Kinaesthetic motor imagery (KMI) : brain and muscle coordination
EMBODIMA gesture & KMI coordinating the muscles of singing
Singing is made up of any number of muscle activations depending on the task. This may vary from singing legato, coloratura, executing complex intervals, managing the technical demands of supporting high or low notes, belting or singing falsetto as well as maintaining resonance, articulating well, managing register shifts and mixing voice qualities.
EMBODIMA gesture
Kinaesthetic motor imagery (KMI) is an excellent way of bringing these separate tasks together so that the whole system is able to sing effectively through the inter co-ordination not just of different muscle groups but different muscle systems. But for KMI to work in singers, it requires an additional resource - GESTURE.
MOVEMENT AND SENSATION IN THE BRAIN
Even the simplest singing task requires the coordination of many muscles that are often simultaneously involved in other activities. For example, many muscles involved in breathing are also important in maintaining posture and vocal support. All voluntary muscles are controlled by an area in the brain known as the primary motor cortex.
Behind the primary motor cortex lies the primary sensory cortex which receives sensations from the body that are important for controlling muscle activity and which play a very important part in kinaesthetic motor imagery.
The area in front of the primary motor cortex known as the premotor cortex is responsible for coordinating complex patterns of muscle activity such as those involved in singing. The premotor cortex is one of the regions of the brain that contains mirror neurones, a type of nerve cell that may be involved in the imitation and the interpretation of gesture. Embodima is based in neuroscience, applied practically to the teaching of singing.
Gesture therefore plays a vital role in the application of KMI in vocal pedagogy.
So how do we prompt KMI? The tool that has been devised to prompt KMI is a set of moving hand gestures (Embodima). Each gesture has a defined meaning which accurately conveys an idea from teacher to student. After the transference of the idea, this pattern of activity will remain in the student’s ‘motor memory’.
By ‘motor’ memory we mean a pattern of muscle activation that is stored in the brain. Once the pattern of motor activity is established in the brain, it can then be recalled by referencing that particular gesture.
With anatomically-correct gestures, technical change is extremely swift and is therefore useful for replacing entrenched difficulties created by poor technique. It is also of great value in vocal rehabilitation.
Embodima TM gestures are also useful in other areas of vocal learning and performance as they distract the singer from overthinking and critical self-judgement. This allows for a more holistic, artistic and integrated approach.
NOTE: all information on this website is copyright Nicola Harrison & EmbodimaTM 2019, all rights reserved, and may not be used,
copied or reproduced in any way without prior permission of the author
EMBODIMA gesture & KMI coordinating the muscles of singing
Singing is made up of any number of muscle activations depending on the task. This may vary from singing legato, coloratura, executing complex intervals, managing the technical demands of supporting high or low notes, belting or singing falsetto as well as maintaining resonance, articulating well, managing register shifts and mixing voice qualities.
EMBODIMA gesture
Kinaesthetic motor imagery (KMI) is an excellent way of bringing these separate tasks together so that the whole system is able to sing effectively through the inter co-ordination not just of different muscle groups but different muscle systems. But for KMI to work in singers, it requires an additional resource - GESTURE.
MOVEMENT AND SENSATION IN THE BRAIN
Even the simplest singing task requires the coordination of many muscles that are often simultaneously involved in other activities. For example, many muscles involved in breathing are also important in maintaining posture and vocal support. All voluntary muscles are controlled by an area in the brain known as the primary motor cortex.
Behind the primary motor cortex lies the primary sensory cortex which receives sensations from the body that are important for controlling muscle activity and which play a very important part in kinaesthetic motor imagery.
The area in front of the primary motor cortex known as the premotor cortex is responsible for coordinating complex patterns of muscle activity such as those involved in singing. The premotor cortex is one of the regions of the brain that contains mirror neurones, a type of nerve cell that may be involved in the imitation and the interpretation of gesture. Embodima is based in neuroscience, applied practically to the teaching of singing.
Gesture therefore plays a vital role in the application of KMI in vocal pedagogy.
So how do we prompt KMI? The tool that has been devised to prompt KMI is a set of moving hand gestures (Embodima). Each gesture has a defined meaning which accurately conveys an idea from teacher to student. After the transference of the idea, this pattern of activity will remain in the student’s ‘motor memory’.
By ‘motor’ memory we mean a pattern of muscle activation that is stored in the brain. Once the pattern of motor activity is established in the brain, it can then be recalled by referencing that particular gesture.
With anatomically-correct gestures, technical change is extremely swift and is therefore useful for replacing entrenched difficulties created by poor technique. It is also of great value in vocal rehabilitation.
Embodima TM gestures are also useful in other areas of vocal learning and performance as they distract the singer from overthinking and critical self-judgement. This allows for a more holistic, artistic and integrated approach.
NOTE: all information on this website is copyright Nicola Harrison & EmbodimaTM 2019, all rights reserved, and may not be used,
copied or reproduced in any way without prior permission of the author