Look in the Mythic Mirror

Questions for Use by the Teacher

 

Art Questions ]|[ Music Questions

ART QUESTIONS

  1. Does this picture tell a story? What is it? Who are the people pictured? What are they doing? Why are they doing it? What other objects or places are in the picture? What is their relationship to the whole picture?
  2. Would you describe this painting as beautiful? If so, what words can you use to describe the beauty? If not, what are some words you might choose to describe the "look" of the painting?
  3. What colors are used in this picture? Is there a balance between light and darkness? Is there a balance of shapes? Can you tell how the artist painted the picture—did he or she use a brush (large or small) or some other object? What other techniques were used to create the painting?
  4. What time period is portrayed in the picture? Did the artist live in the same time period as the subject portrayed?
  5. What is your emotional response to this picture? What are some words that describe the way the painting makes you feel?
  6. Can you describe the "mood" of this painting? (A description of mood should include words more complex than "happy" or "sad," e.g., cheerful, peaceful, frightening, mysterious, dark, cold, violent, etc.)

MUSIC QUESTIONS

  1. Does this music encourage you to imagine a scene or a story? If so, what is the scene or story, and what are the elements of the music that suggest that scene or story?
  2. Would you describe this music as beautiful? If so, what are the elements in the music that you find beautiful? If not, what other words might you choose to describe the sound of the music?
  3. What instruments (singers) do you hear? Describe them: are there soloists, many instruments (voices), or combinations of both? Use some descriptive words to talk about the actual sound of the music: is it loud, soft, high, low, rough, smooth, etc.? Are their brass instruments, strings, woodwinds, percussion, synthesizer, etc.?
  4. Does this music have a strong beat or pulse? Is the pulse even and steady or uneven and hard to clap? Does the rhythm seem to effect the way it makes you feel? If so, how?
  5. Does the music move in 2’s (like walking: left, right, left, right), in 3’s (like a waltz: 1, 2, 3, 1, 2, 3) or in some other way?
  6. What is your emotional response to this music? What are some words that describe the way the music makes you feel?

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