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DOI: 10.1177/104837130201500305
2002 15: 13 General Music Today
Todd G. Westervelt
Beginning Continuous Fluid Motion in the Music Classroom

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BEGINNING CONTINUOUS
FLUID MOTION IN THE
MUSIC CLASSROOM
By Todd G. Westervelt
M
ovement i n-
structi on is an
integral compo-
nent in a music
cur r i cul um.
Nati onal ( MENC, 1994) and
state standards i l l ustrate the
i mportance of movement in
music education, yet some music
teachers may feel uncertain about
how to actually begin movement
i nstructi on in their classrooms.
Thi s article is about why, when,
and how to begi n movement
instruction in music classes.
The work of three i mportant
movement specialists whose con-
tributions are particularly appro-
priate to the first parts of a move-
ment curriculum will be present-
ed: Edwi n Gordon, Rudolf von
L aban, and Phyl l i s Wei kart.
I mportant movement concepts
such as Continuous Fluid Motion
(CFM), the Laba effort/flow ele-
ments, and a taxonomy of move-
ments classified according to diffi-
culty levels in performance will be
described.
Also included is The Kinder-
garten or First-Grade Lesson Plan
Todd G. Westervelt is a music psychologist and a
freelance trumpeter.
S P R I N G 2 0 0 2
Some music teachers may
feel uncertain about how to
actually begin movement
instruction in their
classrooms.
Usi ng CFM si debar, whi ch is
intended to help music educators
begi n usi ng CFM wi th young
children in the classroom.
The nature of rhythm and the
philosophical and pragmatic rela-
ti onshi ps between rhythm and
movement are appropri ate con-
cepts with which to begin provid-
ing a rati onal e for a sequenti al
movement curriculum.
Rhythm
Understandi ng the nature of
rhythm and how it is l earned
helps teachers to create a logical
and cogent sequential movement
curriculum. The term "rhythm" is
a derivative of the Greek word
"rhythmos," which means "flow."
"When a person [feels] rhythm as
he listens to or performs music,
he is ei ther overtly or covertly
movi ng to the rhythm of that
music. In other words, the most
basic level at whi ch one learns
rhythm is kinesthetic" (Walters,
1989, p. 56). The creator of
Eurhythmi es, J aques-Dal croze
(1921), wrote that "consciousness
of rhythm [can only be acquired]
by reiterated experiences of move-
ment of the whole body. ... Mus-
cles were made for movement,
and rhythm is movement" (pp.
80-82). J ames J ordon (in Wal-
ters, 1989) cogently summarized
Laban's philosophy, wri ti ng that
Laban "believed that through the
act of movi ng, one experienced
an i nteracti on of the body and
mi nd" (p. 317). The work of
Nobel laureate Gerald M. Edel-
man (a theory of neuronal group
selection published under the title
Neuronal Darwinism: The Theory
of Neuronal Group Selection
[1987]) confirmed the need for a
motor response when one is
thinking about or learning music.
Ri chard McCrystal (1992)
appl i ed Edel man's theory to
musi c when he wrote that
"preferably dance, or some kind
of appropriate body movement is
needed by rhythm neuronal
13
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Kindergarten or First Grade Lesson Plan Using CFM
Objectives
Students will move with CFM; explore levels within self space, explore body shapes/movement, and sing "Car
Ride," a song in harmoni c and melodic minor.
Music Supplied
Syntax mel ody used to help establish tonality and key
Song starting melody in D minor
"Car Ride"
Activities/Procedures
Establish the tonality and key for the students by playing i-V-i in d mi nor on the piano and by singing a syntax
melody with a neutral syllable as illustrated.
Sing the song starting melody, "Car Ride," to the class using a neutral syllable, such as "doo," "ya," "da," or
combi nati ons of these syllables. Reestablish the tonality and key and repeat the song while walking around the
room. On the last beat, clap your hands. Tell the students that they must listen carefully because they will eventual-
ly be asked to sing the song. Ask them to clap their hands at the appropriate time as you sing the song again. Sing
the song.
