Movement education: Sound's like a Phys. Ed. topic and not something to be studied in music class. Right? What if I told you that in some cultures, 'music' and 'dance' are not separate terms. They simply exist as one and the same.
So why is movement so important to music? Other than the fact that research proves that the use of gross motor movement activates the brain in a way that makes learning become more deeply embedded in your memory, movement can also facilitate a deeper understanding of how musical concepts work and are used. Those tiny black dots on the paper that we read and call 'music' is nothing more than script until our muscles literally breathe life into them by singing or playing an instrument.
Can you tell I'm passionate about this subject? It may come as a surprise to some that I am a teacher and musician by trade, but my real passion is movement! I love dance and always have. In fact I still take regular ballet classes, which have become very therapeutic to my soul! While some people have been known to see certain colors when they hear music, I see movement and dance. My brain is continuously choreographing what it hears to the point that I just have to move to the music!
Some of my earliest teaching experiences were teaching others to dance as a choreographer for show choirs and musicals during my high school career. Not to mention the performances I would put on in the living room with my best friend and reluctant brothers when I was in elementary school! While I have no degree in movement or dance education, several of my undergrad and graduate courses have focused on dance education, including a dance pedagogy class (one of my favorites as an undergraduate) and movement classes that were included in my Orff-Schulwerk levels, which I just completed this summer.
In my music classes we move just about as much as we sing! We use movement as our transitions from one activity to another. We dance to folk songs to feel how meter and form play a role in how music is constructed. We practice rhythms using body percussion and other gross motor movements before performing them on instruments that require fine motor control and an understanding of multiple musical concepts. Because movement is so important to me and to the education of my students, I have decided that one of my focuses this year would be to integrate as much movement into my lessons as I can. To kick it off, a new word wall has been installed in both of my classrooms.
While I won't be assessing the students on their movement ability, this word wall will provide some opportunities for connections across curricula and serve as idea starters during our creative movement activities.
If you are interested in learning more about dance education or reading some of the research that influences my teaching, please continue exploring the links below:
