Singing with awareness: A phenomenology of singers’ experience with the Feldenkrais Method

Though methods of somatic education such as the Feldenkrais Method are becoming more widely recognized as complementary approaches in vocal and choral pedagogy, there is little research that examines the experiences of singers who participate in such mind–body approaches. With the intent of exploring pedagogical implications of somatic education in music education, the purpose of this phenomenological study was to examine the experiences of undergraduate vocal music education majors enrolled in an elective, 7-week Feldenkrais course. Specifically, how do singers describe in their participation in Feldenkrais Awareness Through Movement lessons, and how do these experiences inform their understanding of how they sing? Data were gathered from questionnaires, weekly journals, and semi-structured interviews. Phenomenological data analysis following Moustakas’s approach revealed three themes reported as textural and structural descriptions: (a) improved quality of movement, (b) heightened awareness of singing, and (c) enhanced practice. The overall essence of participants’ experience may be summarized as a process of self-discovery that provided individualized benefits for singing. Discussion includes pedagogical implications of somatic teaching and learning in PreK through university contexts as well as suggestions for future research.

SOMATIC EDUCATION AND THE UNDERGRADUATE DANCE STUDENT’S BODY IMAGE: A QUALITATIVE STUDY

Regarding dance practitioners, body image associated with dance movement is a dynamic and complex phenomenon involving internal processes that cause impact on the psychological, emotional and behavioural areas. Balance between internal and external body experience is crucial for the construction of body image, and is associated with the way the student acquires knowledge about his own movement. In many contexts of dance teaching-learning, we found a focus centred almost exclusively on the reproduction of movement from the external visual image, in which body shapes and movement, should match an idealized model. Somatic education, on the other hand, is a disciplinary field that privileges the somatosensory experience of the body as a source of knowledge. Starting out from an experiential approach based on movement perception, we intended to study the body image of the dance student. For this purpose, we developed and applied a Somatic Movement (SM) program to a group of undergraduate dance students. We used a qualitative methodological design with multiple data collection approach methods, which included in-depth semi-structured interviews, explicitation interviews (Vermersch, 2003), participant journals and group discussions. Our primary purpose is not only to present, develop and substantiate the adopted methodological procedures but also to articulate them with the sub-questions of the study, which according to our point of view will contribute to a more categorical knowledge of how to investigate highly subjective concepts such as body experiences.

The Somatic Work of Thomas Hanna, Tai Chi, and Kinesiology

Thomas Hanna’s somatic work has been essential to the development of the field of somatic education. From redefining the word “somatic” and developing the concept of somatics as a field of study, to starting the magazine/journal Somatics, to developing theories and practices of somatic education, Hanna greatly influenced this fledgling area of work. This article presents the somatic philosophy, theories, and education techniques of Hanna, focusing on the aspects that are unique to this somatic explorer. Hanna’s techniques are contrasted to the traditional somatic movement training of Tai Chi. The difficulties of researching a learning such as somatic education are discussed. Ideas are presented on how kinesiology and somatic education can inform each other.

O método Pilates e sua incorporação pela biomedicina

Introdução: Essa pesquisa relata o processo de criação do método Pilates, que compreende o corpo integralmente, em oposição à dualidade corpo-mente que fundamenta a biomedicina, surgindo como alternativa a medicina tradicional. Objetivo: Compreender como o Método Pilates vem sendo incorporado pela biomedicina, realizando uma revisão sistemática da literatura (RSL). Metodologia: Seguindo as etapas da RSL, foi feita uma busca nas bases de dados "Pubmed", "Web of science", "Scopus", "Scielo", "Embase", "Academic Search Premier" (EBSCO host), "Academic One File", "Scielo", "PEDro" e "CINAHL", com os termos: “Pilates method”, “Contrology”, “Joseph Pilates” e “Somatic Education”. Resultados: Grupos temáticos: 1) Tratamento da dor lombar (n = 18); 2) Reabilitação de idosos (n=13); 3) Efeitos no abdômen (n=8). Conclusão: O método vem sendo incorporado pelo modelo biomédico superficialmente, pois: 1) Avalia a autonomia de idosos, apenas quanto as habilidades funcionais protocolares, desconsiderando a sua individualidade em relação as atividades de vida diária, estigmatizando o corpo do idoso; 2) Quanto ao cuidado da dor lombar, aplica o método sem compreender o corpo em sua totalidade, comprometendo o seu potencial para ampliar o modelo de cuidado do campo da saúde; 3) O princípio Power House vem sendo compreendido e trabalhado apenas como a musculatura abdominal.Palavras-chave: Método Pilates, Biomedicina.

Introduction

This introduction situates How to Land: Finding Ground in an Unstable World as an interdisciplinary book that weaves together the fields of phenomenology, cognitive studies, contemporary politics, and somatic education to demonstrate how moving is linked to thinking. It foregrounds the questions that provoked the original inquiry such as: How are our bodies affected by repeated images of falling bodies, bombed-out buildings, and displaced peoples, as well as recurring evocations of global economies in “free fall,” governments “dissolving,” health disasters “spiraling” out of control, and ice caps “melting”? and What kind of fear gets lodged in our neurological system when we live with an underlying anxiety that certain aspects of our world are in danger of falling apart? In addition to giving synopses of each chapter, the introduction introduces two important conceptual triads: the 3Rs of responsiveness, resistance, and resilience; and the 3Ps of perception, practice, and politics. The introduction presents the experience of embodiment as a critical methodology which can transform moments of personal disorientation and national crisis into opportunities to reflect on the critical relationship between individual resiliency and communal responsibility. Physical skills have metaphysical implications, and these can guide our corporeal sensibilities as well as our ethical responsibilities.