Classroom Project Ideas
Here are some project ideas for doing with your class.
Make a difference: create your own campaign
Take inspiration from the work of Heart n Soul and ask students to come up with a campaign for something that challenges stereotypes or addresses an issue in their local community, e.g. disability awareness, environmental or access and inclusion issues. Ask them to take different roles in the campaign team, come up with a marketing poster to promote their campaign and have a plan for events they’re going to run.
School of Rock: create your own class band
A lot of the participants with Heart n Soul are in a band. Ask students to think about how they could set up their own band. What talents do members of the group have? What style of music do they like? What instruments can they play? Design a poster for their band, come up with a name and think about an event to plan for their first gig.
Videos to watch
Dean TV Girls
SoundLab Website - video tutorials
Express Yourself: Digital Portrait Project
For The Big 30 Archive Heart n Soul commissioned photographer Franklyn Rodgers to take portraits of artists, participants, staff and supporters. He worked with individuals to represent their personalities, talents, connections and friendships and how they wanted to be portrayed. You can find out more about the process here.
Ask students to think about how they would portray their talents and personalities in a digital portrait. Use digital cameras and applications such as photoshop or paint to add in images and effects. For example, Dean Rodney Jr, the frontman of the Heart n Soul band The Fish Police, knew he wanted to be portrayed as a comic book superhero character. Heart n Soul artist Tilley Milburn wanted to be photographed on a World War Two RT bus.
Create a Comic Book: What's your paradise?
Students were asked to take part in Puffing and Wooling, which is an experience created by Tilley and Del which involves blankets, beanbags, calm lights and nice aromas where people can relax and feel safe. During the Puffing and Wooling session, the students were asked to transport their minds to paradise and to think about what paradise looks, sounds and feels like for them.
After Puffing and Wooling the children were given templates (downloadable) to make comic strips about their version of paradise and what might happen there.