Sensitizing students to the gestures of conducting should heighten their awareness of the non-verbal aspects of musical communication. Being able to give and receive constructive feedback on their own and other's performance can also build students' interpersonal intelligence. Intrapersonal Intelligence A person with well developed intrapersonal intelligence is aware of their own feelings and emotions and can fully express themselves. Aesthetic education, which many music educators hold as a primary philosophy and rationale for school music, is very much linked to the intrapersonal intelligence. Improvisation, a means for students to be spontaneously creative, could be included as a frequent rehearsal activity for ensembles.
Projects involving composition are another outlet for personal expression of feeling.
Another part of intrapersonal intelligence is cognizance of personal strengths and weaknesses. For music students, an awareness of their individual part of a composition that need improvement, and an understanding of the way to practice in order to achieve this improvement, would fall under this category. Maintaining a portfolio of class work could also help students to develop an awareness of their personal strengths, weaknesses, and progress as a musician. Hopefully, nearly everything we do in an ensemble rehearsal sensitizes and develops this intelligence. The following activities specifically focus on the recognition and use of tonal and rhythmic patterns, along with the development of an individual's sensitivity to other musical elements.