CREATING FINGER PAINTINGS TO MUSIC AND WRITING ARTIST STATEMENTS

1. Students will create finger paintings to different pieces of music and write artist
statements to describe their artistic choices.

Students will write several sentences to describe their artwork and record its
connections to the song.

2. 5.5.2.3.1
Standard: Create original artistic work.
Benchmark: Using artistic foundations create art that redesigns artworks, objects, places
or systems.

5.5.2.4.1
Standard: Revise and complete original artistic work.
Benchmark: Create artist statements to describe choices in artmaking, using art
vocabulary.

3. List of materials:
- finger paint
- painting paper
- area for students to wash their hands between paintings
- each student needs a notebook and a pencil
- access to 3 different songs:
- Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zV1qLYukTH8&t=52s
- Life is a Highway:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gn19U2lMNnw
- Colors of the Wind:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hcmpj5HPue0

4. Timing: Teacher: Students:

Steps 1 and 1. The teacher will introduce 1. Students are listening.
2 should the activity to the class.
take about 5
minutes. “Hello students, today we
are going to paint while
listening to different pieces
of music. While we do this
activity I want you all to
listen to the songs and
paint what you think
matches or enhances the
music. You don’t
necessarily have to think
 about what these songs
have been used for, but
instead think about how
they make you feel. What
colors do the songs sound
like? Are the songs slow or
fast? Would you paint with
long straight lines, or short
curly ones? Does the
painting look realistic or
abstract? Does the song
use patterns that you can
paint?”

The teacher can add more

or less prompting
questions to help students
get their brains flowing
before they start the
activity. The teacher can
also mention specific
elements or principles that
the class has been talking
about if they are relevant.

“Once we finish each

finger painting, we are
going to write an artist
statement about the
choices you made to
enhance the song. This
means you will write a few
sentences to describe your
painting and help the
audience understand it
better.”

“Any questions so far?” Students have the opportunity to

ask questions about the lesson
and activities so far.

2. The teacher instructs 2. Students go to grab their

students to grab the
materials they will need for
this activity.
“You will only wash your
hands after a finger
painting is complete, if the
colors get mixed together
supplies. Students will be
wearing painting smocks
and have sinks and towels
nearby if they need to
clean up any messes right
away.
 on your paper that is okay!
Please grab 3 pieces of
painting paper each, put
your name on them, and
one bowl of each finger
painting color for the
table.”
Step 3
should take 3. Once the students have 3. Students begin the finger
4-5 minutes their supplies set up and painting activity.
have returned to their desk
the teacher will play the
first sample of music. The
Dance of the Sugar Plum
Fairy sample that is in the
materials portion of this
lesson is shorter so the
teacher can restart it and
play another minute or so
after it finishes if the
students need some more
time to finish their finger
paintings. While the
teacher plays the music,
the students can not see
the youtube video.

“While I play this song

please paint however you
feel connected. Pay
attention to some of the
choices you are making
and why you are making
them. Have fun!”
Step 4
should take 4. “Okay, now let's go wash 4. Students wash their hands, get
3-5 minutes our hands and grab our their notebook and a pencil out,
notebooks to write our and write an artist statement for
artist statement about the the first piece.
first piece. You can title
this one “Dance of the
Sugar Plum Fairy” since
that is the name of the
song we were listening to.
(The teacher can write the
title on the whiteboard if
students need assistance.)
Please write several
sentences, at least 3,
about the principles and
 elements you chose, and
remember some of those
brainstorming questions I
asked at the beginning of
this lesson.”

