Voices of Belonging: Standing Out Together

Educator: Amy Capobianco, Art & Special Ed

Cultural Partners: Paolo Bartolani, Music, Kimberly Zambrano Multimedia: Sound/Performance & Visual Sculpture / Instrument 

Other Participating Cultural Partners: Larry Moser, tech curator

School: Jefferson Middle School and Jefferson Middle School, 6-8th Grade

District: Eastern Suffolk BOCES

Summary

Students worked individually as well as collaboratively on a multidisciplinary project exploring identity, self-expression, and the value of diversity. Students reflected on how our differences can also be sources of strength and connection. They worked as a group to create a soundscape, using their voices to represent aspects of their individual as well as collective identities.Students also designed and built three-dimensional papier-mâché instruments—with an intent to represent a visual and symbolic expression of themselves.

Rationale

We focused on young  people with Autism spectrums, where they can be creative, and open for anything. 

We want to focus on feeling insecure about being in a special education setting.

This project can help them to see art as a strength that they excel at!

Art can help students to feel powerful…”Where do I feel powerful?”

Allowing for this project to reveal their light/talents.

What learning goals/standards did this meet?

Arts:

Create and Generate, Present

• Students will document their art understanding and conceptualization of the project by sketching in their art journals a single piece of visual art that will turn into a musical instrument if the student wishes 
• Students will be able to reflect on the early stages of the creative process through documentation 
•  Students will work on a collaborative project that invites students to bring their original ideas across media (music/visual) 

• Students will generate ideas about their connections to their cultural background and musical experience 
• Students will create and refine new art mediums 

Perform

• Students interested in working with music will learn how to express themselves by making sounds using clapping movements, capturing body sounds, producing improv vocal sounds and finally playing a musical instrument. 
• Select, analyze, interpret, develop, and refine artistic work for conveying meaning and sharing with others

• performing as an action, performance as a broader way to think and be in the world
• communication through performing/music/sound and Visual Arts 
• intersections among the arts ( Music and Visual Arts) 

• Students will present a visual arts piece and a musical piece to gain more understanding of the project 
• Students will create a soundtrack for the final performance by recording sounds made by themselves such as clapping sounds, vocal sounds and finally combined with live electronic and acoustic instruments. 

Respond 

• Students will perform using instruments and their own representation of a visual/ musical art piece 
• Students will analyze and interpret artistic work and music to evaluate its meaning by exploring social, emotional, and historical connections

Connect 

• Students will create artwork with a clear purpose that expresses their personal connection and perspective on visual arts in relation to music.
• Students will create works, inside the classroom, that showcase social-emotional understanding and awareness, cultural awareness, critical thinking, verbal communication, and effective interaction in diverse real-world contextsStudents will be able to connect their multimedia artworks to their social, cultural, and historical perspectives, while also incorporating and supporting their connection to music in the presentation of their creative works.
• Students will learn how to create a recorded soundtrack and combine it with live instruments and visual artworks with the goal to be able to create a narrative Voices of Belonging.

• 3D/2D and multimedia projects combinations
• nature-based materials
• imperfections and how materials lead an idea and compose new ideas
• analogical artistic performance

CCCR:

This project directly supported College and Career Readiness (CCCR) by exposing students to professional artists and demonstrating viable pathways in the creative arts. Students gained insight into real-world careers in the arts and engaged in hands-on learning that encouraged them to think critically, communicate ideas, and collaborate across disciplines.

CR-S: 

This project empowered students to explore and express their identities through multiple artistic forms, validating diverse cultural perspectives and lived experiences. By creating personal soundscapes and symbolic instruments, students were encouraged to reflect on what makes them unique and how those differences can contribute to a stronger community. Working with two visiting artists exposed students to diverse voices and practices in the professional art world, modeling success in a variety of cultural and creative contexts. The emphasis on personal expression and choice supported student voice and agency, fostering an inclusive classroom environment that honored each learner's background and strengths.

Civic Mindset   

Through collaborative creation, group critique, and open discussion, students built self-awareness, empathy, and a deeper understanding of their roles within a community. The project promoted confidence and encouraged students to see themselves as contributors to larger conversations—whether through sound, sculpture, or story. By engaging in an arts-based process that emphasized communication, respect for differing perspectives, and real-world relevance, students began to project forward: imagining who they can become and how their voice can impact others. The experience nurtured soft skills essential for civic life—such as listening, dialogue, and self-expression—and encouraged participation through shared performance, reading, and reflection.

Outcomes

Students’ learning has expanded as a result of this project because now they…

KNOW… 

• That art can be a powerful form of self-expression and communication.
  
  
• That our differences—cultural, personal, and creative—can be strengths within a community.
  
  
• How sound and sculpture can be used symbolically to represent identity and emotion.
  
  
• That there are real-world careers in the arts and multiple pathways to success.
  

UNDERSTAND… 

• How to reflect on and represent aspects of their identity through both visual and auditory media.
  
  
• That collaboration and critique are essential parts of the creative process.
  
  
• That their personal experiences and perspectives have value and can be expressed in many forms.
  
  
• The importance of empathy, listening, and honoring the voices of others.
  

ARE ABLE TO (DO)…

Conceptualize and build a three-dimensional sculpture that communicates something meaningful about themselves.

Work cooperatively with peers to create a vocal soundscape that reflects group identity and shared values.

Engage in thoughtful critique, give and receive feedback, and reflect on their own growth.

Speak about their work and process with confidence, connecting it to broader themes of self, community, and the arts.