Musicality In Dance: What Is It? Can It Be Taught?
Article by Nichelle (admin)
Filed under Blog, For Teachers/Studio Owners, Perspectives
- Image by carolyntiry via Flickr
What Is Musicality?
Musicality in dance has two main components. Receptivity and Creativity.
Musical receptivity is ones ability to receive, comprehend, be sensitive to, and have a working knowledge of musical concepts like rhythm, tempo, phrasing, and even mood.
Musical creativity (or musical artistry) is the ability to connect with accompanying music, interpret it, or phrase and add movement dynamics that relate to music even in the absence of accompaniment, in a way that is unique or interesting.
Musicality in dance then might be considered a measure or degree to which a dancer is receptive and creative in his translation or rendering of music through movement. It is a key ingredient in a dancer’s display of artistry (more on developing artistry can be found here).
Can Musicality Be Taught?
In a previous blog post I offered my thoughts on How To Develop Musical Awareness In Dance Students. Within the article I shared some reasons why it is important to help your students improve their musical receptivity and offered a few methods to help bridge the gap in experience and increase students’ sensitivity to music at any age.
In the comments Deb, always a thoughtful reader and responder, pondered if teaching musicality was even possible especially for those don’t seem to be born with a musical gene. I’m sure we’ve all had those students that certainly made us wonder! I had to consider what I’d witnessed, eventually weighing the effects of nature versus nurture in my own experiences. This was my answer:
I think that what we consider “natural” ability is mostly learned in a sense, albeit for some very early in life. My son at 2 already displays a very “natural” sense of rhythm and musical awareness however he also heard and felt music and movement from within my body as I taught classes, we dance around our home, music is often a part of our daily routine… Perhaps it goes back to those synapses that people form very early in life, why its best and easiest to learn languages at a very young age for example. Music is another kind of language and those neural pathways are opened through exposure and experience when we are young [sometimes very, very young]. As we get older it may be harder to carve out those pathways, just as it harder to learn a language as one gets older. But I do think it is possible to develop greater musical awareness and comprehension in students with time and exposure (and a willingness on the part of the student since learning is of course a two-way street). Will those that are not “naturals” ever catch up with those that are? Maybe, maybe not, but it’s worth a try.
Though babies show a preference for moving to a rhythm, even in this recent study [Babies are born to dance to the beat - telegraph.co.uk], it seems individuals display varying degrees of accuracy. In thinking more on this topic, I realized that there will always be degrees of potential and talent, which may be either naturally genetic or nurtured very early. Either way, as teachers we can establish greater receptivity in our students by giving them the opportunity to be receptive. We can provide plenty of practice so that they have the tools to expand their musical creativity.
How would you define musicality?
Can musicality be taught?
More thoughts and tips on teaching musicality:
Musicality in performance — 7 Secrets of Super Performers
“While counting can be important sometimes for finding moments of precision in a dance, musicality in performance is expressed through more than just counting beats. In fact, while counting, it is easy to forget that a beat includes not only the sharp “tap” of a particular rhythm but also the space between those taps, just as all movements include transitions and shifts of weight between desired “shapes” of the body. Exciting and musical performers fill these spaces in the music and movement, not letting the energy or intent drop between shapes or between counts. Enjoyable performers also utilize dynamics in their performance. Resisting “sameness,” as they dance, they incorporate…”
Musicality in jumping — Vertically Challenged: Improving Your Jumps
“Awareness of your breath will improve your height and help release excess tension. Also, listen while you’re jumping to the timing and tempo of the music or rhythm accompanying your movement. Try clapping in time with some music, making circles…”
Musicality in choreography — How To Make Choreography “Your Own”
Tools for connecting movement effort to dynamics and time — Teaching Dynamics: It’s All In The Effort
Encourage a bit of experimentation — Set Your iPod to Shuffle
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Originally posted March 29, 2010
Nichelle Strzepek is the writer/editor of Dance Advantage. Equipped with little more than passion for movement education, she embraced her inner computer nerd and began this blog in 2008. She holds a BA in dance and is an instructor with over 16 years experience. Nichelle continues to perform as a contemporary dance artist, covers dance in the Houston area as a freelance writer and critic, and balances daily life as a full-time mom.
As it can be learnt, so it can some musicality be taught, but not in its entirety, as it is the dancer’s journey to musicality – others can help, but the understanding, practise and skill forming is from the student.
You can teach some aspects of improv for example, but the skill forms through doing, feedback etc.
I think that for some students learning musicality is impossible. That said, I don’t think that it should keep them from dancing if they want to do it. I think there are varying degrees of musicality, but I’m not sure if I believe it is learned or innate. Most likely a combination of both.
