Our ears and all of our body perceive and react to sound vibrations.

Placing your hand upon a musical instrument, or in front of sound speakers, allows the pulsating movement of sound to be felt.

To determine how particular music and sound vibrations affect different areas of the body try these two exercises. Then read how the sound and music vibrations inspire our actions.
 

1st exercise

While listening to a piece of music - from rock to classical - notice whether you are using more of your body below the waist to move with the rhythms in strong or staccato beats, or whether you are expressing yourself with arm movements, turns, and predominantly in flowing legato movements.
 

2nd exercise

While sitting and listening to diverse pieces of music place your hand on your body at the abdomen or chest according to where you are feeling the music most in your body.  This is a fast and easy way to see for yourself that different kinds of music affect specific parts of the body differently.
 

Analysis

photo above - Grunneger Daansers from Groningen, The Netherlands, dancing individually to the strong beat of the music

Below the waist movements get us around from one location to another as in walking and running and express our physical drives.

Above the waist movements such as writing, talking, singing, thinking, hugging another, express in a sharing manner.

Music that spurs lots of moving around gets our physical energy going; music that inspires flowing movements with the arms inspires uplifting thoughts and giving, caring actions.

As in the 1st exercise, to determine whether a piece of music is 'drumming up' mostly raw physical energy, or sharing flowing energy, just put the recording on and see how it inspires you to move.

Bodily movement is a somatic teacher. When feeling down emotionally or mentally, taking time to go for a walk while swinging the arms back in forth to the even rhythmic sounds of music, (right arms swings forward when left foot steps forward), harmonizes our composite physical-mental-emotional being.
 
 

Links and Bio Sketch

Susan Kramer, M.A. is an international author of more than 50 collections and 150 articles on rhythmic dance, ballet, music, philosophy, yoga, social issues, relationships and practical spirituality for children, teens, adults and those challenged, with some translations in Dutch, French, German and Spanish, and with her husband, Stan Schaap- http://www.powertoshare.com resides in Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
web site  http://www.susankramer.com
email  susan@susankramer.com
biography http://www.susankramer.com/Biography.html
site map
further reading
Music as a Means of Awakening
Singing while Dancing to Learn Basic Math
Rhythmic Movement Dance Series
The Kirtan of Bhakti Yoga
Radiant Yoga for Teens and Adults
Radiant Yoga for Children
Classical Ballet Beginning to Advanced
Body-Mind Mini-Lessons

page created April 21, 2002 webmaster