Research findings have indicated that movement can be a powerful tool when teaching rhythm, pitch, and expressive skills. The concept of using movement to enhance musical expression has been a topic of discourse in practitioner articles and mentioned as a strategy in several studies where teachers were observed in choral rehearsals. Yet, a singular focus on how kinesthetic support affects expressive performance remains scarce. Consequently, the primary aim of this research was to investigate what effect, if any, did the use of kinesthetic support throughout the learning sequence have on expressive performance scores. Sixth-grade choir students learned two songs using a prerecorded learning sequence. One sequence included kinesthetic support (i.e., hand movements) to reinforce the expressive qualities of the song, and one did not. We found a significant difference between sequences. When students learned a song using contrasting kinesthetic supports for legato/staccato and forte/piano, their expressiveness scores were higher. Teachers should consider including kinesthetic supports to help reinforce the expressive qualities of a song. Classroom application, limitations, and further research are discussed.
BensonJ. S. (2011). A study of three choral pedagogues and their use of movement in the choral rehearsal (UMI No. 3483541) [Doctoral dissertation, Florida State University]. ProQuest Dissertations and Theses database.
2.
BolkovacE.JohnsonJ. (1996). 50 rounds for singing and teaching. Boosey & Hawkes.
3.
BoyleJ. D. (1970). The effect of prescribed rhythmical movements on the ability to read music at sight. Journal of Research in Music Education, 18(4), 307–318.
4.
BriggsK. E. (2020). How and why to incorporate movement in choral rehearsals. Choral Journal, 60(7), 77–83.
5.
CampbellP. S. (1991). Rhythmic movement and public school music education: Conservative and progressive views of the formative years. Journal of Research in Music Education, 39(1), 12–22. https://doi.org/10.2307/3344605
6.
ChagnonR. D. (2001). A comparison of five choral directors’ use of movement to facilitate learning in rehearsals (UMI No. 3002819) [Doctoral dissertation, Arizona State University]. ProQuest Dissertations and Theses database.
7.
EbieB. D. (2004). The effects of verbal, vocally modeled, kinesthetic, and audio-visual treatment conditions on male and female middle-school vocal music students’ abilities to expressively sing melodies. Psychology of Music, 32, 405–417. https://doi.org/10.1177/0305735604046098
8.
GilpatrickL. (2001). 200 rounds collected and edited by Liz Gilpatrick [Unpublished manuscript].
9.
GradyM. L.Cook-CunninghamS. L. (2020). The effects of three physical and vocal warm- up procedures on acoustic and perceptual measures of choral sound: Study replication with younger populations. Journal of Voice, 34(4), Article E647. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvoice.2018.12.009
10.
HibbardT. T. (1994). The use of movement as an instructional technique in choral rehearsals (Order No. 9418994) [Doctoral dissertation, University of Oregon]. ProQuest Dissertations and Theses Database.
11.
HinkleyS. P. (2024). Vocal modeling: A review of literature. Update: Applications of Research in Music Education, 42(2), 23–30.
HurleyC. R. (2019). The effects of rehearsal sequence on the expressivity of children’s choral performance [Doctoral dissertation, University of Georgia]. https://openscholar.uga.edu/record/8481?ln=en&v=pdf
17.
HurleyC.AtkinsR. L. (2022). The effects of rehearsal sequence on the musical expressivity of young voices. International Journal of Research in Choral Singing, 10, 1–28. https://acda.org/archives/4183
18.
HurleyC. R.AtkinsR. L. (2023). The effects of sequence on expressivity in solo singing of young voices. Bulletin of the Council for Research in Music Education, (236), 7–20. https://doi.org/10.5406/21627223.236.01
19.
HurleyC. R.AtkinsR. L. (2024). The effects of modeling and sequence on the expressivity of young voices. Update: Applications of Research in Music Education, 43(3), 11–18. https://doi.org/10.1177/87551233241249666
20.
JostJ. (2011). Sculpting the music: Gesture, movement, and expression in the choir rehearsal. Choral Journal, 51(7), 18–23. www.jstor.org/stable/23561638
21.
KilpatrickC. E. (2020). Movement, gesture, and singing: A review of literature. Update: Applications of Research in Music Education, 38(3), 29–37. https://doi.org/10.1177/8755123320908612
22.
LiaoM.-Y.DavidsonJ. W. (2016). The effects of gesture and movement training on the intonation of children’s singing in vocal warm-up sessions. International Journal of Music Education, 34(1), 4–18. https://doi.org/10.1177/0255761415614798
23.
LindströmE.JuslinP. N.BresinR.WilliamonA. (2003). “Expressivity comes from within your soul”: A questionnaire study of music students’ perspectives on expressivity. Research Studies in Music Education, 20, 23–47. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/1321103X030200010201
24.
ManganelloR. B. (2011). Movement in the middle school choral rehearsal (UMI No. 3483472) [Doctoral dissertation, Boston University]. ProQuest Dissertations and Theses database.
MartinB. A. (1991). Effects of hand signs, Syllables, and Letters on first graders’ acquisition of tonal skills. Journal of Research in Music Education, 39(2), 161–170. https://doi.org/10.2307/3344696
27.
McCabeM. C. (2006). The effect of movement-based instruction on the beginning instrumentalist’s ability to sight-read rhythm patterns. Missouri Journal of Research in Music Education, 43, 24–38.
28.
MeissnerH. (2020). Theoretical framework for facilitating young musicians’ learning of expressive performance. Frontiers in Psychology, 11, 1–21. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.584171
29.
PersellinD. C. (1992). Responses to rhythm patterns when presented to children through auditory, visual, and kinesthetic modalities. Journal of Research in Music Education, 40(4), 306–315. https://doi.org/10.2307/3345838
30.
PetersonC. W. (2000). Moving musical experiences in chorus: Movement that is explored and utilized in the choral rehearsal can be a powerful tool for musical expression. Music Educators Journal, 86(6), 28–30. https://doi.org/10.2307/3399617
WentinkC.Van der MerweL. (2020). Exploring the lived experiences of instrumental ensemble performers with Dalcroze Eurhythmics: An interpretative phenomenological analysis. Frontiers in Psychology, 11, Article 336. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.00336
33.
WisR. M. (1993). Gesture and body movement as physical metaphor to facilitate learning and to enhance musical experience in the choral rehearsal (UMI No. 9327319) [Doctoral dissertation, Northwestern University]. ProQuest Dissertations and Theses database.
