Music has just as much to do with movement and body
as it does soul and intellect.
~ Esa-Pekka Salonen
Finnish Musician
This week, students focused on the relationship between movement and music. While Grade 1 and 2 students focused on responding to the mood of music through movements, Grade 3 and 4 students used movement as a way to represent their understanding of musical forms.
The quote above sums up so beautifully what we hope to accomplish through these activities:
In order for students to respond appropriately to the mood of a piece of music, they actually have to analyze the music: the tempo, the musical range, the articulation, the dynamics, etc.
In order for students to represent their understanding of musical forms through movement, they actually have to analyze the phrase structure. Students have to ask themselves: are the phrases the same, similar or different? How can one show these through movements?
All of these have to do with the soul and the intellect.