Tell the students to watch you move with conti nuous flowing moti on as you sing the song again. Tell them that
when you stop singing, you will freeze into a statue. Several times duri ng the song, stop singing and freeze. Try to
make interesting shapes. Each time you sing the song ask the students to attend to specific parts of your body,
such as your arms, wrists, or hips. Also model levels for the students, moving low to the ground, midway between
your lowest and highest point, and especially above your head and behind you (students are not aware of this self
space).
After model i ng CFM and directing students to attend to specific types of movement, sing the song again. Thi s
time, duri ng the "B" section, patsch the small beat with both hands in the air around your self space while conti nu-
ing to move the rest of your body with CFM.
Teach students about self space. Have them stand in their own personal self space around the room. Have stu-
dents move with CFM while you sing the song. Remember to stop singing occasionally so that they may freeze into
interesting statues. Remember to explore levels, to concentrate on specific body parts, to patsch to big and small
beats, and to clap at the end of the song. Have students model for one another. Hand out scarves and ask children
to move wi th the scarves. Remember to reestablish tonality and the correct key occasionally. When students freeze,
you can ask them to inhale deeply and sing xhe resting tone (la in moveable do, iis-based mi nor). Model resting
tone play. Students will sing the song throughout these activities. Ask them to sing it back to you while they move
with CFM.
Syntax Melody
jm I
;
'
j i
I g i p % 11
Bum bum bum bum bum bum bum bum
14 G E N E R A L M U S I C T O D A Y
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Song Starting Melody
illl
u^ m
$
Bum bum bum Rea - dy Sing
(List - en now)
'Car Ride"
Todd G. Westervelt
J. 60
f m \ru i
J j
r B s J-^
i
/Ts
=
j j , p g 1 p
u tempo
i
: ; 20
g- p J J
ESS;
W
(O
i i

5>* T P '
^ ^
a tempo
i
&T P '
V
CLAP
copyrijhl 1999
S P R I N G 2 0 0 2 15
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groups in order for them to func-
tion efficiently" (p. 3).
Continuous Fluid Motion
Many musi c teachers start a
movement curriculum by teach-
ing a type of movement that is a
core technique used by dance and
movement speci al i sts. Edwi n
Gordon (1990) called this move-
ment activity "conti nuous fluid
motion" (pp. 8889) and helped
to popularize it for music teachers
today. CFM refers to the move-
ment of the body in terms of free,
unbound, lightweight, conti nu-
ous flowing moti on, expl ori ng
and filling all of the surrounding
body's space. CFM acti vi ti es
should be an integral component
in the beginning of a movement
curriculum.
Gordon believed that
singing and CFM should
be done as one activity.
It is likely that the thought of
teachi ng children to move wi th
CFM originated with dance and
movement specialists. Laban, per-
haps one of the most renowned
movement specialists of the twen-
tieth century, taught persons to
move using CFM. Many dance
teachers also begin their instruc-
ti on wi th some type of CF M
activity. Why begin a movement
curri cul um in musi c class wi th
CFM? CFM:
allows students the pleasure
of a total , concentrated move-
ment experience
helps young children develop
body awareness and body imaging
is a first step in helping chil-
dren to explore body laterality,
bal ance, and di recti onal i ty
(Schrader, 1996, pp. 29-36)
can be designed to help chil-
dren expl ore temporal proj ec-
ti onthe purposeful, free move-
ment of thei r bodi es in space
through time (Schrader, 1996, pp.
73-88).
These things are all i mportant
because they are a logical and prac-
tical way for children to progress
to the next part of a purposeful
and sequential movement curricu-
lum.
Gordon conducted qualitative
observati onal research on early
chi l dhood musi c devel opment
(1990). He helped to popularize
the belief among music teachers
that conti nuous fl ui d moti on
should be model ed for children
shortly after birth (1990, p. 60).
