With the intent of improving teaching and learning in choral music education, the purpose of this study was to investigate how somatic (mind-body) instruction facilitated participants' understanding of embodiment in singing and affected their perceptions of their singing performance. The work of Merleau-Ponty and Shusterman provided a theoretical framework for the notion of embodiment and the inclusion of somatic practice in the choral classroom. The research questions were: (1) How do participants describe their singing performance as a result of participating in experiences of somatic practice? (2) How do participants describe embodiment in singing as a result of participating in somatic practice? (3) How do participants describe teaching and learning in this choral setting as a result of increasing their knowledge about embodiment and participating in somatic practice?This qualitative study followed an integrated case study and action research design. The participants included five male and six female high school choral singers and their choral music teacher from a suburban school in a Midwestern state. As the participant-researcher, I facilitated somatic explorations based on the Feldenkrais Method® that were intended to elicit a greater understanding of embodiment in relation to singing. Data sources included participant journals and interviews and researcher field notes and reflective journal. Prolonged interaction with participants, data triangulation from multiple sources, member checks, and peer review established the trustworthiness of this study.The five themes that emerged from the data were as follows: (1) Perceived effects of somatic practice on singing, (2) Singing with conscious awareness, (3) Emerging understanding of embodied singing, (4) New perspectives on learning to sing, and (5) New perspectives on choral music teaching. The findings indicate that a theoretical and practice-oriented perspective of embodiment can provide new possibilities for how choral music educators teach and how their students learn. Somatic exploration as a part of instruction can help develop singing that is expressed more holistically and is inclusive of mind and body. From this perspective, choral music teaching, in essence, is the facilitation of embodied singing.
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