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Music Moves

Why Does Music Make You Move?

Hans T. Zeiner-Henriksen, Alexander Refsum Jensenius, Kristian Nymoen, Mari Romarheim Haugen, David Buverud, Ruby Topping, and Victor Gonzalez

Most FutureLearn courses run multiple times. Every run of a course has a set start date but you can join it and work through it after it starts. Find out more This course is open to everyone. No technical knowledge of music or dance is required. You can use the hashtag #FLmusicmoves to talk about this course on social media.

Topics Covered

A historical overview
Perception and cognition of music
Functional action-sound categories
Multimodality
Pulse and Entrainment
Groove
Gestures and Coarticulation
Bodily Metaphors
Motion Capture
Video Analysis
Bio Sensors

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Reviews summary

Exploring music's connection to movement

According to learners, this course offers a fascinating and accessible exploration of the intricate relationship between music and bodily movement. Many found the content insightful and engaging, particularly appreciating how it connects diverse fields like psychology, history, and technology. It's described as an excellent introduction for those with no prior background in either music or dance, making complex ideas understandable. While the course provides a broad overview and covers various facets of the topic, some reviewers felt it could benefit from more depth on specific technical or theoretical aspects, especially for learners seeking advanced knowledge. Overall, students report a positive experience, gaining a new perspective on everyday phenomena.

Overall good production value noted.

"The video lectures were well-produced and easy to watch."

"I thought the quality of the instructional videos was quite high."

"Good visuals and audio made the learning experience pleasant."

Explores history, psychology, technology.

"Loved how the course integrated historical perspectives with modern scientific understanding and technology like motion capture."

"The interdisciplinary approach, connecting music perception to psychology and bodily response, was a highlight."

"It was interesting to learn about the different ways researchers study music and movement, from history to bio-sensors."

"Gave me a much broader understanding of the field than I expected, covering everything from 'groove' to 'entrainment'."

Material is captivating and thought-provoking.

"The topics covered were absolutely fascinating! I never thought about music and movement this way before."

"Each week presented new insights that genuinely surprised and delighted me."

"The content was highly engaging, mixing theory with real-world examples and interesting demonstrations."

"I found myself constantly thinking about the course concepts long after the videos ended."

No prior knowledge needed, easy to follow.

"I had no background in music or dance, but this course was incredibly easy to understand and follow along with."

"Perfect for anyone curious about the topic, regardless of their technical background. The explanations are clear."

"Made complex concepts simple and engaging. I never felt lost, even as a complete novice."

"Great starting point if you're new to the science behind music and movement."

Covers many areas, but some wish for more detail.

"While the course covers a lot of ground, I felt some topics were only briefly touched upon and could have gone deeper."

"It's a great introduction, but if you're looking for advanced research or technical detail, this might be too basic."

"Good for getting a general idea, but not sufficient if you need in-depth knowledge for professional application."

"I appreciated the breadth, but sometimes wished for more specialized exploration within certain modules."

Career center

Learners who complete Music Moves: Why Does Music Make You Move? will develop knowledge and skills that may be useful to these careers:

Reading list

We've selected 47 books that we think will supplement your learning. Use these to develop background knowledge, enrich your coursework, and gain a deeper understanding of the topics covered in Music Moves: Why Does Music Make You Move?.

The Cambridge History of Twentieth-Century Music

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This multi-volume history of Western music, written by a team of leading scholars. It is the most comprehensive and authoritative work on the subject, but it is also very expensive and difficult to read.

Music Moves

Topics Covered

Topics Covered

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Reviews summary

Exploring music's connection to movement

Career center

Reading list

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