Course outline

Music Moves will give you a broad introduction to the field of music and movement, and the chance to learn from experts in the field.

You will learn about the main theories explaining why movement is so important in music. This includes an overview of the historical development of music-related body movement. It also includes discussions of the cultural influence and importance for how and why we move as we do to music. Again, this is coupled with some of the most important psychological phenomena that govern our performance and perception of music.

In addition to the theoretical overviews, you will also learn about the different research methods and technologies that researchers use to study music-related movements. This includes everything from qualitative studies of metaphors, to the machine-learning-based analysis of motion capture data.

Course Structure

The course stretches over six weeks, with a gradual increase in topics and complexity. Each week will be organized in three different “tracks”: Theory, Terminology and Methods. This is to ensure that you learn progressively throughout the weeks. You will recognize the three tracks through three unique colours in the platform:

Course Content

The six weeks are divided into the following main topics and corresponding subtopics:

Introduction & History

• Historical Overview
• Music-Related Body Movement
• Introduction to Research Methods

Perception & Performers

• Perception & Cognition
• Sound-Producing Actions
• Sound and Movement Analysis

Multimodality & Mocap

• Multimodality
• Sound-Modifying Actions
• Motion Capture

Pulse & Perceivers

• Pulse and Entrainment
• Perceivers
• Mobile Motion Capture

Groove & Gestures

• Groove
• Gestures and Coarticulation
• Video Analysis

Emotion & Motion

• Bodily Metaphors
• Bio Sensors

Tasks and Assignments

During the weeks, you will read articles and watch videos covering the different topics. There will also be quizzes and tests to check what you have learned. Through open questions, we encourage you to discuss and exchange ideas. We also encourage you to use this tool to get guidance and support from your fellow learners.

We believe it is impossible to study this topic only through reading and writing. Therefore, there are also several assignments where you will be asked to listen and move and then share the experience with your fellow learners.

Dictionary

During the coming six weeks, you will encounter many new terms that might be difficult to grasp. Therefore, we put together a dictionary for you to use along with the course material. There may be even more terms that you do not understand, so please do not be afraid to ask in the comment field.

Credits

A lot of people have been involved in the making of Music Moves. A list of everyone involved is available in the download section below. A big thanks to everyone!