The Effects of the Movement of the Body on Music Performance

Keiko Asakura

( Tokoha University, Japan)

Abstract: Multi-modal functions have attracted interest. We have the sixth sensation, proprioception that gathers information from within our body. The addition of proprioception would help us to enjoy and learn music profoundly. The aim of this research is to examine the hypothesis that when we sing a song together with the movement of the body related to the song, we could enjoy and learn the song more than without the movement. Participants in the experiment were divided into two groups; the members of the one group memorized the unknown song by listening to it without any bodily movement, while the members of the other group memorized the same unknown song by watching and imitating the movements related to the lyrics and the rhythm of the song. They performed the song from their memory, and were asked to write down their feelings. I compared the performance and the descriptions of listening participants with that of watching & moving participants. As the result, watching & moving participants memorized the song more than listening participants with highly statistically significance, and watching & moving participants felt more interesting and less difficult in memorizing the song than listening participants with statistically significance. The findings of this research should contribute to body involvement in music education.

Key words: multi-modal function, proprioception, the bodily movement, children’s song, music education