How performance movements influence emotional expression in music: A motion capture-based study of experts, teachers, and students

One key aspect of musical performance is conveying the performer’s emotions and expressive intentions to the audience. This study proposes a method for effectively conveying emotions through musical performance by quantitatively analyzing body movements using an optical motion capture system. Six participants—two professional pianists, two music teachers, and two music college students—performed the same piece while expressing four emotions: happiness, tenderness, anger, and sadness. Their body movements were recorded to examine how different emotional intentions influence performance behavior. We analyzed the trajectory lengths of various body parts from the motion capture data. Results showed that professionals and music teachers generally exhibited longer movement trajectories for each emotion compared to students. Moreover, professionals showed greater movement than teachers, suggesting they intentionally exaggerate physical gestures to enhance emotional expression. In contrast, students showed minimal body movement, indicating a tendency to limit physical expressiveness. These findings imply that skill level and experience affect how performers use body movement to convey emotion in music.