Owl Moon: Winter Arts Collaboration

For the last week before Winter Break, the Music and Art Specialists collaborated on a lovely, immersive experience inspired by the book Owl Moon by Jane Yolan. This book has magical imagery and a simple text, focused on patience and listening to the natural world. The music and art collaboration was aesthetically soothing and led the children through songs they have learned this season, interactive imaginary play, and an art project of making owl masks.

To start, all of the classrooms at the school spent some time reading the book Owl Moon, as well as learning some wintry songs in music. On Monday, the Specialists set up a projector in the piazza with a video of the book playing. Classrooms were welcome to visit the piazza throughout the morning.

For the rest of the week, in groups of two or three classrooms, students were invited to the piazza to listen to owl sounds, sing some wintry songs, and dance.

Then each student was given a tea light to carry down the darkened hallway, down to the music studio.

The music studio had been transformed with multiple wintry forest provocations and light provocations. Students watched as woodland animals danced across a decorated drum, set to beautiful music. Dramatic play areas allowed students to dress up as owls and animals.

In the other half of the Music Studio, children created owl masks.

This is a special week to be a part of the PSA community. We could all realize just how far the roots of the arts can stretch; beyond genre, instrumentation, and age. Through each experience, we got to observe the children drinking in new types of music and art. We loved listening, dancing, and learning alongside the kids.

Thank you to our wonderful Art and Music Specialists for their thoughtful hard work that went into this experience!