Basic 9 · Creative Arts and Design · Media and Techniques

Working with Media, Singing in Harmony and Practising Performance

In this topic you will identify and practise media and techniques in the visual arts, sing triads vertically in harmony and practise improvisation, balance and blocking in dance and drama.

By the end of these notes you should be able to:

Use media and techniques for assemblage
Sing triads in harmony
Apply improvisation and blocking in short performances

What you already know

Triads
Blocking

Copy everything that has a blue line on its left into your notebook. The other parts are for reading.

Lesson 1

Strand: Visual Arts
Sub-strand: Media and Techniques
Indicator: B9.2.1.1.1 – Explore and identify media and techniques used to create visual artworks by casting assemblage and folding

Introduction

A heap of rubbish can be seen as a box of art supplies. All it takes is an imaginative eye.

1. Planning the Assemblage

Choose a theme or a message.
Collect clean, safe objects.
Sort them by size, shape, colour and texture.
Arrange them without glue to test the design.
Take a photo of the layout.
Prepare a strong backing or base.

2. Joining Techniques

Joining methods

Method	Best for
wood glue	card, wood and fabric
wire	metal and bottle caps
nails and screws	wood
stitching	fabric and flexible metal
slots	card

Build from the back or bottom up. Place heavy objects low, so that the work does not fall over. Hide your joints if they spoil the look, or show them if they add interest. Consider the empty spaces as well, since these are a part of the design.

A sculpture made of scrap metal

Figure 1: Scrap sculpture Sketch two layouts for your assemblage.

3. Design Principles in Assemblage

Repetition of a shape, such as a hundred bottle tops, creates rhythm. A strong contrast between shiny metal and rough wood gives interest. Choose one area of emphasis, where the viewer's eye goes first. Unity is also vital: the work should look like one whole, not a pile of objects. Paint or a limited range of colours can bind many objects together.

4. Ghanaian Inspiration

Ghanaian artist Ibrahim Mahama is known for covering buildings with jute sacks that were once used for cocoa and charcoal. His works raise questions about labour, trade and history. Such large works show that art can be made from ordinary materials and yet carry major ideas. Visit local craftspeople as well: you may find that blacksmiths, carpenters and tailors work with offcuts in clever ways.

New words

layout: The arrangement of parts.
unity: The sense that a work is one whole.
emphasis: The main point of attention.
repetition: Using something again and again.

Summary

Plan your assemblage and test layouts.
Choose suitable joining methods.
Use repetition, contrast and unity.

Class activity: Bottle-Top Mosaic

Collect clean bottle tops.
Arrange them into an image on a board.
Fix them in place and display the result.

You need: Local clay with calabash mould, Scrap-card assemblage pieces, Brown paper sheets

Exercises

Answer in your exercise book first, then check your answers.

1. Which is used to join metal caps?
- A. wire
- B. water
- C. chalk
- D. flour
Show answer
Answer: wireJoining.
2. The sense that a work forms one whole is…
- A. unity
- B. emphasis
- C. contrast
- D. scale
Show answer
Answer: unityPrinciple.
3. Heavy objects should be placed low.
- A. True
- B. False
Show answer
Answer: TrueStability.
4. The arrangement of parts is the ______.
Show answer
Answer: layoutDesign.
5. State three joining methods.
Show answer
Answer: Glue, wire and nails.Any three.
6. Explain how repetition affects an assemblage.
Show answer
Answer: It creates rhythm and unifies many objects.Principle.

Lesson 2

Strand: Performing Arts (Music)
Sub-strand: Media and Techniques
Indicator: B9.2.1.2.5 – Sing in pitch triads on all the seven degrees of the scale horizontally (arpeggios) and vertically (harmony)

Introduction

One voice sings a melody. Three voices together, singing different notes, create harmony.

1. Harmony

Harmony: Different notes sounding at the same time.

When you sing a triad vertically, three people or groups sing the root, third and fifth at the same time. Each group must hold its own note. This is harder than singing an arpeggio, because you can be drawn towards someone else's note. Good choirs depend on careful listening, so that the chord is in tune.

2. Practice Steps

Divide the class into three groups.
Give each group its note on a keyboard.
Group 1 sings doh, and group 2 adds mi.
Group 3 adds soh.
Hold the chord for four beats.
Move to the next triad, and change notes smoothly.

A Ghanaian school choir singing

Figure 2: School choir Write the notes for the triads I, IV and V.

3. Chord Progressions

A chord progression is a series of chords. The most common is I–IV–V–I, which appears in thousands of hymns, highlife songs and pop songs. In C major, this means C, F, G and C. Moving from V to I gives a feeling of arriving home, and this movement is called a perfect cadence. Try singing it in three parts.

