Physical Exercise
Some forms of physical exercise are carried out most successfully when accompanied by music. Plato recommended such a practice in his Republic. In the ancient triremes or boats with three banks of oars, there was always a tibicen or flute player, not only to keep uniform rhythm among the workmen, but to sooth and cheer them. From this custom Quintillian took occasion to say that music enables us more patiently to support toil and labor[15].
During the Six-Day Bicycle Race at the Madison Square Garden in 1911 forty-six mile races were separately timed on three evenings; half were ridden to music. The average time with music was 19.6 miles per hour, and without it only 17.9[5].
Tarchanoff found that
“if the fingers are completely fatigued, either by voluntary effort or by electric excitation, music has the power of making fatigue disappear.”[74]
Such an observation leaves little doubt that physical endeavor is more productive when done to music.
Calisthenics. This is not the place to discuss the value of calisthenics or its use in hospitals. Exercise has come to be considered the important physical conditioner, and calisthenics is the universally practiced exercise. Its proper performance will depend upon the ability of the leader, the willingness of the participants and the ingenuity expended to make it interesting. The willingness of the group can be enhanced by large numbers of performers, but under any circumstances, since it is unproductive and involves work, any adjunct which will increase interest is welcome. The exponents of both the Swedish and the German systems of calisthenics claim equally good results, but the former do not use any musical accompaniment, whereas some schools in Germany, particularly the one at Hellerau, make extensive use of it. In fact, Dalcroze and his followers have built an entire philosophy of esthetics called “Eurhythmics” based upon the relationship between body motion and music.
Unproductive exercise can undoubtedly be made more interesting by musical accompaniment. Music can regulate the orderliness of action by relating the sense of hearing to the sense of muscular movement.
Johnson[51] believed that the strength of muscle contraction increases with the intensity and pitch of accompanying music, and that the point of fatigue is postponed when calisthenics is given to music, but that unsteadiness might result from variation in the musical score. Anything that will divert the attention from the proper execution of the exercise is a hindrance, and music should not be used until the exercise has become thoroughly mastered. Once the exercise has become second nature, music becomes very useful because it acts as a stimulus and adds interest.
It is difficult to move rhythmically out of time with the music. Most popular recorded music is in a tempo too rapid to be satisfactory for calisthenics. For this reason live music is far more satisfactory as an accompaniment, and a single instrument, preferably the piano, is most suited to it. The pianist can take the cue from the exercise leader for tempo. The piano should be played in a steady unvarying rhythmic style. Well known tunes and folk-songs should be used. The piano must be played loud and with strongly accentuated rhythm. Hulbert[49] relied largely on waltzes, marches, and folk-songs played slowly. The songs he used to advantage include “Believe Me If All Those Endearing Young Charms,” “Bonnie Dundee” and “O No, John.” In this country such songs as “The Skater’s Waltz” and “There’s a Long, Long Trail A Winding” are popular for this use.
Ideally, live music should be used to accompany exercise so that the tempo can be readily adjusted to the speed of the participants. If commercial recordings must be used they should be carefully selected to rule out those containing vocal or other interludes which break up the continuity of the rhythmic pattern, and the operator should silence the machine between successive exercises.
The use of music during exercises will depend upon the value attached to it by the instructor. Some may find the time and trouble required unwarranted. Others may find in it a way to get better co-operation or increased pleasure. There is one use of music in connection with group exercise which is strongly recommended. Preceding the actual period of exercise the playing of a stirring march, while the participants march to their places of assembly, acts as a stimulant and conditioner for the activity to follow.