How to Use Integrated Arts in Your General Music Classroom

In today’s dynamic educational landscape, the idea of teaching subjects in isolation is quickly becoming outdated. One of the most exciting movements reshaping the way we think about teaching music is the integrated arts approach—a method that blends music with other art forms like visual art, dance, drama, and even literature. Not only does this make learning more engaging, but it deepens students’ understanding of music by connecting it to broader creative contexts. 

So how can you bring this into your general music classroom in meaningful and manageable ways? Let’s do a little dive into some strategies: 

One of the most natural integrations is between music and visual art. Many students are visual learners, and pairing music with imagery can spark deeper engagement. 

Ideas to try: 

• Listening + Drawing: Play a piece of music and have students draw what they hear—moods, shapes, or even imagined scenes. 
• Composer Portraits: While learning about a composer, students create a visual timeline or paint a portrait using artistic styles from that period. 
• Soundscapes: Let students create abstract art using watercolors or pastels while listening to instrumental music, then discuss how the sounds inspired their choices. 

Music and movement are inseparable. Integrating dance allows students to experience rhythm and form physically, which helps internalize musical concepts. 

Ideas to try: 

• Creative Movement: Assign students to choreograph short routines to a piece of music using locomotor and non-locomotor movements. 
• Folk Dances: Incorporate folk dances from different cultures when studying world music. This makes cultural connections more tangible. 
• Body Percussion: Use claps, stomps, and snaps to accompany a rhythm or teach form (think “ABA” through movement). 

Drama can bring storytelling and character into music learning. This is particularly helpful when working with songs, operas, or music with a strong narrative. 

Ideas to try: 

• Act Out Lyrics: Break students into groups and have them dramatize the lyrics of a folk song or musical theater number. 
• Music & Emotion: Discuss how a character might feel during a scene and how the music reflects or contrasts with that emotion. 
• Create a Mini-Musical: Collaborate with the drama or language arts teacher to help students write and perform a short musical scene. 

Songs are essentially poems set to music. Exploring lyrics, storytelling, and rhyme schemes strengthens both musical and literacy skills. 

Ideas to try: 

• Lyric Analysis: Compare song lyrics to poetry—look for metaphors, rhyme, and rhythm. 
• Story Songs: Use ballads or narrative songs as a jumping-off point for writing exercises or dramatizations. 
• Soundtrack a Story: After reading a short story, ask students to select or compose music that fits various scenes. 

Start small. Pick one lesson a month to integrate with another art form. 

Collaborate. Partner with the art, dance, or drama teacher for a co-taught lesson or interdisciplinary unit. 

Reflect. Ask students how integrating the arts changed their understanding or enjoyment of the music. 

Integrated arts education helps students make deeper emotional and intellectual connections. It encourages creativity, builds empathy, and reflects the real-world ways in which the arts intersect. When students paint the mood of a symphony, dance the rhythm of a samba, or act out a folk tale—they’re not just learning about music. They’re living it. 

So don’t be afraid to mix your palette, stretch your stage, or choreograph your classroom. The arts belong together—and your students will thank you for it. 

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Blog Post Contributor: Erin Zaffini