I–IV–V–I in three parts (C major)

Part	I	IV	V	I
high	G	A	B	C'
middle	E	F	G	G
low	C	C	D	E

4. Blending the Voices

Blend means that no single voice stands out. Match the loudness of others, use the same vowel shape and start and end together. A conductor can help the group to do this by showing when to breathe, when to start and when to stop. In Ghana, choral music by composers such as Ephraim Amu uses harmony to set words in local languages, and you can hear how the parts fit together.

New words

harmony: Different notes sounding together.
chord: Notes sounded at the same time.
progression: A series of chords.
cadence: A chord pattern that ends a phrase.

Summary

Harmony means singing notes together.
I–IV–V–I is a common progression.
Blend and listening make harmony sound good.

Class activity: Three-Part Chords

Sing triads I, IV and V in three parts.
Sing the progression I–IV–V–I.
Record and evaluate the sound.

You need: Ghanaian atenteben, Keyboard, Printed sol-fa cards

Exercises

Answer in your exercise book first, then check your answers.

1. Harmony means…
- A. different notes together
- B. one note alone
- C. no notes
- D. silence
Show answer
Answer: different notes togetherDefinition.
2. In C major, chord IV is…
- A. F A C
- B. G B D
- C. C E G
- D. D F A
Show answer
Answer: F A CDegree 4.
3. Good harmony needs careful listening.
- A. True
- B. False
Show answer
Answer: TrueTuning.
4. A series of chords is a ______.
Show answer
Answer: progressionChords.
5. Name the chords of I–IV–V–I in C major.
Show answer
Answer: C, F, G, C.Progression.
6. What is a perfect cadence, and how does it feel?
Show answer
Answer: It is the movement from V to I, and it feels like arriving home.Theory.

Lesson 3

Strand: Performing Arts (Dance and Drama)
Sub-strand: Media and Techniques
Indicator: B9.2.1.3.9 – Experiment and practice by using the techniques of improvisation creation of harmony/balance and blocking in dance and drama

Introduction

Skills on stage come only through practice. In this lesson, you will use improvisation to make a scene, and blocking to shape it.

1. From Improvisation to Scene

Choose a situation, such as a family meeting.
Improvise it in groups.
Keep the best moments.
Write down the outline.
Plan the blocking.
Rehearse and polish.

Improvisation gives you fresh material, and rehearsal gives it shape. Directors often work in this way. A scene built like this feels natural, since the words first came from the performers themselves.

2. Using Levels and Formations

Stage tools

Tool	Effect
levels (high, low)	show power and create interest
diagonal lines	add energy
circles	show unity or community
straight lines	show order or tension
grouping	shows relationships
stillness	draws attention

Students rehearsing a play on stage

Figure 3: Drama rehearsal Draw two formations for a dance.

3. Balance on Stage

Think of the stage as a tray held up in the middle. If one group crowds one side, the tray tips. Balance it with another character, a prop or a change of level. Symmetrical balance looks formal and calm, while asymmetrical balance feels more lively and natural. Keep open to the audience by avoiding turning your back unless there is a reason to do so.

4. Giving Feedback

After each run, ask the audience what they saw. Could they see everyone? Could they hear? Was the meaning clear? Directors say "again" many times. Good feedback focuses on what works and what could be improved, and not on who is at fault. A rehearsal diary, with blocking notes and changes, should go into your portfolio. Keep your notes up to date.

New words

rehearsal: A practice of a performance.
formation: A pattern made by performers.
levels: Different heights on stage.
symmetrical: Equal on both sides.

Summary

Improvisation gives ideas, and rehearsal gives them shape.
Levels, lines and groups create meaning.
Balance and feedback improve a performance.

Class activity: Family Scene

Improvise a family meeting.
Add blocking using levels.
Perform it and receive feedback.

You need: Atumpan drum, Calabash rattle, Printed photographs of Ghanaian dance poses

Exercises

Answer in your exercise book first, then check your answers.

1. A practice of a performance is a…
- A. rehearsal
- B. cast
- C. mould
- D. palette
Show answer
Answer: rehearsalPractice.
2. A diagonal line on stage adds…
- A. energy
- B. silence
- C. colour
- D. costume
Show answer
Answer: energyStaging.
3. Levels can show power.
- A. True
- B. False
Show answer
Answer: TrueHeight.
4. A pattern made by performers is a ______.
Show answer
Answer: formationDance.
5. Give two stage tools.
Show answer
Answer: Levels and formations.Any two.
6. Why do directors use improvisation when making scenes?
Show answer
Answer: It gives natural ideas and dialogue that can be shaped through rehearsal.Process.

Homework

Write a rehearsal diary entry about your scene.