Music embodiment in flute practice and performance
department or school: Arts, Faculty of
department or school: Music, School of
data provider: DSpace
degree campus: UBCV
creator: Trainini, Laura
issued: 2025-04-28T21:06:53Z
issued: 2025
related degree: Doctor of Musical Arts - DMA
degree grantor: University of British Columbia
description: The concept of music embodiment has become a focal point in music research, offering insights into how musicians learn, relate to their instruments, and use their bodies as mediators with the environment. Embodiment replaces the traditional Cartesian divide between body and mind with an integrated view of human experience. Rooted in Merleau- Ponty’s philosophy, embodiment emphasizes the role of body schema in developing a “sense of ownership” and conscious action. In music education, Jaques-Dalcroze’s “Eurhythmics” pioneered an embodied approach, highlighting the importance of movement and spatial awareness in acquiring musical skills. More recently, researchers such as Arnie Cox have underscored the role of sensorimotor processes in musical cognition, emphasizing imitation and deliberate gestures as central to learning. Despite its growing prominence, embodiment has seen limited application in instrumental training. This dissertation examines its potential for flute practice, focusing on how embodied awareness can address technical challenges and improve musicianship. Flute playing inherently involves unconscious processes, such as breathing and sound production, which can be better understood and refined through an embodied lens. The long-standing parallel with singing—a foundational model in flute pedagogy—offers a framework for easily understanding embodiment, given the voice’s intrinsic connection to the body. By examining the physiological similarities in breathing mechanisms and sound emission, this research aims to validate the comparison and define its practical implications for flute practice. Moreover, building on Linda Kaastra’s definition of embodied practice as awareness of typically unconscious processes and on Luc Nijis’ idea of instrumental incorporation, this study investigates how flute playing can integrate body schemata and refine gestures specific to the instrument. Additionally, insights iii from motor skill acquisition theories in sports prov…
aggregated CHO: https://circle.library.ubc.ca/rest/handle/2429/90879
note: MUSIC EMBODIMENT IN FLUTE PRACTICE AND PERFORMANCE by Laura Trainini A THESIS SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF MUSICAL ARTS in THE FACULTY OF GRADUATE AND POSTDOCTORAL STUDIES (Music – Orchestral Instrument) THE UNIVERSITY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA (Vancouver) April 2025 © Laura Trainini, 2025 ii The following individuals certify that they have read, and recommend to the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies for acceptance, the dissertation entitled: Music Embodiment in Flute Practice and Performance submitted by Laura Trainini in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Musical Arts in Orchestral Instruments Examining Committee: Josè Franch-Ballester, Associate Professor of Clarinet and Chamber Music, School of Music, UBC Supervisor Dr. Claudio Vellutini, Associate Professor of Musicology, School of Music, UBC Co-Supervisor Christie Reside, Adjunct Professor of Flute, School of Music, UBC Committee Member Dr. Jonathan Girard, Associate Professor, School of Music, UBC University Examiner Dr. Katharina Piechocki, Associate Professor, Department of French, Hispanic and Italian Studies, UBC University Examiner iii Abstract The concept of music embodiment has become a focal point in music research, offering insights into how musicians learn, relate to their instruments, and use their bodies as mediators with the environment. Embodiment replaces the traditional Cartesian divide between body and mind with an integrated view of human experience. Rooted in Merleau- Ponty’s philosophy, embodiment emphasizes the role of body schema in developing a “sense of ownership” and conscious action. In music education, Jaques-Dalcroze’s “Eurhythmics” pioneered an embodied approach, highlighting the importance of movement and spatial awareness in acquiring musical skills. More recently, researchers such as Arnie Cox have underscored the role of sensorimotor processes in musical cognition, emphasizing imitation a…
has type: Thesis/Dissertation
date issued: 2025-05
is shown at: 10.14288/1.0448619
language: eng
degree discipline: Music - Orchestral Instrument
provider: Vancouver : University of British Columbia Library
publisher: University of British Columbia
rights: Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International
rights URI: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
scholar level: Graduate
contributor: Franch-Ballester, Josè
type: Text
identifier URI: http://hdl.handle.net/2429/90879