Studies on ultra-endurance suggest that during the races, athletes typically experience three vitality states (i.e., preservation, loss, and revival) at the phenomenological level. Nevertheless, how these states contribute to the management and outcome of performance remains unclear. The aim of this study was to determine whether and how the vitality states experienced by runners and their evolution during a trail race can be used to distinguish finishers from withdrawers. From an enactive and phenomenological framework, we processed enactive interviews and blog posts of race narratives. We distinguished units of meaning, which were grouped into sequences of experience; each sequence was then categorized as one of the three vitality states: state of vitality preservation (SVP), state of vitality loss (SVL) or state of vitality revival (SVR). We analyzed the distribution of these vitality states and their temporal organization at the beginning, in the second and third quarters, and at the end of the races, and we qualitatively characterized runners’ adaptations to SVL. Results showed that finishers completed the race in SVP, with overall significantly more sequences in SVP and significantly fewer sequences in SVL than withdrawers. SVR did not discriminate finishers from withdrawers. The temporal organization of the vitality states showed a significant difference in the emergence of SVP from the second quarter of the race, as well as a significant difference in the emergence of SVL from the third quarter of the race. The analysis of adaptations to SVL confirmed that finishers were more capable of exiting SVL by enacting a preservation world when they felt physical or psychological alerts, whereas withdrawers remained in SVL. Our results showed that finishers and withdrawers did not enact the same phenomenological worlds in the race situation, especially in the organization of vitality adaptations and their relationships to difficulties; the cumulative effect of the succession of experienced vitality states differed, as well.

The present paper reports data from an original qualitative study that investigates how music students reacted to novel remote teaching strategies that emerged during the COVID-19 pandemic. A population of twenty learners enrolled at an Italian conservatory responded to an openended survey, verbalising their recent learning experiences concerning three complementary aspects of their everyday practice: (i) how efficiently new remote education settings were implemented, (ii) what novel musical activities have been creatively developed with the help of technology, and (iii) how peer interaction was transformed by the lockdown period. By providing concrete examples, our participants offered insights into the benefits, challenges, and transformations this sudden pedagogical change has produced. Our findings show how different approaches to rehearsal and time management have emerged, in turn impacting on how students prioritise short-term and long-term goals, enhance their creative potential, and establish and renew interactions with peers.

The recent COVID-19 health emergency has forced many music teachers to adopt remote teaching methods. The present paper investigates the practices and strategies used by conservatory-level music teachers to give lessons online in different European countries and the USA. Data from an exploratory qualitative study were collected using semi-structured interviews covering aspects such as curriculum design, lesson implementation, evaluation, examination organization, and time management skills. Interviewees offered rich descriptions of their experiences of teaching both music theory and instrumental lessons. Findings were analyzed using an inductive method, giving rise to the following categories: COVID-19 and the music school, technology, curriculum planning, managing instrumental lessons, examinations, strengths, and limitations. Participants discussed their ability to manage technology, and they employed skills such as flexibility, problem solving, and creativity in their curriculum planning and in using a variety of remote learning tools. They revised curricular activities and online teaching strategies and methods were associated with the musical instruments played. They argued that online teaching was very time consuming (e.g., planning activities, preparing materials, and exploring the new possibilities of technical tools) and that it was stressful to have lost a satisfactory work-life balance. They reported becoming more organized in the management of their activities. Internet platforms were found useful for sharing material, communicating, exchanging messages, and keeping records of all the work done. Participants learnt to use video clips systematically for modelling and teaching. They were aware of the strengths and limitations of e-learning, and they called for more institutional support and opportunities for professional development.

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The 2020 COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting imposition of physical distancing rules had consequences in the domains of music and sport. The present study sought to analyze how the COVID-19 lockdown period affected interpersonal relationships between music teachers and students and sports coaches and athletes. As part of a semi-structured interview, eighteen participants—six athletes and their three coaches and six musicians and their three teachers—were asked to recall how their interpersonal relationships evolved during the lockdown. Findings showed that these changes could be grouped into four dimensions: establishing a new relationship ; working on a new form for the relationship ; developing functional, positive adaptations; and developing non-adaptive, detached relationships . Findings also showed that members of the dyad gave meaning to their interpersonal relationship in a dynamic way, even over such a short time. There were some similarities between the experiences of musicians and athletes, highlighting the importance of a well-functioning dyad and good communication between the parties.