Interesting post!
I did a presentation in school on music through the lifespan. Very cool stuff! Here’s a link to the visual aids from the presentation if you’re interested. If nothing else, you can see the list of references for some great research articles:
http://web.mac.com/lauren.warnecke/Music_through_the_lifespan/Introduction.html
Your point about your son goes back to the most widely debated question in philosophy, psychology, biology, etc, etc, etc…..Some people believe that experiences in utero are still influenced by the mother, and therefore fall under the “nurture” category. Since we aren’t genetic researchers, it’s really hard to determine the true role of nature. There is some evidence though that genes can play a role in artistic and creative ability (see Bachner-Melman et. al, 2005)
In my opinion, any one can learn anything with a good teacher and enough practice. People with “music genes” might be more predisposed to learning musicality more easily or more quickly, but even qualitative things like musicality are just a matter of forming a particular loop in the brain through practice. By saying that it’s impossible to learn musicality, are we also saying that it’s impossible to learn how to find breath in your movement, connection with the audience, or any other qualitative aspect of dance? For me, those things are easy and pirouettes are impossible–but I believe with the right teacher and enough practice I could get better at them. Another point I’d like to make is that learning music makes you better at learning music. You see improvement exponentially once you have some degree of musical “intelligence”. So if we as teachers disregard the students who aren’t as musically inclined because we think it’s impossible, then I guess it probably is. I might recommend to that student that they take up an instrument or music appreciation class and then once they have a foundation make strides to teach them musicality. (Sorry, Catherine, but I have to disagree with you on this one!!!)
We can agree to disagree on this one.
(But for the record, I never said we should disregard those students or that they should not try to improve.) I think that truly non-musical people are quite rare and that most students can improve with a caring, patient teacher and hard work. But…I will say that in over 22 years of teaching dance, I have seen a handful that just couldn’t do it. And not for lack of trying….
Fair enough! This is apparent enough every time I watch Dancing with the Stars…..
Now that’s funny!
Well, I can’t resist weighing in on this subject (again). And thanks for your kind words, Nichelle. When I was up at the ABT/NTC teacher training last summer, I asked our instructor (and coauthor of the curriculum) Raymond Lukens for his earnest opinion whether musicality can be taught. He paused, and then said, somewhat apologetically, No. But I believe (without putting words into his mouth, of course) that he would encourage even a child who is not especially musical to continue to try to learn, within that child’s own parameters. And the NTC (National Training Curriculum, pioneered at the Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School at ABT) in fact addresses musicality with specific exercises designed to develop it in young children–whose neurons have not yet been pruned away.
I think musicality, like so many things, can be placed somewhere along a continuum, with those who really struggle hearing the music on one end, and those for whom it comes very naturally on the other (and the rest of us somewhere between those extremes). My students are currently preparing for the ABT/NTC Affiliate exams, where they will be evaluated on (among other things)–you guessed it–musicality. Some of my kids have improved over the course of this academic year, as we have worked on clapping on the downbeat of 2/4, 3/4, and 4/4 time signatures. I have also noted some improvement at times when I merely suggest that they LISTEN–it always surprises me that this comes as an epiphany to some children: the music is not background noise, but is inextricably bound up with the dance.
The question of whether or how much musicality can be taught is interesting. I currently have two enrollees–sisters–who are hands-down the most musical children in the school; their father happens to be a virtuoso trumpeter and the director of our local jazz orchestra. The children are accomplished at the piano, and the vocabulary of music is simple and natural for them. (Of course, this makes them very easy to teach.) Did they inherit a musical gene? Were they conditioned to be more musical than average in utero? Did they just pick it up from total immersion in it at home? I don’t know. But I do know that they unequivocally hear the phrases and dance with them, where some of their classmates seemingly cannot, or at least cannot with anything approaching the same degree of finesse.
For fun, go here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vhs2D7JKNdM
This is a clip of one of the most musical dancers ever (in my humble opinion), Nikolaj Hubbe, dancing a pas de deux with the amazing Wendy Whelan.
Another provocative post, Nichelle!
Deb Young
http://joy-in-motion.com/index.php/articles/C12/P1/
Connected Movement: An Interview with Alex Krebs
Alex Krebs – an Argentine tango instructor with an emphasis on musicality. Seems like he learnt some of that…
Some musicality can be taught to anyone. For some, it’ll be harder going learning more, as they’re behind on the learning, understanding, practise that others have had. In the end, for some, it’s too much time to get depp into it. Others, with more practise at an earlier age, can relish in getting their musicality better.
Another interesting angle is Dr Dance’s take – that many do have some musicality, but that it is not known about, repressed/weak – but there for many.
