The following article sample was reprinted from American String Teacher, vol 76, issue 1 with permission from ASTA and the author.
One of the most rewarding and essential goals in string teaching is inspiring students to perform with artistic expression that transcends the technicalities of notes, rhythms, and bowings. The aim is to teach students to play with depth, emotion, and narrative, breathing life into the music beyond technical challenges. For me, an effective way to achieve this is by encouraging students to “get into character” and immersing themselves in the experience of the music. Finding ways to embody music in multiple mediums such as story, dance, character, and composition, allows students to experience music as something more than just a string of notes on a page. Embodied experiences motivate music making to become increasingly animated, personal, memorable, and inspired.
The Concept of Embodiment
Embodiment is the process of giving a concrete form to an abstract idea or concept (Scorolli et al. 2011). Going beyond simply playing the right notes, musical embodiment means engaging multiple senses, connecting to a composer’s lived emotions, and experiencing the music within a historic, cultural, and communal context. Embodying music provides a pathway for inhabiting the emotional and expressive nature of a piece and advances musical expression from observational to participatory. We participate, we interpret, we feel, and we connect. Engaging in musical embodiment activities in an orchestral group process deepens our understanding of the music while also creating a space for musicians to creatively connect with one another, enhancing the ensemble experience. The impact on student learning is often heard through improved musical phrasing and ensemble cohesion, as well as students’ ability to describe their performance experiences and learning.
Below are several of my favorite examples of inventive ways to create an experience of musical embodiment. I have either workshopped these with my students or observed them in rehearsal contexts. Repertoire examples include frequently performed string and full orchestra works for high school, advanced youth ensembles, and honors orchestras that I love to teach. Ideas can be modified and applied to arrangements for a range of educational literature levels.
Shostakovich Cryptogram: The Personal Connection
Dmitri Shostakovich’s Chamber Symphony for Strings in C Minor, Op. 110a, based on String Quartet No. 8, incorporates a cryptogram that spells the composer’s name through musical notation: D-S-C-H or D, E-flat, C, B (Fay 2000). This autobiographical musical motif not only reflects Shostakovich’s personal struggle and resilience in the face of political oppression, but invites performers to understand the music as more than just a composition—it becomes an emotional and psychological expression of the composer’s experience. Shostakovich wrote this work in just three days under immense personal pressure. To simulate this experience, I developed a composition project where students were tasked with creating a 16-measure solo work based on the musical cryptogram of their own name. Students determined key, meter, rhythm, dynamics, and melodic content, with interpretive freedom. They then performed their personal composition for a small group, their section, or the full ensemble. This exercise offered a unique opportunity for students to connect with historical and cultural elements, and introduce their musical identity in a way that shared their personality, creativity, and artistic choices. While I had attempted composition units in the past, this project turned a technical exercise into a deeply profound and personal experience, creating a bridge of shared experience between Shostakovich and students.
Meyer Gallery: Visualizing the Music
Richard Meyer’s Idylls of Pegasus was a favorite string orchestra piece among my high school students. I find it to be a wonderful teaching piece navigating a range of keys, meters, and shifting demands, a broad tone color pallet, captivating melodies, and rhythmic challenges. It is also a great tool for exploring the intersection between musical storytelling and visual art. Rooted in Greek mythology, the music describes the story of Pegasus, the winged horse, soaring across various characters and landscapes. To help students respond to the piece on a deeper level, I invited them to create scenes from the music in a non-musical visual medium. They could choose any form of expression—painting, sculpture, or even dioramas. The project culminated in a “gallery walk” during rehearsal, where students could share and discuss their artistic interpretations. This extra musical experience helped students engage with the music beyond the notes as they had to visualize and interpret the narrative and emotions within the piece. This fostered creativity and promoted a greater sense of collaboration and community within the ensemble. It was inspiring to observe students who were not viewed as natural leaders in their musical sections emerge as creative leaders in this artistic endeavor. A possible extension of this project could involve projecting artwork images on a screen during the concert or using student work for the performance program cover.
Learn more about Tchaikovsky Monologues: Bringing Drama into Music, Stravinsky’s Rite: Rehearsal with Ritual, Scheherazade Cliffhangers: Building Anticipation, Firebird Runway: Physicalizing Musical Characters and the Conclusion: Empathy and Musical Ownership by accessing the full article at www.astastrings.org.
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