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Recovering disembodied spirits: teaching movement to musicians

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  03 June 2009

Kathryn Woodard*
Affiliation:
Department of Performance Studies, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843-4240, [email protected]

Abstract

Understanding physical movement is an integral part of learning to make music. This article presents the action research that the author has pursued while teaching movement to musicians. The narrative provides a theoretical underpinning for the teaching practices discussed. It provides examples of musicians’ movement with analyses of the anatomical structures involved, and it discusses the influences of bodily perception on observing and learning movement (e.g. the body map). The implications of the study are to provide a somatic foundation for music education and thereby to enhance the understanding of music as embodied experience.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2009

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