Picture the Music

Notes

This is a very simple lesson that gets the student to connect with the visual and the auditory senses to give them ideas. It clearly shows how music affects the emotional response to an image

Have the picture full screen on display.

Explain that they are going to write a poem (that does not have to rhyme!) about the daffodil.

Explain that there is a piece of music that goes alongside this picture which will affect the ideas they get.

Start by asking the class (or group) what things they can see in the picture. These will be the ideas that they can write about.

Model how these are mapped.

Once they have a good idea of the sort of things they could write about begin the music.

Whilst the music is playing the students will map out ideas they have from what they see and from what they hear.
Remind them to:

• Use simile to help clarify an idea
• Use Metaphor to give the idea power
• Use adjectives and think of alternate ones if possible

At the end of the mapping session ( usually 3 listens to the music is enough ) allow the students time to construct sentences from their idea maps.

Once the poems are constructed share them with everyone. It is very powerful to link the final written work back to the original map to see how the thoughts developed from ideas to poetry.