The teacher will walk

around the room and offer
help to students who need
it. The teacher can help
students come up with
emotions to list on their
artist statement. The
Repeating teacher can also remind
the activity students of different color
with the families, etc.
other two
songs 5. The teacher repeats steps 5. Students follow steps 3 & 4 for
should take 3 & 4 with the other two two more songs. They should have
an songs, one at a time. By 3 paintings and 3 artist statements
additional the end, the students by the end of the lesson.
15-20 should have 3 different
minutes. finger paintings, and 3
artist statements in their
notebook.
Steps 6 and
7 should
take 5-10
minutes 6. “For closure, let’s bring all 6. Students are following
our paintings to the drying instructions and bringing their
rack, remember to put your paintings to the drying rack and
name on them. Then handing their artist statements in.
return to your desk and
pass your artist statements
to the center of the room
and I will collect those.”

7. The teacher asks a few 7. The students are raising their

closing questions to wrap hands and answering the teachers
up the lesson. questions and prompts with their
thoughts and ideas.
“What did you learn today?
Did you feel like it was
easy or hard to paint out
different songs? Did some
songs sound brighter or
more dull? Did some
songs seem more detailed
or more smooth? Would
someone be able to
 recognize the song by your
painting? What did you
paint that you think makes
the biggest connection? Is
it by colors, shapes,
pattern, repetition, or
something else? How
about if you had the artist
statement with your
painting? How would that
change what someone
knew about the piece?
Once they know the name
of the song would it make
it easier or harder to
recognize some of your
artistic choices?”

5. For the assessment the teacher will conduct an informal assessment as the students
work on each artist statement and the teacher walks around the room offering feedback
and assistance. The teacher has the opportunity to make sure every student is
participating. The teacher can check for whole class understanding during the closing
brainstorm. As a formal assessment the teacher will make sure every student:
A. Completed 3 artist statements
B. Labeled each artist statement using the song title
C. The students have 3 sentences minimum describing their painting and its connection
to the music. At least one of these sentences should touch on an element or principle
mentioned by the teacher while prompting students, or from previous art lessons.

6. I like finger painting for this activity because the students only have a few minutes to
create a painting and they aren’t worrying about changing brushes or using water with
this method. The students are creating their own visual literacy in this lesson. I think this
is a unique way to introduce visual literacy. I think there are countless ways the teacher
could design a lesson to follow this class period that would explain visual literacy by
using the students’ creations today. Students will have a great example of visual literacy
after this lesson because they talked about how their art is telling the story of a song,
how the artistic choices represent something bigger than the painting itself. Students
also worked with artist statements which are literacy in themselves. Visual literacy is also
critical thinking and students use a lot of critical thinking throughout this lesson while the
teacher prompts them to pull prior knowledge and connect it to their own paintings. This
is a hands-on approach to visual literacy that incorporates music which makes the
lesson more memorable and exciting. I would love to do this lesson and hear what
students chose to paint because of the music playing and hear their reasonings why.
Creativity is being combined with motor skills to design visual literacy and if the teacher
wants to teach the vocabulary of “Visual Literacy” this lesson would help students
remember how their artwork was being tied to music and an artist statement, and how
that is visual literacy because of the interpretations through imagery. They made artistic
choices for their finger paintings that enhance visual literacy.

To make this lesson a part of a larger unit, the teacher could start to talk about the
purpose of art pieces and how even abstract art can tell a story. There are many works
of art the class could look through that may evoke many different emotions and stories.
This lesson could also be a part of a unit on artist statements. We looked at the Scream
in our class and then read the poem that goes with it. There are many art pieces that
have different forms of artistic statements like poems, songs, pictures, etc. This could
also be an introduction to a unit like that. Another unit I think this lesson could easily tie
into is one on interpretations. A very fun activity to do is have students face away from
each other and read off instructions for a drawing then switch partners. It is neat to see
how each student interprets the same drawing instructions differently, just like how each
student interpreted the songs they were painting to differently. This lesson could be a
part of a unit on art interpretation and how some pieces easily give their audience similar
reactions and how some pieces give different people different reactions. There is also a
large difference depending on if there is an artist statement attached or not, if the
teacher wanted to include the unit on artist statements I also mentioned. Overall I can
think of many ways this lesson could be used on a larger scale.