Gordon also believed that singing
and CFM should be done as one
activity (see also Herboly-Kocsar,
1984). He wrote that encouraging
young children to move with free,
conti nuous moti on eventual l y
hel ps them l earn to di stri bute
their weight through time so that
they will not rush in music perfor-
mance (1990). (He descri bed
"rushi ng" as di spl aci ng one's
-weight through ti me.) Gordon
also claimed that CFM helps chil-
dren develop tonal competency by
serving as a basis for them to coor-
dinate their breathing wi th their
musical thinking and vocalization.
Effort/Flow Elements
Teachi ng chi l dren Laban's
effort el ements coul d be an
appropri ate way to conti nue
devel opi ng a sequenti al move-
ment curri cul um. Laban (1960)
described four movement effort/
flow elements, each element run-
FLOW
Bound< >Free
SPACE
Direct< >I ndirect
WEI GHT
Heavy< >Light
TI ME
Slow< >Fast
Figure I. Laban s Effort/Flow
Elements along a Continuum
ning along a conti nuum (see Fig-
ure 1, Laban's Effort/Flow Ele-
ments along a Conti nuum).
Laban taught that combi ni ng
the effort/flow elements in move-
ment and dance helps chi l dren
become aware of thei r bodi es'
capabilities. Examples of appro-
priate activities include acting out
the following:
reaching to pick up a teacup,
whi ch teaches chi l dren about
di rect space, light wei ght, free
flow, and variable time
pushing a car up a hill, which
teaches chi l dren about di rect
space, heavy weight, bound flow,
and slow time.
Laban taught that acting out or
i magi ni ng movement paradoxes
expands the mi nd. For example,
how can one experience a sense of
free flow ("flow" is a feeling of
muscle tension and is not neces-
sarily obvious to an observer) and
heavy wei ght? Try to i magi ne
scuba di vi ng for l obsters in a
heavy chain metal suit.
How can one experi ence a
sense of light weight but bound
flow? Try imagining scuba diving
for lobsters through mud.
16 G E N E R A L M U S I C T O D A Y
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Step Position Movement
l Seated, elbows resting
on a table
Drop forearms as a unit on the table;
the hands should be included as part of the forearm unit,
and the wrists should be straight.
2 Seated, elbows resting
on a table
Alternate the forearm drop movement described in step 1
(one arm at a time).
3 Standing, knees slightly
bent and heels free
Swing arms forward and backward as a complete unit;
the hands should be included as part of the full arm unit,
and the wrists should be straight.
4 Seated Sway from side to side.
5 Seated Drop heel to the floor; toes temain in contact with the floor,
while only the heels move up and down.
6 Seated Alternate the toe-to-heel movement described in step 5
(one heel at a time).
7 Seated Combi ne the forearm drop movement described in step 1
with the toe-to-heel movement described in step 5.
8 Standing, knees
slightly bent
Generate a side-to-side, toe-to-heel movement,
using the balls of the feet as pivot points
(similar to making ski turns).
9 Standing, knees
slightly bent
While executing step 8 to macro beats,
tap the arms as a unit against the sides of the body
to micro beats; perform in duple meter and in triple meter
as two separate exercises.
10 Seated Perform the toe-to-heel movement described in step 5
to macro beats while performing the forearm drop movement
described in step 1 to micro beats; perform in duple meter
and in triple meter as two separate exercises.
Figure 2. Ten Steps to Coordination
(Walters and Taggart, 1989, p. 136;
used wirh permission from the publisher)
S P R I N G 2 0 0 2
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List of Lesson Resources
Bartenieff, I. 1980. Body Movement: Coping with the Environment. New York: Gordon and Breach Science
Publishers.
Bolton, B. M., et al. 1993- Early Childhood Music Curriculum Experimental Songs and Chants, Book One. Chicago:
G.I .A. Publications.
