Creative Prompt: Try combining art, music and nature for a multi-sensory approach as you ‘Get Creative, Get Outdoors’

Isobel Murdoch from Medley has come up with some ideas to help you explore art, music and nature’s impacts on health and wellbeing this Creativity & Wellbeing Week.

*Listen to some of these pieces of music on a birds theme: Tit Willow by Gilbert & Sullivan; The Swan from Saint-Saens’ Carnival of the Animals; A Nightingale Sang In Berkeley Square; Feed The Birds from Mary Poppins; O For The Wings Of A Dove by Felix Mendelssohn; and listen to recorded birdsong online as well, just search a particular species’ birdsong, maybe the nightingale, skylark or robin

*Get creative – be inspired by Isobel’s painting of four woodland birds – a great spotted woodpecker, coal tit, tawny owl and treecreeper and try drawing and/or painting them yourself. Isobel used watercolour paints then added colour pens for a brighter shade or more detail. Or you could use the blank outlines to colour in, or to make fabric or paper cutouts. You could also make the birds into a mobile, just make a hole in each and suspend. And add natural materials to your picture as well – go outside and gather any leaves or twigs to add to the scene, then lay or glue these on amidst the birds.

*Look and listen as you spend time outdoors – focus on noticing the different ways different birds fly. Some dart and flick, some soar or glide, some fly low and others high. Spend time listening too, to birdsong and bird calls (only half of bird species sing, but all call) and to all the other sounds you might overlook, like wind rustling in a tree, or water underfoot.

About Medley:
Medley began in autumn 2020 as an initiative exploring art, music and nature’s impacts on health and wellbeing: through a website and blog and through diverse projects.

There are three main aims:

*To build awareness of music, art and nature’s impact

*To create and run art, music and nature projects and activities

*To draw people together to share ideas and support

Medley looks at nature, music and art’s role in everyday life and also specifically at their impacts on people facing a range of particular issues. These might be stroke, dementia, caring responsibilities, sight loss, autism, mental health issues, anxiety, depression, disability, hearing loss or chronic illness.

Find out more:
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