Drawing or Modeling Sounds

What if a sound didn’t have a name, but only a shape? Or a colour? Or a texture you could touch? This exercise challenges children to listen beyond what they recognise. They draw and sculpt what they hear, rather than what they see.

The result? A classroom full of graphic scores and clay sculptures that are all different, yet all interpretations of the same sound. It’s a playful way to open up their ears and encourage creative experimentation.

Have the children listen to a few sounds. These could be ambient sounds, sounds the children make themselves using objects from the classroom, or sounds made with objects they bring from home. These aren’t musical instruments, but everyday objects you can roll, tap, or rub against something to make a sound.

You can also use sounds from the “Geluidenatlas” project (listen to the 40 sounds individually here) or excerpts from Start to Listen.

Here's how to do it:

Ask the students to draw the sounds. It’s important that they don’t try to draw the source of the sound, but the sound itself:

• What shape does the sound have?
• What colour is it?
• Is it thick or thin?
• Try to represent the location, direction, and movement of the sounds as well.
• Can you combine different drawings to create a “graphic score”?

Ask the children to imagine the sound as something they can feel, touch, or handle, and then recreate that mental object using clay and/or other materials. This may seem like an abstract exercise, but it gives everyone the chance to use their imagination, get creative, and experiment. They’ll definitely come up with something unique.

Once everyone has finished their (clay) sculpture, the children can feel each other’s work. Encourage them to describe the similarities and differences between the pieces in as much detail as possible.