Abstract
Grounded in somatic pedagogy and anatomical awareness, Body Mapping (BMG) emphasizes correcting the internal body map to promote efficient physical alignment and movement. Forty-nine participants were assigned to experimental and control groups and received six weeks of posture instruction targeting the six places of dynamic balance: the atlanto-occipital joint, shoulder joints, lumbar region, hip joints, knee joints, and ankle joints. Pre- and post-instruction assessments were conducted using a high-resolution three-dimensional motion capture system to measure postural alignment during both static standing and singing tasks. Statistical analyses revealed significant improvement in atlanto-occipital alignment during singing and in lumbar alignment during both static and singing tasks for the experimental group. Additionally, the experimental group demonstrated significant composite improvement in overall postural alignment while singing. The control group also exhibited measurable gains, suggesting that even minimal instruction may enhance postural awareness. However, the more substantial changes observed in the experimental group support the pedagogical value of Body Mapping as an effective method for developing postural alignment in singers. These findings provide preliminary quantitative evidence supporting BMG and contribute to the growing body of research on somatic methods in vocal pedagogy.
Keywords: Body Mapping, Alexander Technique, posture, balance, choir, somatic