I love the conversation here. You all make wonderful and completely valid points!
Though I wrote “either naturally genetic or nurtured very early,” I want to acknowledge this poor word choice because I do actually feel that those who display an innate musicality have more accurately a combination of genetic predisposition and early fostering. As Tom mentioned, it seems possible to me that for some, their “musical gene” may lie relatively dormant or unused. For others, intense nurturing many never totally make up for a lack of musical inheritance.
In my experience and honestly, relying upon my gut feeling about musicality, most of us sit along the scale with influences of both nature and nurture. That’s why (as in my earlier post) I consider the methods I employ in dance classes to be building awareness rather than teaching musicality. Perhaps the difference is only semantic, however all students (no matter where they are musically) can benefit from increased opportunity to focus on and build an awareness of music as it relates to dance. Also you never know what might be the “a-ha” or breakthrough for a particular student (whether we are talking music, or performance, or technique) so I’m also all for discovering and trying new ways to reach students.
An experiment:
Ambidextrousness. Can it be taught?
Using your dominant, write your first name, with your index finger, in comfortably big letters in front of you, as if you were writing on a wall inches away from your face.
Now try and do it with your non-dominant writing hand’s index finger.
Now put use bring both index fingers up in front of you, so there a couple of inches apart, concentrate on the dominant finger to spell.
Does one need to comprehend how to play a piano, to play Mozart? Or how to play a guitar, to play guitar?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r76MLCmAHOg
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xd3E8zgqJM4
Do you need to have musicality to perform musicality?
Do you need to understand musicality, to enjoy musicality?
Maybe it’s in part how it’s taught? If a teacher has got a negative mindset of
“you won’t be able to do it”
“it’s too hard for mere beginners to pick up on their own”
“you’re just not good enough”
“You’re too old”
“You don’t have the genes for it”
“Well, you can’t do it now, so you obviously won’t be able to learn how”
then that’s going to pass to the students.
Who is to pass judgement on who might or might not be able to learn. To say who can pass through the elite gates of musicality, through divine posession of “the gift”? I think saying a prediction of level of musicality is one thing, but to say someone can’t learn at all is another.
(ok, i’m being slightly devil’s advocate/stirring the debate here!)
For me, a title like “Musicality in dance… can it be taught?” sounds a little like linkbait, as the simple answer is yes. You show one case of musicality being taught, and you disprove an argument that it can’t be taught (at all). Then you’re on to shades/standards of musicality.
Can cooking be taught? Can movement, e.g. walking be taught, learnt, re-learnt? Do I have to have the skill to make a full 5 course meal for 6 before I can cook? It’s a continuum, not a binary have/have not skill. Surely musicality is this too?
My feeling is that you could teach musicality much faster, to lots of people, if you got the teaching and interaction during teaching, and the practise improved.
Can you teach musical concepts like rhythm, tempo, phrasing and mood?
Yes, yes, yes and yes.
Can you teach interpretation of music, in progressive steps? Yes.
Maybe some will have a less developed palette of musicality – but there is in the area of dance i’m thinking of, a hell of a lot of benefit from simple musicality understanding, knowledge, and skill.
Is musicality being taught, or being taught well, or the best it could be?
Different discussion!
I think it’d be very interesting to get people involved in accelerated teaching/coaching, to look at the area.
Tom, I think the distinction with teaching musicality over teaching something like using your non-dominant hand, walking or any other motor skill is that it is a qualitative skill. Unlike learning a motor skill (where you either do it or you don’t) musicality is a skill that is executed on a sliding scale in combination with a whole bunch of other skills being performed at the same time. But that’s not to say that I don’t agree with you!
I really believe that musicality can be taught, and similiarly to Nichelle’s theory I think there is a continuum of musicality–how far the dancer can move up on that continuum depends on how much experience and practice the dancer has, how the instructor teaches and how they utilize feedback, genetic predispostions, and the role of the environment (i.e. musical family members, exposure, extracurricular activities, etc.).
I love how deep this has gotten!
By the way, concerning ambidextrous-ness, I heard a story on public radio about a guitarist/song writer who developed dystonia and re-taught herself the guitar with her non-dominant hand!
Liona Boyd? I just googled it – never heard of the condition before – sounds awful – no real known cause of teh neurological conditions – and so debilitating to person using their hands for their craft.
Simple heartfelt musicality can be a pretty great thing to have. I have yet to get it myself, but enjoy seeing other dancers with it – and interested in seeing what ways there are to teach and learn it. I’m coming from a beginner salsa dancer position – Maybe in different dance fields musicality is taught in different ways/different ideas on it, and that others from different dance fields would have input on the wider discussion on teaching musicality effectively