check the house for art!
"Check the House for Art" is a 40-50 minute multimedia program that will inspire students to find artistic inspiration in their everyday lives and think creatively about connections between language, music, and visual art. With the help of the accomplished musicians in the Household Items string quartet, vocalist Laura Grill, and images designed by local visual artists, Friedland's original music dramatizes everyday items such as product descriptions, ingredient lists, instructional manuals, and his own childhood poetry. Through participatory music making, lively discussion, and collaborative activities, students will explore firsthand the power of musical and artistic concepts to express emotion, tell stories, and even to make us laugh.
Friedland conceived of this educational offshoot of his acclaimed Household Items project after discovering the power of his domestic-based compositions to inspire piano students to compose in highly emotive and original ways. By gaining an awareness of how rhythm, musical style, tempo, and harmony can infuse meaning into practically any words, and how language can also inspire different musical ideas, Friedland's students gained powerful tools for self-expression. In "Check the House for Art", students will discover the impact of words, music, and additionally, visual art, on each other through probing questions, interactive demonstrations, and through the performance itself. Students then employ these skills to help the Household Items Orchestra create a new composition. Student participants choose a product that they would like to see turned into a song, decode the language on a product for emotions, tone, and texture, and finally select the music they think best fits that language. Through "Check the House for Art", the Household Items Orchestra will demonstrate the expressive power of music and art, encourage creative thinking, and memorably entertain students all at once.
"Check the House for Art" is appropriate for all elementary and middle school students and can be tailored to fit specific age groups through selection of materials, activities, and discussion questions. Please view the timeline and videos below for more details about content. For questions and booking inquires, please use the contact form.
Friedland conceived of this educational offshoot of his acclaimed Household Items project after discovering the power of his domestic-based compositions to inspire piano students to compose in highly emotive and original ways. By gaining an awareness of how rhythm, musical style, tempo, and harmony can infuse meaning into practically any words, and how language can also inspire different musical ideas, Friedland's students gained powerful tools for self-expression. In "Check the House for Art", students will discover the impact of words, music, and additionally, visual art, on each other through probing questions, interactive demonstrations, and through the performance itself. Students then employ these skills to help the Household Items Orchestra create a new composition. Student participants choose a product that they would like to see turned into a song, decode the language on a product for emotions, tone, and texture, and finally select the music they think best fits that language. Through "Check the House for Art", the Household Items Orchestra will demonstrate the expressive power of music and art, encourage creative thinking, and memorably entertain students all at once.
"Check the House for Art" is appropriate for all elementary and middle school students and can be tailored to fit specific age groups through selection of materials, activities, and discussion questions. Please view the timeline and videos below for more details about content. For questions and booking inquires, please use the contact form.
timelineTotal time: 40-50 min
Introduction: Brian discusses how music can be made from any place we encounter language, introduces concept of composing using texts from "Household Items." Each song has questions, demonstrations, and/or explanations about how the music and art relate to the lyrics. Avon Peach Hand Lotion (4-5 min) Laura reads product description and asks for adjectives based on text and on nature of product. Brian explains what he was thinking of while composing, and demonstrates how certain chords feel like those specific words. Excerpts from a Lease: Important Questions (4-5 min) Brian talks about how music can be a form of protest against silly rules -- in this case, a list of questions from his landlord, followed by discussion about how music and visuals tell two contrary stories Periogard (4-5 min) Laura explains how dramatic music can create an action packed story out of list of chemical names in mouthwash, and how that produces ironic humor. Sleepytime Herb Tea (4-5 min) Brian asks for suggestions on how music and visual arts can be relaxing to match overall subject of song and explains how visual art is used to humorously demonstrate exaggeration of products claims. Activity: Compose A New Household Items Song! (10 min) Students help the Household Items Orchestra compose a song! One volunteer picks a product from a grocery bag, and another student looks for language that would be the best material for a song. Other students then give ideas for emotions and sounds based on product text and the nature of the product itself. Brian comes up with several short musical riffs to reflect those words, and students vote on their favorite. The Household Items Orchestra finally improvises a new song based on that riff. How to Grow A Beard/Mustache (3-4 min) Laura explains about how very silly instructions are treated very seriously in the music and the humor that results from the contrast. Elevator Warnings (for grades 3-5) (4-5 min) Brian reads warnings from his friend's elevator that state "there is a little danger of running out of air, or of this elevator dropping uncontrollably" and asks students to think about if those words produce calm or anxiety. Students are further instructed to attempt to identify musical and artistic devices during performance that make piece progress in levels of anxiety. Activity: Mary Had A Little What!? (for grades 2 and under) (4-5 min) Brian demonstrates how music can also change the feeling of a familiar melody by composing variations on Mary Had A Little Lamb. Students provide the Household Items Orchestra with emotions, other animals, and original storylines to see how they impact the music. I Like USA, A Poem by 8-year-old Brian (3-4 min) The program concludes with a fun sing-a-long in which students are challenged to sing 3 different lines of Brian's poem at the same time. Brian suggests students use their own words and things around them to produce original songs and art. Audience Questions (remaining time) |
Videos |