Assignment 5.2 - The Classroom Potential for Sound Art

 The Classroom Potential for Sound Art 

I wanted to write about Sound Art specifically, because in our Artistic Development of Adolescents class, we had an assignment to analyze a video clip from a film or TV show that reflects an adolescent issue. I chose this clip featuring Gene, a sixth grader from Bob's Burgers (it's a little raunchy). The short version is that Gene has to turn in a History report about Prohibition, but he produces an audio clip of his Grandparents... being... intimate... and presents that as his project. His teacher then sends him to the principal's office, and he gets detention. Perhaps if the assignment was inclusive of a creative response (in addition to a report, because synthesizing ideas and research is important!), Gene would have been more inclined to present an interesting piece of art that had to deal with the topic at hand. 

All of that said, allowing students – especially early-to-mid adolescents – to explore the medium of Sound Art opens up opportunities for building community in the classroom by way of collaboration, interviews, group work, etc. When teachers assign a project like an interview, it can build technical skills like audio editing and getting quality recording, as well as life skills like asking meaningful questions.

Sound art specifically allows students to explore a sense that is not purposefully engaged with in art class. While traditional visual art classes primarily target senses of sight and touch, sound art activates the auditory sense and offers up an additional possibility for what art can be. An example project could be to transform a space through sound, or to capturing the sound of a place that means something to them – like an auditory landscape – or the sound of them interacting with an object that is meaningful. 

Overall, working with sound can be a way to engage students who wouldn't normally respond or be interested in visual arts while providing an opportunity to learn new skills, and which could lead them to discover a new interest.