Music’s Sam Burt and TICE Textiles’ Charly Liddle were very pleased to be returning for another day of musical and artistic exploration at Bailey Green Primary School. And as always, the children of Bailey Green were showing nothing but enthusiasm before the day even started.
Before getting into the challenges it’s always best to warm up, right? We have to say, Sam always has the most entertaining ice breakers, one being ‘I am an Egg Warmer’. It’s the silliest, craziest and most enjoyable game which is probably why the classroom was left in hysterics. Seriously, how could you not laugh at people impersonating Omnipresent Beans!?
Once all were settled, it was time to get musical with a percussion-building exercise. After collectively learning a few statement rhythmic sequences, it was time for them to create their very own sequence with a myriad of different percussive instruments. The results varied from powerhouse rock vibes to funky drum fills. However, no matter what the genre, students had to perform their song and convey an emotion to the rest of the class whilst the others had to guess what that emotion was. This task helped students begin to explore the many ways that art can resonate with an audience member.
For the big challenge of the day, using the songs ‘I’m Going Slightly Mad’ by Queen and ‘Bonkers’ by Dizzee Rascal, each group had to create a record cover to encapsulate what the song represents. First, they had to listen to their chosen song. It was interesting to discover along the way that both songs had different meanings, although on the surface they seem to represent the same emotion. So after teams assigned each member a job role, they continued to listen and note down poignant lyrics as well as doodle ideas for colours, imagery, shapes, and patterns. After a lot of discussion and deliberation with the ideas they had, all teams finalised their favourite design and were ready to bring it to life.
In true Charly style, she filled their tables with colours, pom poms and glitter (amongst an array of other crafts) to give their final designs that extra effect. Of course, once they saw the extent of their creative freedom they were eager to get going. It was wonderful to see students collaborating not only with enthusiasm but with resilience and professionalism. Teams were owning their assigned roles and used their time efficiently to create well-thought-out, powerful album artwork.
After the covers were completed, teams were asked to showcase their final designs to their peers and the response was beyond exciting. They all noticed how differently each team had interpreted the song in a visual way – there were different colour palettes, decorations and stories told through each design. Most importantly, each design evoked a very clear emotion. We all came to the conclusion that Dizzee Rascal and Queen missed out on some iconic artwork!
What a fantastic day it was. Students learned all about the importance of finding the meaning behind art, and how best to showcase it – a very important tool for anyone who has a creative bone in their body. Of course, we’d like to say a huge thank you to Bailey Green Primary School for your sharing your talent and enthusiasm with us. Until next time…