Appropriate grades or age groups:
Preschool and up.

Estimated time to complete project:
30 minutes or more.

Materials needed (if applicable):
water colors
tempera paint
brushes
paper
water
musical selections

Project instructions or description:
Painting while listening to music is a great way to explore emotions or moods that are communicated by visual artists. So turn on the radio or pop in a favorite CD and paint with your kids!

1. Start with classical pieces like Debussy for dreamlike interpretations or Mozart which is playful and fun and let your child paint what he or she feels like painting.

2. Next play Dixieland or Ragtime to see how your child responds to early forms of jazz. Does the art reflect the change in music?

3. What happens when you introduce rock music? Observe your child? choices of color based on the music that is playing and ask them why they chose those colors. Do certain colors "go" with certain moods?

4. What music does your child respond best to? Have a discussion on how the music conjures up visual images in the mind.

5. By quieting the mind and closing the eyes your child can develop the ability to visually attach an image to what he or she hears. This is the beauty of art!