‘Action Painting’ was developed in the 1950’s by Jackson Pollock using full body movement. He believed painting is a physical activity that connects mind and body. In the Den children made marks in response to musical sounds, picturing how the sounds look - lines, dots, curves etc.

ather than drawing what you can see, you draw what you feel. With a large sheet of paper across the floor and crayons in hand we listened to Native American music that had a steady repetitive beat that saw the children make zigzag marks to express the sounds they could hear, stretching across the paper using gross motor movements. Norwegian Folk music with a gentle tuneful sound saw curves and circular marks made as children swayed their arms to the music, one child commented, “It’s like a ghost.”

Sound effects work just as well, from thunder storms and children laughing to fireworks exploding. With no right or wrong marks, drawing to music gives the freedom to express how the music makes you feel allowing the reluctant mark maker the freedom to embrace mark making to create a movement masterpiece.