Whenever possible, I like to use an interdisciplinary approach to teaching art by incorporating other academic subjects. While we usually listen to background music in the art room during class, I decided to bring music into the foreground. Students gained firsthand knowledge of guitar music by having an acoustic and electric guitar here in class, lent by the students from the music department. After close observation and analyzing the similarities and differences of shapes, sizes and sounds, students drew detailed diagrams of each guitar. After brainstorming all of the different types of music genres, the students then selected their favorite type and determined which kind of guitar would be played in that music. After creating an imaginary name for their band, the students were challenged to create a custom art design for the body of their guitar that incorporated the genre of music and the name of their band. Students had a blast listening to guitar solos while learning how to transfer their large final drawings using backlighting from a window, before experimenting with color combinations to blend markers smoothly.

These artists rocked the house with their fabulous custom guitar designs...Encore! Encore!