Musical landscapes

Preparation

Bring to class reproductions of as many landscapes as there are students in the class and some background classical music. Put the pictures on the walls around the room.

Procedure

• Tell students that there are pictures on the walls, and that you will play some music.
• Ask them to walk around the room from one picture to another as they hear the music. They should look at the pictures, but they mustn't stop walking until the music stops.
• When the music stops, they can run to any of the landscapes they like, but they can only stay there if there is nobody else standing there, so it is one person – one picture.
• Ask students to imagine that they are in the landscape. Ask them to imagine their lives as that person. Give them one minute to think and generate ideas.
• Ask students to choose someone, and invite that person to their picture, and tell them who they are. Their partner can also ask them questions. Give them half a minute. Then they go to the other person's picture, where they have half a minute, too.
• Start playing the music again, and follow the same process again, but this time ask students to invite a different person to their new landscapes. Give them one minute each in their new pairs.
• Repeat the process three or four times, asking students to choose a different person each time and giving them longer and longer periods of time to talk.

First published: Bonnie Tsai – Judit Fehér: Creative Resources (2003) Atlanta, USA: IAL