the picture, you get an immediate sense of agony. The emotion portrayed is more important than the image.
Edvard’s entire life was filled with torment from his perspective…from the deaths of family members to his ill fated love affairs. He had a few art shows that were shut down because the viewers could not handle seeing the raw emotions that his works portrayed.
He had a problem with alcohol and was unstable mentally. A fact that made him a rather unique artist was that he had many different mediums. He did quick sketches, etching, lithography, painting, sculpture and even did some writing. His art went through many phases from naturalism to landscapes to expressionism.
So, with all this said, why would I choose to write about him in a child care magazine? I am doing it because there is a very important link to emotions and art. Children are so natural with their feelings and we tend to praise the “rainbow” pictures and discourage the violent or sad ones. This is something that we, as child care providers, really need to watch out for.
The children can communicate with us in their drawings and art in a way that they might not be able to express verbally. We need to be attuned to their subtle messages. We can also use their art to talk about serious issues.
A writer from Kosovar tells how they use art as therapy with the child victims of the war. She writes that it is not the children who draw guns and violent scenes that worry her, it is the ones who don’t let their feelings out and act as though everything were normal. Her article can be seen at http://www.salon.com/mwt/feature/1999/06/04/art/.
When the children and I start to look at the work of Edvard Munch, I will probably:
1. Show the children the picture entitled “Street in Åsgårdstrand” (http://sunsite.dk/cgfa/munch/p-munch14.htm) and talk with the children about what they see. What emotion do you see in the little girl’s eyes? Why do you think she is sad? 2. Read books about emotions like “Today I Feel Silly and Other Moods That Make My Day” by Jamie Lee Curtis and “When Sophie Gets Angry – Really, Really Angry” by Molly Garrett Bang. 3. Since Edvard Much used so many different mediums, I would talk about this and have the children experiment with different kinds of art (torn paper pictures, water color, crayons, chalk, mosaic, etc.). 4. Make sculptures with clay (or play dough). 5. I would talk about how the way we feel can affect the work we do. I would demonstrate this by having the children draw a person. Next, I would ask them to talk about how they felt when they were really angry. How would they draw a person then? Would they use darker colors? Bolder lines? Scribble? I would do the same with silly moods, calm moods, etc.
We are in a very unique position as child care providers and educators. When we watch the little ones draw their pictures, it will be our reactions that encourage or discourage them. If we criticize their work, the children might keep their emotions bottled up and this could damage their psyche.
It is interesting that Edvard Munch’s work became popular even though it unnerved the general public. It is even more interesting to realize that his works have gained popularity over time and still reach a multitude of people, gripping them with their exaggerated emotions.
Grieg and the Mountain King
Next week I hope to continue studying Norway. Meanwhile, in this
heat of summer, it really is nice to focus on the cool beauty of this
land and keep in mind the magnificence of the fjords.
John Constable’s Perseverance
John Constable died in 1837, but his unique style lives on in his works and also in the works of many other famous painters. Many, like Monet, worked outdoors and tried to capture light as he did. In fact, John had seven children and five of them were painters. His son, Lionel did some paintings that were thought to be his fathers’. Their style was so similar.
