Fourth graders embarked on a collaborative interdisciplinary project exploring various modes of expression. They began by analyzing Mussorgsky’s “Pictures at an Exhibition,” (a composition inspired by an art exhibit) during music class.

In art, students then used a segment of Mussorgsky’s piano composition to inspire abstract paintings, experimenting with color, line, value, shape, and space. In the next phase of this project, each student will take another student’s abstract painting and, in the spirit of Mussorgsky, study it closely and use it to inspire a musical composition.

Using Garage Band, they will mix and layer, recording their own voices and instruments to express the feelings evoked by their classmate’s painting. By using music and art as alternate languages with which to communicate their thoughts and feelings, students develop a stronger awareness that there are infinite ways to see and communicate.

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