Re-mapping the body: feminine experience in music performance

In this project report I analyse how the practice of Body Mapping impacts the bodily performances of women classical musicians. The purpose is to study how the characteristics that define normative gender affect the body and its movement; to interrogate the body as the site where a patriarchal society constructs gender roles (more specifically, femininity); and consequently to assess the effects that these may produce in music performance. Drawing on interviews with six women classical musicians, autoethnography, and Body Mapping as a method, I created a workbook for women Body Mapping students. The goal of my research is to look into the possibilities of how the three fields—music performance, Body Mapping and feminist thought—can connect together, thus laying the groundwork for possible future research in this area. Even more, I seek to apply new approaches to music performance and to contribute, at a practical level, to the development of women classical musicians.

Educational Videos and Exposure to Nature as Predictors of Environmentally Responsible Behaviours among University Students

The purpose of this study was to examine if the effects of exposure to educational videos on climate change and exposure to a view of nature could elicit environmentalist behaviours and increase one’s environmental identity. It was predicted that participants who were exposed to a view of nature and saw a video on climate change would have a higher likelihood to plant a seed and experience greater connectedness to nature. Fifty-four students (38 females, 15 males, and 1 gender fluid) with ages ranging from 18 to 47 were recruited for the experiment. A 2 (type of video) x 2 (type of view) factorial design was conducted, in which participants were randomly assigned to watch either an educational video on climate change or on popsicles, and they either had a view of outdoors or indoors. There was no significant interaction for setting and video (p = .172) on whether participants chose to plant a seed or not. Likewise, there was no significant interaction for setting and video (p = .262) on planting intentions. There was a significant effect for the video on experiencing connection to nature (p = .039, ηp2 = .08). These findings suggest that this video could change one’s perception of nature.