An English Countryside Through Vaughan Williams Eyes By: Christine L. Pollock
Did you ever stop to think where our music and songbooks come from? Who goes around collecting the pieces? There is a man from England who is famous for doing just that. Ralph Vaughan Williams was born on October 12, 1872, in Gloucestershire (at Down Ampney) in England. It is said that his compositions were true works of England. The man was a brilliant composer whose works reflected those of Brahams. Some of his music touched on Impressionism (like Debussy), but he also flirted with more dissonant sounds. As an extremely musically gifted man, Vaughan Williams composed many different genres. His varying styles included: nine symphonies, 5 operas, church music and picture music as well as theater music and much more. In 1903, Ralph went through the English countryside gathering Folk songs so the tunes could be immortalized. He also edited the English Hymnal and even composed hymns (an example would be the music to For all the Saints http://artists.mp3s.com/artists/126/richard_jordan.html). Sometimes Ralph (pronounced “Rafe” – he got angry when people pronounced his name as “Rolph”) would take poetry and composed music for it. A grandmother in NY requested that I write about his piece, The Lark Ascending (http://artists.mp3s.com/artists/100/gary_kibler.html). The Lark Ascending is a composition for orchestra with a dominant violin sound. It is based on a poem by George Meredith. The entire poem can be found at As the orchestra plays a folk style tune, the sound of the violin soars over it with beautiful twists and turns of graceful flight. The piece symbolizes the English countryside before the war destroys it. My personal favorite lines of the poem are: “So thirsty of his voice is he, For all to hear and all to know, That he is joy, awake, aglow…”. Ralph wrote the music for The Lark Ascending in 1914, but it was not publicly performed until 1920. The year he composed the piece was also the year that Vaughan Williams volunteered in the Field Ambulance Service in Flanders. He was dedicated to the war effort although he suffered deeply at the killings, especially of his close friend, the composer George Butterworth. In 1939, Ralph aided the Second World War effort by composing film music. The music Vaughan Williams composed touched the hearts and minds of the people of England. The compositions told England’s story in music throughout the world. Ralph Vaughan Williams died in his sleep due to a heart attack on August 26, 1958. His fame was so great in England; his ashes were placed in Westminster Abbey. How can Vaughan Williams come to life with our children? We day care providers can use this as a great excuse to study England. We can talk about the beautiful gardens and the old castles. Children love stories of knights and kings and queens. Some ideas for this week are:
Next week we will look at the beautiful English countryside
in the works of John Constable. For a while now we have been looking at the late 1800’s and early
1900’s. Next week we will step back a little further in time. If you have any
favorite artist or composer you would like to see highlighted, please e-mail me
at
Norman Rockwell Illustrates America By: Christine L. Pollock
“I guess I’m a storyteller,” said Norman Rockwell. He is a man who, in my mind at least, is one of the greatest artists that has lived and portrayed American life. Many people critiqued him and cited that he was never a true artist. The irony is that he never claimed to be one. Norman was an illustrator. In fact, he once stated, “…although this may not be the highest from of art it is what I love to do.” Many people (myself included) associate him with small towns and happy childhood memories of swimming and fishing. Perhaps we get this image from his paintings. In actuality, Rockwell was born in New York City on February 3, 1894. He lived in a brownstone on 103rd Street and Amsterdam Ave. As he was growing up, Norman was a choirboy at St. Luke’s and then at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine. He was not very good at sports due to physical limitations and used his drawings to entertain his friends. In the summer, Rockwell loved journeying to the country with his family. This greatly influenced his work. When Rockwell was 14, he went for art training at the Chase School of Fine and Applied Art. At the age of 17, he was illustrating children’s books and worked for a boy’s magazine when he was 18. Then he got the job of illustrating covers for The Saturday Evening Post. His covers are probably what grabbed America’s heart. In fact, one reader wrote to the editor of the magazine about Rockwell saying, “he understands us”. This was an incredible tribute to the illustrator. Norman also painted for many Boy Scouts calendars. When the war broke out, Norman tried to enlist as a Navy man. They would not let him join due to the fact that he was underweight. He went home and ate bananas, warm water and doughnuts until they let him in. However, they discovered his talent for art and the commandant used Rockwell to entertain the visiting admirals, etc. with his drawings. Norman never did get overseas and was not very happy with these arrangements. To get out of the Navy, he opted to get an inadaptability discharge (which meant he wasn’t able to do the job assigned) from his job as a third-class varnisher and painter. In the early 1900’s, Norman’s style of art did not really fit in with the other painters. He portrayed reality as he saw it and had an incredible drive for perfection in detail. Instead of abstracts or dynamic symmetry, Rockwell took simple people doing normal activities in life and put them on canvas. He made sure the costumes worn by his models were authentic. It