24.
Small assignment: Movement–sound
This assignment is good for perceiving and practising the link between movement and sound. It also prepares students for an introduction to graphic notation and can serve as a warmup exercise before more extensive improvisation assignments.
Assignment author
Markku Klami
Basics
Minimum time required
Goal and output
Pedagogical goal
Following movement and sound and observing the connection between them.
Reaction, interaction.
Preparation for introduction to graphic notation and/or improvisation.
Concrete output
Students are encouraged to use their voice and/or instrument and to develop an improvisational approach
Work progress
• The assignment can be performed in pairs, in small groups or with a large group.
• In any case, there must be one 'leader' who performs movements of his/her choice, and everyone else reacts with appropriate sounds of their choice.
• Alternatively, the leader makes sounds and the others react with movements.
• You should change the leader frequently so that everyone has a chance to both lead and react in movement and sound.
Topics in the assignment
Musical structures and analysis
Playing an instrument & singing
Notation & music terminology
Arranging & parts
Music technology
Styles & techniques
Imagination & other arts
Tools
Detailed description of tools
This assignment works well with students using their voices, but they can also use their own instruments or classroom instruments.
Remarks
Ensure that roles are switched around often enough and that you have sufficient breaks, particularly if the group is large. Also, keep the individual movement–sound sections short enough.
Although this assignment was designed as a group exercise, it can also be used as a one-on-one exercise between teacher and student.
Further assignments
Assignment suitable for further study
