"Music is not in the notes, but in the silence between."
(W. A. Mozart)
Even as children, we were taught at school that "movement is the basic characteristic of living systems". In music, movement is present at all levels of the process. Tones are generated by a musician using a musical instrument or voice, by which the movement ofacoustic waves carry the tones towards the listener. Perceptive listeners feel the emotions that music evokes in them - they experience emotional movement. We could further expand the process that the emotional movement of the musician takes place at the very beginning, because their aim is to master the physical motion while playing the musical instrument, in such a way as to be able to evoke the desired feeling in the listener. In conclusion, we can say the emotions/feelings between the musicians and their listeners go back and forth. Ralf Ehlert’s motto, in his catalogues of recorders, describes this thought of movement in music beautifully as he says: Music is the poetry of air. And yes, he’s right: music gives rhythm to the air, so it literally physically shapes it.
Taoists say that the path is the destination. And what is the purpose of music? Emotional movement? The music and sounds are like the path we walk on. It is a path where movement leads us second by second, note by note. If the path is the destination, then in music movement could be the path.
Mozart's statement above is the model of thinking for anyone serious about music and teaching. Its meaning can be interpreted in many different ways, but for our use it’s enough to focus on the space between the notes, because, while playing an instrument, this space is filled with movement. Due to the resonance of the musical instrument, the sound of the individual tones, can be heard. Acoustic waves are created, and they lead us to the next tone. When playing the recorder, we influence the quality of the waves with our breath and by the way we process the air that leaves our body towards the instrument to make it sound. At the same time, we use movements of the tongue during articulation, influencing the flow of air into the instrument in its length and intensity. Last but not least, we fill in the space between the notes with the movement of our fingers, which leads us further in the melody. For that reason, it is important to tell the pupil playing from sheet music, to look between the notes. During my teaching, it has shown that it provides a greater chance to realize the movement that leads from note to note, its nature and quality. This realization leads to the cultivation of movement, and to cultivate movement means to cultivate the playing itself and, through it, the music.
For me, movement as such is often a better tool to explain playing techniques than abstract concepts like pressure, power, and speed. I realized that children don't think like that, and that these are not words from their world. It is more natural for children to connect what they are supposed to feel and hear with what they are familiar with, because then the desired information is more likely to get deeper and meet with success. For example, crescendo is more understandable to my pupils as a sound that is getting closer. If we show this connection, then it is almost certain that children will not speed up during the crescendo (and slow down during the diminuendo) as it usually happens - or at least they will notice the change in tempo.
In my opinion, movement is a great helper and communication tool in guiding pupils on the right path in playing and learning.
However, from my point of view, there is another reason to focus on movement.
Nowadays, sports are all around us. Sports are everywhere, sports terminology has entered almost all areas of life, and I often feel that life is kind of a race, at the end of which there is more to have, further, higher, etc. However, the question is whether this one-sided orientation on performance is beneficial. My personal opinion is, that somewhere on the way the simple joy of the game/sport has disappeared, and if it is there, it is used again only to direct performance. Even though it can appear as a rather simplified view, I can say that movement is the essence of sport, but unlike music, it does not have a deeper influence on the mental space of a person. It is often a matter of measurable performances and, for example, even figure skating, where the artistic impression is evaluated, but it is still even under the pressure of the number of quadruple jumps that the skaters have to manage if they want to succeed.
Throughout my teaching, I often notice how the pressure from children’s parents, the sports public, coaches and managers lead to the lack of time for personal development due to the amount of training and competitions.There is no time to develop in any other direction than is a goal or finish line. Sports also introduce disproportionate competitiveness into areas where it is unnecessary or counterproductive. And don’t get me started on ordinary physical education classes, where children are subjected to evaluation and often humiliation through tables and comparative tests. How "easy" is it to improve my grade in gymnastics when I'm 190 cm tall, compared to how "difficult" it is to study for a test in, say, history?
Mastering movement in music, unlike sports, has an impact on the mental wellbeing of both musicians and listeners. The goal is not to play the song, but to experience it and draw the listener into your experience. In addition to the muscle groups needed to create the instrument sound, the player engages very fine motor skills, hearing, sight, touch... In the language of a sports commentator, the players must read the game and be able to pass, and they should be able to move on the tip (play a solo piece) or operate in reserve (be able to provide accompaniment well) ... However, all this with the aim of enriching the inner life of oneself and of one's listeners.
I don't want to rail against sports here, I myself have been active for many years and I am a recreational athlete. I greatly appreciate the contribution of sports in the field of physical health and strengthening of the will. However, as a music teacher, I can show children that movement - is not just a sport, that it can also be something else that enriches their lives in an unexpected way. To show that while the goal of sports is to win, to be faster, better..., the goal of music is to be together.
