Orff-âSchulwerk is one of the most holisdc and creadve approaches in Music. Educadon. With a visionary pedagogical idea, Carl Orff connected language,.
Rhythms of the body -‐ Rhythms of the brain (Language, Music and Movement) The impact of the Orff-‐Schulwerk approach to lived emo1ons on the ‘Musical Brain’ João C. R. Cunha & Sara Carvalho | INET -‐ MD, University of Aveiro -‐ Portugal
Abstract
Methods
Conclusions
Orff-‐Schulwerk is one of the most holis1c and crea1ve approaches in Music Educa1on. With a visionary pedagogical idea, Carl Orff connected language, music, movement and dance in what he nominated “Elemental Music”, knowing that speech, music and movement/dance involve the systema1c temporal paGerns of rhythm. In this poster, we propose to iden1fy different lived emo1ons boosted by Orff-‐ Schulwerk ac1vi1es in a Music Educa1on context and to connect them to the way students acquire musical knowledge and, consequently, improve their ‘musical brain’ development (Koelsch, 2013; Levi1n, 2008), once emo1ons acquire a significant relevance in cogni1ve connec1ons and processes (Clarke et al., 2009; Crick, 1995; Damásio, 2002, 2010 and references therein; Koelsch, 2013; Lane & Nadel, 2002; LeDoux, 1996; Peretz & Zatorre, 2003, Veloso & Carvalho, 2012).
The methodological approach taken was constructed on ques1onnaires based on AFIMA -‐ Adapted Flow Indicators in Musical Ac=vity (Custodero, 2005 an references therin), that were given to students (n=50) in order to assess their musical engagement during a full academic year. The results concern the “Affec1ve Indicator”, which is an AFIMA dimension and an Op=mal Experience/Flow State fundamental element according Csikszentmihalyi’s Flow Theory.
The longitudinal research clearly showed that the musical ac1vi1es based on the Orff-‐Schulwerk approach provided a flow sustaining strategy in the Music Educa1on class (Cunha & Carvalho, 2012 and references therin). The data of this par1cular AFIMA dimension (“Affec1ve Indicator”) enabled us to establish that through Orff-‐ Schulwerk’s approach children lived many posi1ve emo1ons (in higher levels). Therefore, associated with brain region involved in reward, mo1va1on and arousal (Clarke et al., 2009; Koelsch, 2013; Levi1n, 2008), this posi1ve lived emo1ons demonstrated to be significant in the way students acquire musical knowledge and, subsequently, develop their ‘musical brain’. In fact, posi1ve emo1ons can guide, influence, or constrain cogni1on (Crick, 1995; Damásio, 2002, 2010 and references therein; Lane & Nadel, 2002; LeDoux, 1996; Peretz & Zatorre, 2003, Veloso & Carvalho, 2012), once they has important effects on mental func1ons that are indisputably cogni1ve, such as memory, aGen1on, and percep1on.
IntroducKon and Purpose
In the middle of 20th century, Carl Orff and Gunild Keetman conceived the now-‐well-‐known Orff-‐Shulwerk approach, combining a wide range of rhythm based sources, including speech, music, movement and dance, and emphasizing the crea1ve use of simple percussion instruments (including body percussion and Orff Instrumentarium), while building upon natural (speaking and singing) human voice. Recent studies in Music/Music Educa1on (Chen et al., 2009 and references therin; Koelsch, 2013; Levi1n, 2008; Norton et al., 2005; Patel, 2010; Steele et al., 2013; Thompson, 2009; Zatorre, 2006; Zatorre et al., 2007) suggested that the connec1on between brain and music occurs, par1cularly, at cerebellum level and is connected to the frontal lobe, the centre of the most advanced cogni1ons in humans (Crick, 1995, Levi1n, 2008). This connec1ons run in both direc1ons, each structure influencing the other, and emo1ons has important roles in those cogni1ve processes (Clarke et al., 2009; Damásio, 2002, 2010 and references therin; Lane & Nadel, 2002; LeDoux, 1996). We consider that the Orff-‐Schulwerk approach works by being a guiding force for building the referred cogni1ve connec1ons between brain and music and we have been using Flow Theory (Csikszentmihalyi, 1997 and references therin) to illustrate this development.
Results
Regarding the lived emo1ons presented in the figure 1, which occurred during the Orff-‐ Schulwerk approach ac1vi1es, we underline that the majority of the students clearly lived "posi1ve emo1ons" in all classes. In addic1on, higher levels (Quite and Very) of “Affec1ve Indicators” are directly correlated with posi1ve lived emo1ons, e.g. Happy, Cheerful, Involved and Sa=sfied were men1oned with maximum level (Very) by more than 50% of the students. Moreover, all classes which included movement and rhythmical ac1vi1es revealed that children’s only lived “posi1ve emo1ons”.
References
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Acknowledgments
Contact details
João C. R. Cunha | Sara Carvalho
