Movement can be applied to so many different dimensions of rehearsal, that it takes experimentation to discover its power. There is no right or wrong way to move. Whatever movement elicits the musicality you are trying to achieve in any particular instance is right. Do you want to hear greater contrast in dynamics? Better articulation of that one phrase? Greater momentum? A more resonant sound? Change the movement and the voices will follow. Try having students move forward while singing a line to create a crescendo. If that doesn’t produce the desired effect, use arms more deliberately with the forward movement and see if that improves delivery. Use just hands and fingers with a particular line to simulate and stimulate crisp articulation. Engage the arms and full body to experiment with sound and see what movement best produces the sound that is most desirable to your ears. Engage the knees and see how that affects sound—and breathing. Have students move macro and micro beats while singing a line. Add greater weight on macro beats, and see what a difference that makes in performance.
Student movement will reflect your movement. You might try standing in front of a mirror at home to see what movements best communicate the musicality you want out of a particular line or song. Engage students in moving the energy of the line and you may see movement that expresses your musical desire more precisely than your own. Use it.
The more you experiment with different kinds of movement, the more you will witness the effect of each on the performance of your students. Your ability to communicate musicality through movement will grow as you hear the changes in delivery with each change in movement. Your own musicality and the musical needs of the song will lead you to find the most effective movement to express each musical nuance.
