The Franklin Reporter & Advocate Eight Villages, One Community
Submitted by the Franklin Woman’s Club.
Is there art in music and music in art? How does one use musical “patterns” to achieve a “mood” such as “the blues?” And how do musicians add “color” to their compositions through sound? Attendees at the recent See the Music program held at the Quail Brook Senior Center located at 625 New Brunswick Road, Somerset, learned first-hand the answer to these questions. Thanks to a donation from the Franklin Woman’s Club, senior center guests enjoyed two interactive multimedia presentations offered by musician/artist Paul Elwood, who demonstrated the common elements and principles between art and music that result in the creation of a visual or musical piece of art.
During the “See the Music” program held on August 13, participants learned how the combination of rhythm, line, space, color, harmony, texture and form, found in both music and visual art, convey the story. Paul invited the group to select three notes, a rhythm style and the “color” or “mood” for a future composition. By adding harmonious notes and varying the “spaces” between the notes, Paul cleverly demonstrated how those decisions could be transformed into the desired, lively piece of music he performed on electric guitar.
The second presentation (August 21) focused on how sounds can be created on an electric guitar and enhanced through a special synthesizer which replicates instruments like French horn and clarinet, a range of guitars plus some “futuristic” synth-like tones one might hear on a movie soundtrack. Paul explained how designing music with “sound art” combined with the first, fourth and fifth tones on a Do, Re Mi scale for example, could be used to create a piece of “blues” music. To further illustrate the concepts, Paul reflected on 20th century musician, Robert Johnson, explaining how the interaction between notes played together provides harmony and richness, similar to harmony in visual art.The program ended with the group adding their own blues lyrics to a tune, and one attendee singing traditional blues accompanied by Paul on guitar.
For more information about “See the Music,” to download an audio example and view resources about making music, visit: https://paulelwood.com/seethemusic-081319.
The Franklin Woman’s Club is a non-profit organization committed to improving the community through volunteerism while offering numerous social opportunities. Adult women age 18 and above, interested in the club or attending an upcoming meeting for a sample club experience, are invited to email FWCmembershipinfo@gmail.com or call (732) 844 – 9002 for information and/or to request a complimentary guest meeting invitation. The first Franklin Woman’s Club meeting of the new season is scheduled for Tuesday, September 17th at Franklin High School, 500 Elizabeth Avenue, Somerset. Meetings are held on the 2nd Tuesday of the Month (7pm) between September and May with special meetings held at alternate locations.
For more information about Franklin Woman’s Club events such as the upcoming annual Wine Tasting and Paint & Sip Night fundraiser, or other philanthropic and special initiatives, visit www.franklinwomansclub.com. To follow the club’s activities on Facebook, visit: http://www.facebook.com/franklinwomansclub.
The Franklin Woman’s Club is a proud member of the NJ State Federation of Woman’s Clubs, the largest volunteer women’s organization in the state, and a member of the General Federation of Women’s Clubs (GFWC), the largest international woman’s organization. With more than 80,000 members in affiliated clubs in every state, the District of Columbia, and over a dozen countries, GFWC members work locally to support the arts, preserve resources, advance education, promote health, encourage volunteerism and work toward world peace and understanding.
