Voice.
Definition: Voice is the expression of personality , the fingerprint of creativity. Voice can be strong and distinctive or reserved and generic, but all communication has voice of some kind.
Voice is created through conscious choices. In other words, the writer, painter, or musician purposefully chooses his or her "tools" (words, colors, instruments) and uses them in ways that create a certain effect. As you consider the conscious choices writers, painters, or musicians make, learn to ask yourself some fundamental questions:
- What is he/she (or the work) saying? (What does the work mean?)
- How do you know? (What evidence can you find in the work to determine the meaning?)
- How does he/she do that? (What tools does the writer/painter/musician use to create meaning, and how does he/she use these tools?)
Lesson 1:
Look and think: Examine a self-portrait by Vincent van Gogh, a famous artist. Think about how van Gogh expresses his voice (his style or personality). Look carefully at the details of van Gogh's self-portrait.
Look and think: Examine a self-portrait by Vincent van Gogh, a famous artist. Think about how van Gogh expresses his voice (his style or personality). Look carefully at the details of van Gogh's self-portrait.
Talk about it:
1. What is van Gogh saying about himself? Complete these two statements as if you were the van Gogh of this portrait. Base yours statements on the picture, not your own feelings.
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Now you try it: Think about how you would paint a self-portrait What colors would you use? What expression would you have on your face? How would you be dressed? What kind of background would you have? Would you have anything else in the picture beside yourself? What would these choices say about you? Make a simple sketch of your self-portrait, and write a few sentences describing what you would like your self-portrait to look like.
Lesson 2:
Look and think: Examine a self-portrait by Marc Chagall, another famous artist. Think about how he expresses his voice (his styles and personality. Look carefully at the details of Chagall's self-portrait.
Talk about it:
1. What is Chagall saying about himself? Complete these two statements as if you were the van Gogh of this portrait. Base yours statements on the picture, not your own feelings.
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Now you try it: Compare and contrast van Gogh's and Chagall's self-portraits. Use a Double Bubble map to show how the self-portraits are similar and how they are different. Be certain to focus on the choices the artists make.
Lesson 3: Musicians have voice too. Like visual artists, musicians make conscious choices in order to create an effect. Musicians choose the kinds of instruments they will use, how fast or slow the music is, and whether it is high or low, loud or soft.
Listen and think: Listen carefully to the first three to five minutes of Adagio for Strings, Op. 11 by Samuel Barber and think about its voice.
Listen and think: Listen carefully to the first three to five minutes of Adagio for Strings, Op. 11 by Samuel Barber and think about its voice.
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Talk about it:
1. What kind of voice does this music have? Pretend the music is a kind of self-portrait. Write two statements that capture the voice of this "self-portrait."
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Now you try it: Pretend that you are a composer. What kind of music would you write to express your personality? What kind of instruments would you use? What kinds of rhythm would you use? What about volume? Write a paragraph describing the music you would write to express your personality. What do these choices reveal about you? Think carefully about the choices you would make.
Lesson 4:
Look and think: Listen carefully to the first three to five minutes of Beethoven's Fifth Symphony and think about its voice.
Look and think: Listen carefully to the first three to five minutes of Beethoven's Fifth Symphony and think about its voice.
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Talk about it:
1. What kind of voice does this music have? Pretend the music is a kind of self-portrait. Write two statements that capture the voice of this "self-portrait."
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Now you try it: Bring in some of your favorite music (school appropriate) to share with the class. Listen to the music, write self-portrait statements about the music, and discuss the evidence that supports your statements.
Lesson 5: Now let's think about voice in reading and writing. Writers make conscious choices too, and good readers learn to recognize and understand the effects of these choices. These choices create voice. Let's start with a very simple sentence.
Read and think: The little pink fishes swam upstream and died.
Talk about it:
1. Is this sentence sad? Think about this carefully. Don't focus on the idea of a dying fish. Instead, focus on the sentence itself and the effect it produces. Does the sentence make you feel sad or like crying when you read it? Why or why not?
2. Most people will agree that the sentence is not very sad. Why? What specific characteristics in the sentence keep it from being sad? As you identify these characteristics, you are beginning to look at the tools writers have to choose from as they create voice.
Now you try it: Write a sad version of the sentence, "The little pink fishes swam upstream and died." What did you do to make it sad? In other words, what conscious choices did you make? As you make this sentence sad, you are on your way to using voice in your writing.
Writing with a clear voice doesn't just happen; it requires conscious choices. To appreciate voice in reading and to write with your own clear voice, you have to understand and practice the basic elements of voice:
- Diction
- Detail
- Figurative Language
- Imagery
- Syntax
- Tone