Bolton, B. M. 1998. Childsong Collection: Learning the Language of Music. Philadelphia: Author.
Bolton, B. M., et al. 1999'. Jump Right In: The General Music Series. Grade 1. Chicago: G.I A. Publications.
Bolton, B. M. 2000. Pickles and Pie. Bestbael Publications. Compact disc.
Briggs, M. M. 1974. Movement Education: The Place of Movement in Physical Education. London: Macdonal d
and Evans.
Dell, C. 1977. A Primer for Movement Description Using Effort-Shape and Supplementary Concepts, 2nd ed. New
York: Dance Notati on Bureau.
Gordon, E. E. 1974. "Toward the development of a taxonomy of tonal patterns and rhythm patterns: Evidence of
difficulty level and growdi rate." I n Research in the Psychology of Music, ed. E. E. Gordon, pp. 3992. I owa City: Uni -
versity of I owa Press.
Gordon, E. E. 1976. Tonal and Rhythm Patterns: An Objective Analysis. Albany, NY : State University of New
York Press.
Gordon, E. E. 1978. A Factor Analytic Description of Tonal and Rhythm Patterns and Objective Evidence of Pattern
Difficulty Level and Growth Rate. Chicago: G.I .A. Publications.
Gordon, E. E. I 990. Jump Right In: The General Music Series: Learning Sequence Activities, Tonal Register Books I,
II. Chicago: G.I .A. Publications.
Gordon, E. E. 1997. Learning Sequences in Music: Skill, Content, and Patterns, 5th ed. Chicago: G.I.A. Publications.
Gordon, E. E. and D. G. Woods. 1986. Jump Right In: The Music Curriculum. Chicago: G.I A. Publications.
Grunow, R. F., and Gordon, E. E. 1990. Jump Right In: The Instrumental Series. Chicago: G.I .A. Publications.
J aques-Dalcroze, E. 1921. Rhythm, Music and Education. Translated by H. Rubinstein. New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons.
J ordan, J . M. 1986. The effects of informal movement instruction derived from the theories of Rudol ph von
Laban upon the rhythm performance and discrimination of high school students. Ph.D. diss., Templ e University,
1986. Abstract in Dissertation Abstracts International, 4703A, 822. University Microfilms No. AAT 8611873.
Kestenberg, J . S. 1990. The Role of Movement Patterns in Development. New York: Dance Notati on Bureau.
Laban, R., and F. C. Lawrence. 1947. Effort. London: Macdonald and Evans.
Laban, R., and F. C. Lawrence. 1974. Effort Economy of Human Movement, 2nd ed. London: Macdonald and Evans.
Laban, R. 1975. Modern Educational Dance, 3rd ed. London: MacDonal d and Evans.
Laban, R. 1980. The Mastery of Movement, 4th ed. London: Macdonal d and Evans.
Loman, S., and H. Merman. 1996. "The Kestenberg movement profile: A tool for dance/movement therapy."
American Journal of Dance Therapy, 181, 2952.
North, M. 1972. Body Movement for Children: An Introduction to Movement Study and Teaching. Boston: Plays, I nc.
Redfern, B. 1982. Concepts in Modern Educational Dance, 2nd ed. London: Dance Books.
Silva, M. 1983- Rudolf Laban's theory of modern educational dance: I mplications for program development in
elementary school. Ph.D. diss. Templ e University, 1983. Abstract in Dissertation Abstracts International, 4405A,
1378. University Microfilms No. AAT 8321277.
Taggart, C. C, et al. 2000. Jump Right In: The Music Curriculum, rev. ed. Chicago: G.LA. Publications.
Thornton, S. 1971. Laban's Theory of Movement: A New Perspective. Boston: Plays.
