A Night at the Museum

Pose and respond to specific questions with elaboration and detail by making comments that contribute to the topic, text, or issue under discussion.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.6.2

Interpret information presented in diverse media and formats (e.g., visually, quantitatively, orally) and explain how it contributes to a topic, text, or issue under study.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.6.5

Include multimedia components (e.g., graphics, images, music, sound) and visual displays in presentations to clarify information.

• Interpret different mediums of art through audio creation using Soundtrap.
• Create and record oral explanations for pieces of artwork using Soundtrap.
• Reflect on how others interpret art and what influences their thought process.

Middle (6-8)

• Mood- The atmosphere in a painting, or the feeling expressed. 
• Tone- Quality of color in a piece of art. 
• Soundscape- A sound or combination of sounds that forms or arises from an experience. 

Teacher-Led Introduction/Exploration

1. Open the lesson by showing students an art piece from the Google Arts and Culture page.
2. Ask: what are your initial thoughts when you see this piece of art?
   1. Additional Questions: What sounds do you hear when you see this? How does this painting make you feel? 
   2. Pose the question: If you could create a mini soundscape to go along with this artwork what would it sound like? Why do you choose those specific sounds?

Student Activity Option #1: Collaborative Group Task

• Place students into groups of 3 or 4 (depending on class size)
• Each group will agree to utilize one piece of artwork to interpret from the Google Arts and Culture page. 
  • Teacher discretion: there are tens of thousands of options for students to choose from on the site. You may consider narrowing down the options by museum, medium, time period, etc. This will reduce the time spent choosing the piece and all the students to focus more deeply on their soundscapes. 
• Within each group, each student will create their own mini soundscape using the loops library found within the Soundtrap studio. 
• Once composed, each student will share their soundscape with their small group.
• Then, students will discuss their soundscapes and address these questions within their small groups. 
  • Sample Questions:
    • What were your initial thoughts about the piece of art?
    • How did the colors impact your decision to create certain sounds?
    • Select one soundscape in your group. How do you think this person felt when they were creating their soundscape?
    • What did you learn about your classmate from listening to their soundscapes?
• Invite a whole-class share out (optional)

Student Activity Option #2: Individual Task

• Students will be tasked with selecting their own piece of artwork from this site provided by the teacher. (Google Arts & Culture)
  • Teacher discretion: there are tens of thousands of options for students to choose from on the site. You may consider narrowing down the options by museum, medium, time period, etc. This will reduce the time spent choosing the piece and all the students to focus more deeply on their soundscapes. 

• Soundscape Instructions
  • Create at least one soundscape (30 secs to One minute long)
  • Include a minimum of three loops (found in the loops library)
  • Incorporate at minimum two editing features (fade in/fade out, volume increase/decrease, splitting regions, shortening and extending tracks)
    • Extension: Include a minimum of two advance editing features (ex. Key change, tempo change, and automation) or midi instruments (found within the studio).

• Soundscape Oral Explanation
  • Record a 1-2 minute vocal track in Soundtrap, explaining your creative process. How did you decide to use the sounds you did? What mood/emotion were you trying to create?
  • Watch this video on how to record your voice in the Soundtrap studio.
• Save and Download finish project (mp3 download).   
• Compile student work in a presentation deck (Google Slides, Adobe Spark, Canva, etc).

1. California Arts Standards
2. California County Superintendents Arts Initiative: Ventura County Office of Education and Museum of Ventura County
3. Meet Me at the Museum Podcast
4. Sidedoor Podcast

Exemplar Project: Exemplar Art Project