was common for Rockwell to buy the clothes right off a person walking down the street. One of my biggest challenges this week was choosing which picture I wanted to use. So many of his pictures appeal to children. At first I was going to focus on “Day in the Life of a Boy” (http://store3.yimg.com/I/chsms_1640_2068135). This especially appealed to me since Rockwell really understood little boys (he had three of his own). It was fun for me to look at the illustration and see the little boy’s focus on his comic book. My brain had no problem picturing a Game Boy in place of the comic book to update it a bit. This picture is also mirrored by another illustration entitled “Day in the Life of a Girl”. These pictures tempted me, but I finally decided to focus on an entirely different painting. “April Fool” was another Post cover. I thought this would be a good painting for this article because it is so silly. It appeals to all ages. I could not find a link to the picture on the Internet, but it is in many Norman Rockwell books. If your local library has copies of Jack and Jill, you will find April Fool on the back cover of the April/May 2001 issue. Kids love this particular painting because it is like a search game. Here are some ideas for this week:
In addition to art that has touched the heart of America for several generations, Norman has taken us on a trip through history with his covers. We witness the good times (birthday’s, holidays, etc.) along with the bad (childhood fights, wars, etc.). Rockwell died in 1978. Next week I will write about “A Lark Ascending”. This piece was requested by a grandmother-of-four in NY. The composer lived in a similar time frame to Norman Rockwell. Do you know who he is? Find out next week…
By: Christine L. Pollock It’s here! This week we celebrate the Fourth of July! As an American, I thought I would focus on a musical tribute this week to our independence. I think the non-Americans will enjoy the lively sound of the band music, also. On the Fourth, we will have the excitement of the crowds, the smells of the barbecues and the memories of gatherings over the years celebrating the independence of our country. While many child care providers are taking the day off, many still have children coming. However, this day will definitely be special no matter where we are. What do you think of when you reflect on this day? I immediately think of fireworks, hot weather, pool parties, hot dogs and most importantly, the parade. The fire trucks in the parade are very exciting and seeing the veterans is always a moving experience, but what really makes me feel the excitement of the day is the band playing The Stars and Stripes Forever (www.dws.org/sousa). I remember when I was young and would hear the band marching down the street. My body would feel the vibrations of the drums as my feet tapped out the rhythm of the music. I also enjoyed singing to the tars and Stripes melody: Be kind to your web footed friend, Because a duck could be somebody’s mother Who lives all alone in a swamp Where the weather is cold and damp You may think that this is the end Well, it is, ‘cuz there is no other story Be kind to your web footed friend Because a duck, You know it could Be someone’s mother. Now that I am older, I know that the message of this melody is much more serious. I wanted to learn more about the piece’s composer, John Philip Sousa. Quite appropriately, John was born in Washington, D.C. in 1854. He was one of 10 children and his father’s main job was playing the trombone. When John was little, he was interested in music so John started learning to play the violin and the trombone. At the age of eleven, he joined a dance band as a violinist. When he was 13, John tried to run away to join the circus as a musician. As a result of this, his father enlisted him in the Marines. In 1868, Sousa became an apprentice musician in the Marine Corps where he stayed for five years. He did various other jobs after this. From 1882-1892, he went back to the Marines, this time as the director of the Marine Band. John Philip Sousa was a man of many talents. He was also very wise and diplomatic. His main belief was to write band music that would not only serve a purpose, but would also please the people. One of the wisest ideas he had was to gather together patriotic and national anthems from foreign lands. When he was leader of the Marine Corp., his band would play the music in honor of the land to which they were traveling. Often this would make the Americans more welcome in the foreign lands. In addition to the musical pieces he wrote, Sousa also wrote three novels, an autobiography and a couple of comic operas. The songs he wrote were often humorous (one is about a man in a kissing contest entitled Smick, Smack, Smuck). John Philip Sousa was a man who knew music and the joy and emotion it could bring out in a crowd. His composition, The Stars and Stripes Forever, became the official march of the United States in 1988 (Title 36, Section 10, Paragraph 188 of the United States Code). In March of 1932, John died in Reading, Pa. Links to more information about John Philip Sousa can be found on Child Care Magazine’s link page. Holidays and bands and patriotism are fun in general, but are especially fun in the child care environment. There are so many activities to choose from. Here are a few suggestions for the children this week:
If you have any favorite crafts or activities related to music or art, please let me know so I can add the ideas to other articles. Just write me at Music.CCMag@Eudoramail.com. Next week I will be following the American theme with my all-time favorite artist, Norman Rockwell. The way he captures life is a visual and mental treat that takes us back to the joys of childhood days.
