Troy students combine art, music to create unique compositions

Troy Craughwell Elementary School art teacher Mary Beth Blaauw has already posted some of her students’ artworks on the online art gallery, Artsonia, this year and plans on showcasing others throughout the rest of the school year.

She also plans on another collaboration with Craughwell music teacher Paige Mueller this year, just as the two did last spring. The teachers worked together with their students to create one artistic piece that contained both art and music, using the Giles Andreae book, “Giraffes Can’t Dance,” for inspiration.

“Music and art are a natural pairing,” Blaauw said.

As her students read the book, they imagined fresh artistic illustrations to make giraffes look like they were dancing in the moonlight.

Meanwhile, Muelller’s music students were working on reading and writing rhythms and composed their own 16-beat patterns for their art/music collaboration using quarter, eighth and half notes and quarter rests.

The students put their illustrations to music and even drew the notes of their compositions on the artwork.

“When the two lessons were put together,” Blaauw said, “pure magic was created. Our students now have works of art that not only show movement, but are also able to be performed.”

Mueller said the collaboration between Blaauw and herself began during the period of virtual learning when students were learning from home. Working together was inspiring, she said.