University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

Walking in wellness: Preventative care and whole-body engagement in jazz double bass education

Junca Goncalves, Andrey

This item is only available for download by members of the University of Illinois community. Students, faculty, and staff at the U of I may log in with your NetID and password to view the item. If you are trying to access an Illinois-restricted dissertation or thesis, you can request a copy through your library's Inter-Library Loan office or purchase a copy directly from ProQuest.

Permalink

https://hdl.handle.net/2142/117667

Description

Title
Walking in wellness: Preventative care and whole-body engagement in jazz double bass education
Author(s)
Junca Goncalves, Andrey
Issue Date
2022-11-30
Director of Research (if dissertation) or Advisor (if thesis)
Sweet, Bridget
Doctoral Committee Chair(s)
Gray, Lawrence
Committee Member(s)
  • Carrillo, Tito
  • Silvers, Michael
Department of Study
Music
Discipline
Music
Degree Granting Institution
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Degree Name
A.Mus.D.
Degree Level
Dissertation
Keyword(s)
  • Jazz
  • Double Bass
  • Double Bass Education
  • Music Education
  • Preventative Care
  • Whole-Body Engagement
  • Playing Posture
  • Body Mapping
  • Alexander Technique
  • Muscle Management
Abstract
There is a large output of double bass literature about biomechanics, healthy habits in music performance, postural engagement, and preventative care. However, one of the challenges of jazz double bass pedagogy is to bring this knowledge to the teaching studio and help students to reduce the risks of developing performance-related injuries. Therefore, this research aims to investigate jazz double bass students’ study routines to understand healthy habits and preventative care better as they currently exist in jazz double bass programs. The guiding research questions were: 1) Is preventative care promoted in core curricula at universities?; 2) Is jazz double bass education geared towards preventing practice-related injuries?; and 3) How can teachers incorporate promoting healthy habits into their teaching of jazz double bass? A multiple-question online survey was distributed to higher education jazz double bass students of twelve universities in the United States, and fifty-seven participants (n = 57) answered the questionnaire. Data analysis showed that 83,9% of the group (n = 47) dealt with injuries, with a higher incidence of playing-related neuromusculoskeletal disorders (PRNDs) in the hands and lower back. In addition, students enrolled in Bachelor’s programs showed less engagement with healthy habits in the practice room and, consequently, a higher incidence of playing-related injuries. Overall, students did not show concern in dealing with pain and stated they do play through the pain. Lastly, academia was pointed out as a safe place to help deal with PRNDs because students see teachers as the best professionals to share information about their injuries. This study starts a new dialogue on fostering injury-free environments, encouraging and supporting jazz double bass students as they adopt preventative care activities as part of their practice.
Graduation Semester
2022-12
Type of Resource
Thesis
Copyright and License Information
Copyright 2022 Andrey Junca Goncalves

Owning Collections

Graduate Dissertations and Theses at Illinois PRIMARY
Graduate Theses and Dissertations at Illinois