Dancing with Debussy's Golliwogg
Music in childcare? Of course! It is a rare childcare facility that does not use music in its program in some way, shape or form. But why do we do it? Is it beneficial to the children? Definitely! How about we, the caretakers? That is a definite, also. What is it about music that stimulates our brains and makes us want to express ourselves? Many
have heard of the “Mozart Effect” where, according to studies,
listening to Mozart increases spatial IQ. In fact, many of us have spent
pregnancies listening to Mozart because magazines have told us it would
give our little ones a head start in life. This is all very good, but it
is only the tip of the iceberg. There are composers and musical pieces
out there for every kind of mood and every kind of expression. You might
think that children are only interested in children’s songs such as
“Pop Goes the Weasel” and “This Old Man”, but they really
respond to so much more. One
day a few months ago, I was playing songs on the piano for music time in
my daycare and the kids were singing and dancing. All of them were
having a great time except my 1 ½ year old day care girl. She just sat
there not really responding to anything. I looked at her and sang and
tried to get her into the music mood, but she just wasn’t going along
with it. For some reason I stopped “If You’re Happy and You Know
It” and started playing Brahms Rhapsody Opus 79 No. 2 (http://www.classicalarchives.com/brahms.html)
and her face lit up! She stood up and started dancing with the others.
This
really opened my eyes to what music is all about in the child care
environment. It is about finding the sound our children can relate to
and helping them express their mood through dance and art. Another eye-opener was my son’s preschool. They studied several composers and artists, focusing each time on one piece in depth. Was this above their interest level? No way! Did they learn from it? Definitely! We had a wonderful time as a family searching through art books and downloading songs from Johann Strauss. Now,
how can we use music in child care? Usually we have music on throughout
the day. I know I have a children’s reggae disk for when the little
ones (or I ) get cranky. We have calm music for nap/rest time and we
have music with a lot of rhythm to get the “wigglys” out in dance.
And yet, it could be so much more. Several
times I have chosen a piece of music and/or art to concentrate on it all
week…perhaps longer. The children are exposed to other times in
history though the composer/artists bio and to other cultures through
the works. They also learn how to express themselves more without words.
In
this column I plan to highlight a different composer/artist and work
each week to give ideas of how the children can express themselves
through the art and music. For the little ones, I will give some
suggestions of activities relating to the music. I will also include a
bio of the artist/composer for the older children and the adults for the
sake of interests and research. If you have any questions or suggestions
or even a favorite piece or composer you would like to see highlighted,
please feel free to e-mail me at Music.CCMag@Eudoramail.com. I
am going to start this column with one of my favorite composers, Achille
Claude Debussy. He was a truly amazing man. A composer of
classical music, Debussy was born in Saint-Germain-en-Laye
in
1862. He was such a gifted piano player that he entered the Paris
Conservatoire of
Music when he was only 10 years old. However, playing the music was not
his passion, writing (composing) was. In 1884, Debussy won the Grand
Prix de Rome for
L'enfant prodigue (The Prodigal Son), a contata (a vocal composition
with instrumental accompaniment), and
went on to study music in Rome for two years. Many
of Debussy’s works were based on plays and poems. He made the stories
come to life through his music. In the opera he wrote, Debussy was able
to express through music the dreamlike quality of Pelléas et Mélisande by
Maurice
Maeterlinck. He even composed it so the melody copies the rhythm of speech. Debussy
wrote his music so that it was light and expressive with gentle tones.
It was like painting with notes. In fact, although he disliked the term,
Debussy was called an “Impressionist”. His works were inspired by
the paintings of Monet (who we will learn more about next week). One
of the pieces I often play for the children in my daycare is Golliwog's
Cakewalk.
The piece is part of a collection entitled “Children’s Corner
Suite”. Debussy reportedly dedicated this piece to his five year old
daughter. They are modeled after games she played with her governess.
Okay,
we know a bit about the composer and the song, what do we do with it?
Play it for the children while they are playing. Ask them questions.
What do you hear in the music? How does it make you feel? Then tell them
the title of the piece. Ask the if they know what a Golliwogg is. Do you
know what it is? It is a rag doll that was the focus of children’s
books in the late 1800’s (History of the Golliwogg
). Some activities to do with the children throughout the week are
as follows:
These
are ideas I have in mind for the 2-5 age range. Older children often put
their own spin on it and express a lot more. Sometimes it is interesting
to have the school age children create a play to music separate from the
little ones and then have the groups perform for each other.
I
have already seen this focus on music at work in my home day care. It is
fascinating and benefits us all. Next week, I will write about
Monet and the light that he brings to all our worlds. Debussy changed
the music in his time and prepared the next century for a new era of
music. What effect on the world (and on our day cares) do you think
Monet will have? Have a great week, Christine L. Pollock.