18 G E N E R A L M U S I C T O D A Y
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Laban's objective was to enable
students to internalize feelings of
movement and to enri ch thei r
i magi ng and i magi nati on. The
conti nuous fl ui d moti on that
begi ns a musi c and movement
curriculum is actually the combi-
nati on of free fl ow and l i ght
weight with time and space being
variable. One quick way to grasp
an understandi ng of these ele-
ments is to experiment with dif-
ferent combi nati ons of the four
effort/flow elements while writing
your name.
A Taxonomy of Movement
Weikart developed pedagogical
principles that should be applied
to early movement i nstructi on.
For example, she advised teachers
to allow students to "try it on for
size"to try movement activities
on their own and wi thout impos-
i ng a tempo or meterbefore
practicing the activity together, as
a group, within the boundaries of
a tempo and meter. In Weikart's
book, Teaching Movement and
Dance (1989), she provi ded an
insightful description of a move-
ment taxonomy (pp. 1821) illus-
trated according to difficulty lev-
els. Weikart wrote, for example,
that simultaneous and purposeful
movement of both arms in the
same direction is easier than (and
thus a readiness activity for) the
si mul taneous and purposef ul
movement of both arms in oppo-
site directions. Following Weik-
art's instructions about sequenc-
ing movement activities according
to difficulty levels enables teachers
to help students to acquire good
coordination and the readiness for
more complex activities, such as
formal dance.
With these combined
approaches, the music
educator will see and feel a
difference in students'
performances and
enjoyment of music.
Many proponents of Gordon's
contri buti ons to movement
i nstructi on fol l ow Wei kart's
advice about sequenci ng move-
ment acti vi ti es. Wei kart's
sequence is described synoptically
in Readings in Music Learning
Theory (Wal ters and Taggart,
1989, p. 136), which incorporates
Gordon's musi c l earni ng theory
and Weikart's contri buti ons into
one approach (see Figure 2, Ten
Steps to Coordination).
Combining Approaches
These movement acti vi ti es,
al ong wi th si ngi ng songs and
chanting chants with and without
words in di fferent meters and
teaching rhythm patterns in dif-
ferent meters (Gordon, 1997), are
essential to developing an appro-
priate movement curriculum that
enables students to fulfill thei r
rhythmic potential.
The List of Lesson Resources
sidebar provides additional mate-
rials wi th lesson plans to use in
integrating CFM, Laban's Effort
Elements, Weikart's rhythm readi-
ness and coordi nati on activities,
and songs, chants, and rhythm
patterns in different meters into
music classroom/activities. Wi th
these combi ned approaches, the
music educator will see and feel a
di fference in students' perfor-
mances and enjoyment of music.
Literature Cited
Edelman, G. M. 1987. Neural Darwinism:
The theory of neuronal group selection.
New York: Basic Books.
Gordon, E. E. 1990. A music learning theory
for newborn and young children. Chicago:
G.I.A. Publications.
Gordon, E. E. 1997. Learning sequences in
music: Skill, content, and patterns, 5th ed.
Chicago: G.I.A. Publications.
Herbol y-Kocsar, I. 1984. Teaching of
polyphony, harmony, and form in elemen-
tary school. Transl ated by A. Farkas.
Budapest: Zol tan Kodaly Pedagogical
Institute of Music.
J aques-Dalcroze, E. 1921. Rhythm, music and
education. Translated by H. Rubinstein.
New York: G. P. Putnam's Sons.
Laban, R. 1960. The mastery of movement,
2nd ed. London: MacDonald and Evans.
McCrystal, R. 1992. Do math and music
mix? GIML Newsletter, 5,1.
Schrader, C. A. 1996. A sense of dance:
Exploring your movement potential.
Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics.
Wal ters, D. L., and C. C. Taggart, eds.
1989. Readings in music learning theory.
Chicago: G.I.A. Publications.
Weikan, P. S. 1989. Teaching movement and
dance: A sequential approach to rhythmic
movement, 3rd ed. Y psi l anti , MI :
High/Scope Press.
S P R I N G 2 0 0 2 19
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