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Every instrument interprets movement to sounds, a simple idea suitable for large groups.
Preparation
For some of the many variants, you will need props, a ball, a baton or jump rope etc.
Set up
It's best to sit in a circle with a place inside for a person or people showing the movement to interpret.
Gameplay instructions
Simply let players interpret musically everything that happens in the circle. The person in the middle is encouraged to experiment with the movement for how long it suits the person.
Game end
Swap conductors inside the circle as long as there are volunteers.
Gamemaster's notes
This activity is not exactly about intentional music shaping, but for spotting unusual possibilities, but you can easily segue it to more typical improvisational conducting.
The roots of this game are dating back at least to circus music and vaudeville where such musical illustrations is a staple.
If you want to connect movement and your environment, check out the detailed description for a game Room Score.
Variants
There are many possible variants, try at least:
- funny walk
- dance
- ball
The ball example is kind of a classic, as it was even performed (in a way) on a big stage with the audience responsible for the ball movement and the band Phish providing musical interpretation. Here is an example from 1993: https://www.youtube.com/embed/jec5dzAx970 — notice the added goal of hitting the ball to "the basket" in the end.
Example (more typical one)
(under the name "Rumble Ball")
conducting drawing guessing listening matching memory voting
composers events insert instrument-preparation narrative quick random rhythm role-play speeding-up timed tonal words
