Marvin Elementary School’s fifth-grade students recently combined their love for music and art as part of a unique program called “Picture the Music,” sponsored by the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra (SLSO). 

Students were introduced to the song “Jupiter” from Holst’s “The Planets Suite” and learned about various musical concepts such as movement, rhythm, texture, meter, and form. They then responded by creating drawings and paintings that were inspired by the music, using mixed media and collage techniques to guide their artwork. The students even incorporated copies of the actual score for the song, “Jupiter” in their collages.

The program provided an opportunity for students to understand the close relationship between art and music. All of Marvin’s fifth-graders created ary pieces for this project but only seven could be submitted to SLSO’s competition. Anna Klein, Marvin's music teacher, and Alan Kmetz, Marvin’s art teacher said they were impressed with the student’s final projects.

“We were completely amazed by all the hard work from the students and the dynamic art that was created,” said Kmetz.

Out of the seven art pieces submitted by Marvin, four made it to the finals, with three students, Emmet Brown, Shayne Starling, and Angela Rubio-Garcia receiving special recognition honoree awards. Shyanne West received a Blue Ribbon. More than 16,000 students from 85 schools participated in the program statewide.

The students' artwork will be displayed at the Saint Louis Science Center through April 12 and at the St. Louis Art Museum from April 13-30. 

“This program has undoubtedly helped the students showcase their artistic and musical talents while enhancing their understanding of art and music,” said Marvin Principal Dr. Craig Thurman. “We are so proud of all our fifth-graders' talents and appreciate Mr. Kmetz and Ms. Klein for helping them connect art and music as part of this program.”