Without coordination, it is impossible for the body to organize the large and small muscles to function properly. Lack of coordination can lead to excessive physical tension and performance injuries. In fact, it is impossible to have good rhythm without good physical coordination. Two of the basic coordination/disordination exercises are seen in Example 1.

Example 1

coordination disordination

coordination disordination

The coordination/disordination games can move quickly into games that employ the gestures used in playing a string instrument:
-”playing” the violin/viola with arms moving together (coordinated) then in opposite motions (disordinated).
-moving the bow arm twice as fast as the left arm, then the left arm twice as fast as the bow arm.

This game can quickly turned into an ear-training game:
-three positions can assigned to the left and bow arms using numbers.
-the “teacher” says, “the first number I say will be for the left arm, the second for the right arm.” Then the students follow the directions, saying the numbers as they perform the gestures. For example: 1, 3/ 2, 2/ 3, 1, and so on.
-the numbers may be assigned pitches. Teacher sing, “1,3/ 2, 1,” and so on as the students sing and perform the gestures.
Improvisation in a New Key