IPEM

Ghent University

Prelude

TO MOVE OR NOT TO MOVE

IS IT REALLY A QUESTION?
A movement-based approach to
instrumental music teaching and learning

Embodied Music
Cognition
m

Music Paint
Machine

Movement in
Music education

luc nijs
postdoctoral researcher

Tristan moves

Igudesman moves

expertise bodily motility

bodily motility expertise ??

some theory
embodied (music) cognition

Leman, 2007
My body is an original motility
without which there would be neither space nor time

the body =
the NATURAL mediator between
the world (e.g. music) and its subjective experience

Cutrofello* (referring to Merleau-Ponty)

&
(musical) meaning is grounded in bodily involvement
Behnke, S. (1983). At the service of the Sonata: Music lessons with Merleau-Ponty. In: Somatics, 4(2): 23-29.
*Cutrofello, A. (2004). Continental philosophy: A contemporary introduction. London: Routledge

m music as physical energy

physical
energy

musical parameters

tempo
metre

PATTERNS

pitch
motive phrase
melody

timbre

music

rhythm

subjective
experience

tonality
harmony

dynamics

decode

articulation

e.g. Bidelman and Grall, 2014; Bigand et Al, 2014; Gill & Purves, 2009; Large, 2011
e.g. Leman et al, 2013; McDougall & Moore, 2005; Van Noorden & Moelants, 1999

subjective experience of music

feelings

DESCRIBE

ENKELE VOORBEELDEN ...

dance

SHOW or ARTICULATE
tap

conduct

form

content

subjective experience of music

attunement or resonance

direct involvement

dynamic, fast and pre-reflective processes

effectivities & affordances

action-perception couplings
schemas

(forward & inverse models)

prediction

a research example
decode

subjective
experience

skills
experience
knowledge
body

Maes, P. J., & Leman, M. (2013). The influence of body movements on childrens
perception of music with an ambiguous expressive character. PloS one, 8(1), e54682.

Evaluative conditioning

music

emotions
goals

physical
energy

- 2 musical pieces
- 3 groups of children (7-8 years, N=46)
- 3 conditions (happy-sad-control)
- 4 sessions

Self-report task
COSY%

effectivities

movement

affordances

LONELY%

CALM%

BUSY%

HAPPY%

SAD%

ENERGETIC%

LAZY%

GLOOMY%

MERRY%

SAD choreography

HAPPY choreography

research example

subjective experience of music

decode

Naveda, L. & Leman, M. (2009). A Cross-modal Heuristic for Periodic Pattern Analysis of
Samba Music and Dance. Journal of New Music Research, 38(3), 255283.

Metric Layers x Excerpts (rows)

0.33

0.50

0.67

1.00

1.50

2.00

3.00

4.00

Uh

Uv

Uv

Uh

Uh

Uv

Uh

Uv

Uv

Uv

Uh

subjective
experience

music

physical
energy

E. 6

E. 5

E. 4

E. 3

E. 2

E. 1

0.25

encode
musical instrument

mn*i

i*mc

musician +instrument

music

There no longer exist relations between us.

Some time ago I lost my sense of the border between us.
I've got two portraits of myself
one from long ago created by Salvador Dali,
and another one made much later by Glikman,
an amazing painter who lives in Germany, in his eighties now.
So, in the Dali there I was with my cello; I held it and all was excellent.
In Glikman's portrait, however, there I was - and my cello became just a red
spot at my belly, like a dissected peritoneum.
And actually, I feel it now in this manner, much like a singer seems to feel
his vocal chords. I experience no difficulty in playing sounds. Indeed, I give
no report to myself on how I speak. Just so, I play music, involuntarily.
The cello is my tool no more.
Does it not feel itself offended at being so dissolved?
Sure, it does! But so be it.
(Mstislaw Rostropovich)

Nijs, L., M. Lesaffre & M. Leman (2013). The Musical Instrument as a Natural Extension of the Musician.
In: Castellengo, M. & Genevois, H. Music and its instruments. Sampzon, Editions Delatour France.

Chernov, V. (1994). Mstislav Rostropovich: Citizen of the world, man of Russia. Ogon'ok, no. 8

The musical instrument

as a natural extension of the musician

expressive interaction

intuitive understanding
live the music,
not think it!

direct involvement
embodied interaction

direct perception

incorporate the
musical instrument

skill-based acting

direct perception & skill-based acting

corporeal imitation

corporeal articulation

action-perception couplings

optimal experience

musical instrument

bodyschema I can

bodily motility

bodily motility
My body is an original motility
without which there would be neither space nor time

incorporate the
musical instrument

instrumental genesis

culture

Personal style
Gestures

skill

Instrumental
Gestures

biology

instrumentation

instrumentalization

subject changes

subject changes

utilization scheme
Expressive
Gestures

attribute material
function adaptation

usage schemes instrument mediated

action schemes
instrumental signs

non-instrumental signs = expressive affordances

Bodily
Communication

instrumental

expressive

gestures

gestures

personal style

gestures

Trouche, 2005; Rabardel, 2002

Overview of the system

painting
sound

an application of the theory

the Music Paint Machine

movement

movement

Objective of the Music Paint Machine

4 features of the Music Paint Machine

beyond monitoring in function of
merely providing information

stimulate & facilitate learning to play a musical instrument

musical creativity * playfulness * flow experience

embodied understanding * body movement * multimodality

incorporation of the
instrument

active role (controller)

optimal relationship with instrument * unity of body and

instrument as controller
motile body

Study 2: Teaching with the MPM

good practices
visual feedback
movement

Free Exploration

Games

4 x 3 children Grade 1-2

9 months of weekly 1 hour lesson
Play some music while
you turn freely from the left to the right
or vice versa

non-equivalent groups design

2 groups with MPM
effectiveness

same lesson content

Nijs, L & Leman, M.(2014). Interactive technologies in the instrumental music classroom: a
longitudinal study with the Music Paint Machine. In: Computers and Education, 73, pp. 40-59

a few examples

Make a painting with lots of colours

Guided
Exploration

Direct Instruction

where
who
a framework

Act of
Embodying

The use of movement

in instrumental music teaching and learning

make changes
in the perception
of aordances

what

what

how

SPACE

AGENCY
External
Space
Personal
Space

internalisation

External
space

Body
Space

Personal
space

Body space
surface

internal

ACTIVE
PASSIVE

AGENCY

STRUCTURE

Foot pressure to loudness

Free Movement

A. scale
Audio

musical body babbling

B. long notes

meter

Corporeal articulation Personal style !!

kinematic model of the music

1
Foot pressure

Patterns

intervals, pitch
harmony

mus

phrasing

move the upper

Patterns

Free Movement

Quality

To conclude
From the teachers point of view
Functional

Expressive

spontaneity
handling the instrument
improvising
play by ear & heart
slower technical progress

From the researchers point of view

variety of inspiring research

BUT necessary to translate findings into practice
empirical research in

Thank you!

looking forward to your questions, remarks,

luc.nijs@ugent.be - ipem.lucnijs.be - www.musicpaintmachine.be

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