MyLeoNes™

One idea, many art forms — Art, 4–6

The same idea can become a picture, a sound, a movement or a performance. Art, 4–6 years.

The idea can change form

An idea is what you want to show, such as “rain”, “a sleepy giant” or “a surprise”. You can show it with paint, sounds, singing, movement, words or several of these together. The materials change, but the central idea can stay recognisable.

Why use another art form?

Sometimes paint cannot show how a storm sounds, and words cannot show how a body moves. People use different art forms because each one can make some parts of an idea easier to notice. This solves the problem of finding the best way to share an idea with the people who will experience it.

Show one rainstorm three ways

Choose the idea “rainstorm”. First, draw dark clouds and slanting blue lines. Next, make three soft drum taps for raindrops, followed by one loud tap for thunder. Finally, crouch low, wiggle your fingers like rain and stretch your arms wide for lightning. The idea stays the same while the art form changes.

It is not just copying

You may try to make the drawing, sound and dance look exactly alike. That is reasonable because you are trying to keep the same idea. But each art form has different strengths. Keep the important feeling or subject, then let the paint show colour, the sound show noise and the movement show action.

Where it appears

A story may be a book, a song, a dance or a play. A school celebration might show the same idea through a picture on the wall and music in the room. When you have an idea, ask which art form will help people see, hear or feel it most clearly.

Keep exploring

Other languages

Loading MyLeoNes™…