ABSTRACT
A theory developed by Ray Birdwhistell, kinesics proposes that human communication uses all the senses, is coded in gestures, and that these codes are different across cultures. The author wondered how the relationship between the elements in the music classroom. Movement is inherently tied to music, but it is hardly ever addressed or discussed in the music classroom, whether it be an introductory-level course such as the one described herein, private instrument instruction, or even in the standard performing ensemble. While not explicitly related to nonverbal communication between performing musicians, the "soft" aspects of music performance are observable, impact the performance and the audience's perception of it, and can be imitated by students in their own performance. In his assessment of the project, he found that students generally grasped the concept, identified similar things, and came to similar conclusions about nonverbal communication in music performance.
