Lesson 1: Hearing colours
Exploring how music can be experienced visually by associating sounds and rhythms with different colours.
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Learning objective
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To understand that music can be represented with colours.
Success criteria
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I can suggest a colour to match the music.
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I can justify my opinion.
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I can name the features or the mood of a piece of music.
Before the lesson
Check all images, videos, links and presentation slides are suitable for your class.
Audio: 'Morning - Peer Gynt Suite' by Edvard Grieg.
Audio: 'Homeland' Arr by Julian Gallant, Jeff Gallant, Jeff Meegan, David Tobin and Rob Kelly.
Four or more different coloured pieces of card for each pupil (save to use in Lesson 2).
Link: BBC Teach: Religious Studies KS2: Celebrating the festival of Holi.*
Link: Seeker: What's it like to hear colours? A VR 360o synesthesia experience on VideoLink (4:19 minutes) - note that this is a 360o video, so you can click and drag the screen to show different views - you are invited to do so at 2:58 minutes.*
Link: 'Movement 4 (Saltarello/Tarantella)' from the Italian Symphony by Felix Mendelsshon on VideoLink.*
* These are external websites and we do not have control over their content - please check before showing them to the children.
Lesson plan
Before starting this unit, you might want to check that the children can recall:
How to work in a group to prepare a good performance.
How to make sure they play in time.
How to record music on paper.
Watch the video about the Hindu festival of Holi on link: BBC Teach: Religious Studies KS2: Celebrating the festival of Holi.
If you have any Hindu children in your class, invite them to share their experiences of Holi.
What is Holi? (A Hindu festival celebrating the beginning of spring.)
How is it celebrated? (Bonfires are lit to purify the air of evil, people offer their first crop and throw coloured paints at one another.)
Play the video on link: Seeker: What's it like to hear colours? A VR 360o synesthesia experience on VideoLink (4:19 minutes). This is a 360o video, so you can click and drag the screen to show different views. Do this when the presenter invites you to at 2:58 minutes.
Draw out the similarities between the visual representation of the way the musician sees colour and the visuals of the children throwing paint in the video about Holi in the Attention grabber.
Hand out a set of the coloured pieces of cards to each pupil.
Explain to the children that you are going to play them three pieces of music and that they should think what colours they associate with the music and then hold up the corresponding piece or pieces of coloured card. Stress that there is no right or wrong answer.
Use the link 'Movement 4 (Saltarello/Tarantella)' from the Italian Symphony by Felix Mendelsshon and the audio files belowfor this activity.
Audio: 'Morning' - Peer Gynt Suite by Edvard Grieg
Audio: 'Homeland' Arr by Julian Gallant, Jeff Gallant, Jeff Meegan, David Tobin and Rob Kelly
As a guide, the children may associate the following colours with the music:
'Movement 4 (Saltarello/Tarantella)' from the Italian Symphony by Felix Mendelsshon - red, purple, black.
'Morning' from the Peer Gynt Suite by Edvard Grief - yellow, orange, pink.
'Homeland' Arr by Julian Gallant, Jeff Gallant, Jeff Meegan, David Tobin and Rob Kelly- blue, green.
Choose and play a piece of music that you think represents a particular colour and discuss it with the children.
Encourage your pupils to use musical terminology to support their colour choices. For example, 'The dynamic is loud and the key is minor, so I thought it needed a strong, dark colour like black'.
Is there a consensus or is everyone picking different colours?
If the colours chosen are different, how different are they? For example, perhaps everyone picked bright colours or dark colours.
Explain that they are now going to flip this activity on its head and do the opposite.
Hold up one of the colour cards and ask the children to suggest musical features that would go with it. For example:
A red card might go with bright, loud, bold music.
A blue card might go with quiet, slow, sad music.
Remember, there is no right or wrong answer. You just want the children to be able to justify their choices in musical terms.
Note: The aim of this exercise is to develop the idea that musical features can be described using colours. It is not to diagnose pupils with synesthesia.
Show other colour cards and ask pupils to suggest music that would match each one in turn. They could hum or sing known or made up songs or simply describe the features again.
Full-screen slides, ready for your classroom, chosen by you.
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To understand that music can be represented with colours.
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Dr Elizabeth Stafford is Director at Music Education Solutions®.
Elizabeth Stafford is one of the UK’s foremost experts in music education, widely recognised for her leadership, research, and influence across the sector. As Director of Music Education Solutions, she has worked with schools, music hubs, trusts, arts organisations, and education providers nationally and internationally to improve the quality and impact of music teaching. With almost 30 years’ experience spanning classroom teaching, higher education, consultancy, and national programme leadership, she is known for combining academic expertise with practical, accessible approaches that support teachers and transform provision. She is author of The Primary Music Leader’s Handbook (HarperCollins) and Secondary Music Leader’s Handbook (HarperCollins), editor of Primary Music Magazine, and Music Hubs and Services Magazine, and presenter of the Primary Music in Conversation podcast. Formerly part of the leadership team for the government’s KS2 Music CPD Programme (2008-2011), Liz is a sought-after speaker, trainer, and advisor whose work continues to shape music education policy and practice across the UK and beyond.
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