The Importance of Music and Movement
November 3, 2020|
alfred.com
Whether your students are still full-time remote learning, or they’re back with you full or part-time in the physical classroom, there’s no doubt that the music classroom looks different. You're probably still trying to figure out how to make things work, space things out, wipe things down, cover things up, all in an effort to keep everyone safe and keep making music.
Remote and hybrid learning has brought along with it an entire host of issues and adjustments for students to work through. Connecting to online classes, sharing computers with siblings, not having their instruments, having spotty internet access—the list goes on—but one of the biggest changes is that students have been sitting longer and moving less, being stagnant in a chair in front of a computer screen for hours on end as they maneuver a new life of virtual learning with multiple classes and teachers.
The fact of the matter is that children, from a young age through teen years, need to have opportunities to move their bodies. Studies show that children who are more active exhibit better focus, faster cognitive processing, and more successful memory retention than kids who spend the day sitting still. Keeping the body active promotes mental clarity by increasing blood flow to the brain, making activity vital to both learning and physical and neurological health.
“Normally,” children would have all kinds of opportunities for staying active: recess, P.E., school sports, city leagues, traveling clubs, dance studios, etc. Many of these have been cut altogether or drastically reduced during the pandemic, yet experts agree that children need at least 60 minutes of physical activity each day. With this in mind, is it possible for teachers to make physical activity a part of their lesson plans? And, as a music teacher, should this fall on you to try?
The Importance of Music and Movement
Studies show that the combination of music and movement benefits a child’s development in a number of ways. Here are some development skills that music and movement can help with:
- Participating in a group; working as part of a team
- Social skills, particularly for those who are naturally shy
- Ability to express emotions
- Refined listening skills
- Awareness of movement and body positions
- Creativity and imagination
- The learning of new words and concepts
- Exploring cause and effect
- Improved balance, coordination, and rhythm through dance activities
- Refined small motor skills
- Refined large motor skills
Children need to move to activate the brain. And the brain responds in full force allowing them to move in a variety of ways including crossing the mid-lines. Songs like “Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes" and “Hokey Pokey" are examples of crossing the midlines of the body. Why are these action songs and the mid-line important for brain development? The motions to the songs encourage children to cross all three body mid-lines, reaching the top to bottom, left to right, and front to back. These physical movements demand coordination from both the left and right sides of the brain. This strengthens the tissues called the corpus callosum that divides the two sides of the brain that is important for communication from one side of the brain to the other. These movements help to develop and strengthen neural pathways laying the foundation for further development in language, literacy, and math skills.
If you’re looking opportunities to reinforce music and rhythm skills while incorporating and encouraging movement, here are a few resources to help:
If you’re remote, hybrid, or in person with your students:
Ready, Set, Rhythm! introduces the elements of rhythmic notation through movement-based class activities. Designed to be seamlessly integrated into your music class or ensemble rehearsal, each 10-minute kinesthetic exercise is presented in lesson plan format with National Standards, teacher instructions, and notated rhythmic concepts.
Now also available in a convenient digital format!
If you’re in person with your students:
Essential Rhythm Activities for the Music Classroom has some activities intended for use outdoors or in a gym:
As a music teacher, your time is already extremely limited with your students, but it’s possible to find ways to incorporate music and movement into your lesson plans. And right now, this might come in handy more than ever. Rhythm work, clapping, spinning, and tapping lessons can be carried out both in the classroom and remotely. Stand up and sit down in person or on Zoom. No matter how you’re able to work it in, a simple burst of exercise will help students (and you) focus and feel better.