By: Christine L. Pollock Imagine it. You are taking a hike with a picnic on your back. The weather is perfect. The sun is warm and occasional clouds drift over providing a welcome blanket of cool relief. Hiking is getting a bit tiring and it is time for a break. There, right around the corner is a pond that radiates tranquility. After the food is spread out, you gaze around and watch the light playing with the colors of the leaves and flowers in the pond. Feel the refreshing breeze. There. You have caught it in your mind. Monet caught it on canvas. In 1840, Claude Monet was born in Paris, France. When he was 5, Claude’s family moved to La Havre. For many years, Monet did caricatures, but when he was a young man, a landscape painter named Boudin came into Claude’s life. In the 1800’s, painters would often go outside and quickly sketch the scenes they wanted on their canvases. They would then go back to their studios and finish the paintings. Monet had a different style. He learned from Boudin that he enjoyed working out in the open air and decided he wanted to study more about painting. His works were done with quick strokes and the entire paintings were done in the outdoors. In 1859, Claude went to study art back in Paris. Just like Debussy (see last week’s article), Monet lived in the Age of Impressionism. In fact, the term “Impressionism” was coined when a journalist named Louis Leroy tried to attack one of Monet’s pieces of art entitled “Impression: Sunrise”. His work was very unlike the so called great paintings of his day. Most artists painted reality as they saw it, showing little or no signs of movement. Claude Monet was different. Monet loved light. He would study an object (or building or scene) in many different situations (different times of day, different weather, etc). In his paintings we see movement and change: life in action. Painting on a canvas with white coating helped bring out the colors of Monet’s paintings. He often painted with straight, unmixed colors. Painting outdoors was so important that while Monet was painting Women in the Garden http://www.debsdomicile.com/0012.htm (which was 2.5 meters – about 8 1/5 feet tall ), he dug a trench to hold his canvas. He would raise and lower the canvas with pulleys to reach the part he wanted to paint. Monet was so fascinated and careful with the light in his paintings, he would refuse to paint even the leaves in the backgrounds of his pictures if the light was not right. Since he enjoyed painting the outdoors so much, Claude had a boat made to become his studio. It had windows around the cabin so he could look out and even had a canopy so he could paint on the deck. He never did go very far offshore, though. A painting of the boat can be seen at http://sunsite.auc.dk/cgfa/monet/p-monet8.htm. As the years passed, Monet settled down in Giverny (in Northwestern France) where he made a pond on his property and planted some water lilies. Always watching the reflection of light on the plant life and the colors, Monet did a series of paintings of his water lilies which became very famous. This week I especially want to focus on The Waterlily Pond. Children seem to enjoy this painting. In fact, I showed a few of Monet’s paintings to a four year old and a seven year old. Both chose The Waterlily Pond as their favorite. Whey I asked them why, the seven year old said, “Because it has no people in it”. The four year old said, “because of the bridge”. I questioned them further. What would you like about it if the bridge weren’t there? (colors) What time of day do you think it is? What do you think you would see if you crossed the bridge? The four year old though maybe the bridge would lead him to New York City where he might meet Godzilla. The seven year old thought some people might be fishing on the other side of the bridge. When I asked what time of day they thought it was, the seven year old said it was morning. When I asked why he thought this, I was impressed to hear him say, “because of the light”. I had not yet taught him about Monet and his studies of light. It was also interesting to see the bridge stand out for them. Without the bridge, this painting meshes together almost like an abstract painting. The bridge gives it a bit of solid form. Ask the children in your child care how they think Monet made the bridge stand out. Claude literally made the bridge jump off the canvas by putting a lot of paint on the brush as he painted it. When it dried, he would repeat this method, tracing over the previous lines. He did this several times until the bridge seemed more solid than the rest of the painting. There are many ways children can learn about Monet. Show them one of his paintings and ask them what it is. When they answer, ask them how they knew what it was when most of the colors were painted on is dots and swirls. Then you can have the children experiment on their own.
In 1926, Claude Monet died. His eyesight had been failing for many years, but he continued painting until his last days. Claude’s gift for portraying light has made him very popular. Although he is long gone, Monet’s “impressions” live on and have impacted children and adults alike from his day, into our modern day world. Due to the patriotic holidays coming up in America, next week I plan to write about John Philip Sousa. Another composer from the 1800's. This American composer wrote Stars and Stripes Forever. If you have any questions, comments or requests, please e-mail me at Music.CCMag@Eudoramail.com. Bibliography of Monet :http://www.ibiblio.org/wm/paint/auth/monet/ and http://www.britannica.com/magazine/article?content_id=92952&query=monet.
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