Introducing the World’s Arts

“A picture lives only through him who looks at it.”—Pablo Picasso (cited in Bruner, 1979, p. 22)

Children are born with a sense of wonder. Their aesthetic sense develops through:

• Sensory experiences • Exposure to their own cultural styles• Experiences with other aesthetic styles• Messages from the media• Adult and peer reactions to arts performances

How Do Children Learn to Respond to the Arts?

National Core Arts Standards

•Arts as communication•Arts as personal expression•Arts as pleasure•Arts as community engagement

How Do Children Learn to Respond to the Arts? (continued)

1. Initial response is sensory

2. Tend to free-associate

3. Prefer simple and direct

4. Have favorites5. May not

understand how it is made or done

How Do We Engage Children with Artistic Works?

• Make familiar• Increase perception• Add emotion• Create memories• Make connections• Add newness• Make it real• Make it playful

How Do We Engage Children with Artistic Works? (continued)

Select examples of the arts that:

• are made by people of all ages and cultures

• show the everyday life of different people

• show different styles, media, and techniques

How Do We Engage Children with Artistic Works? (continued)

Avoiding bias•Share works from diverse peoples and cultures every day.•Strive for balance.•Respect the work.

How Do We Engage Children with Artistic Works? (continued)

In visual art, look for:

Familiar subjectsAbstract and nonobjectiveWorks that tell stories

How Do We Engage Children with Artistic

Works? (continued)

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Selecting Music

Look for:

• Simple rhythms

• Consistent beat

• Simple harmonies

• Basic patterns

But…don’t neglect more complex works such as those by Bach.

Selecting Dances

Look for:

• A limited number of movements

• A strong beat

• Movements match words

• Many repetitions

• Open-ended

Selection Theater Performances

Look for:

• Designed for children

• Simple plot – perhaps based on a familiar story

• Seating close to the stage

• Opportunity to talk with the actors before or after.

Types of Artworks

• Original works

• Art posters

• Medium-size prints

• Arts books

• Artifacts

Using Art Prints

• Masterpiece corner

• Puppets

• Questions

• Big books

• Art bags

• Games

• Puzzles

• Sorting activities

Engage children with:

As communicative processes, the arts produce “texts” that can be:

•Described •Compared •Created •Discussed •Questioned •Connected

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How Can We Talk About Artistic Works?

• Plan for children’s short attention spans

• Provide something for children to do or touch

• Consider children’s safety• Bring only a few things to

share• Plan questions to ask the

children

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How Can Children Be Introduced to Community Arts Resources?

Guidelines for guest artists:

How Can Children Be Introduced to Community Arts Resources?

(continued)

Field trip Ideas

•Studios

•Parks

•Museums

•Performances

•Other places

Children’s Literature and the Arts

Select books that:• Illustrate different arts concepts—color,

pattern, and so forth, or styles

• Have illustrations in different media

• Tell the story of a famous artist, musician, dancer, or actor

• Explain the arts of another culture

Caldecott Medal• The Caldecott Medal is awarded to the illustrator of the

most distinguished picture book published during the previous year.

1988 Caldecott Medal

2008 Caldecott Honor, 2008 Geisel Honor

• The award is given by the Association for Library Service to Children, a division of the American Library Association. 

• The book must be an original creation and the winner has to be a citizen or resident of the United States.

Caldecott Medal

• You'll see a gold seal on the Caldecott winner. 

• You'll see silver seals on books that were named honor books.

• The award was first presented in 1938

• Banaras Music of India: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CUaKpaUG_zo

• Children’s Opera: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q-t0v5loG5gThe Keystone State Boy’s Choir performs spontaneously at the Please Touch Museum in Philadelphia.

• Native American music “My People, My Land”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o9LRuj0JyO4

Performed by Pura Fe and a group of young people.

Copyright 2015 Cengage Learning.All Rights Reserved.

Conclusion: Becoming a Lover of the Arts