Embodied Musical Autoethnography: Body, Practice, and Situated Knowledge in Artistic Research

Authors

Keywords:

musical autoethnography, artistic research, situated knowledge, corporeality, critical pedagogy, epistemic justice.

Abstract

This article explores musical autoethnography as an embodied form of artistic research, understood as a reflexive process in which corporeality, practice, and aesthetic experience become legitimate sources of knowledge. Through a theoretical and methodological review, it examines the foundations of autoethnography in relation to practice-based research, phenomenology of the body, and arts-based inquiry. The paper develops a framework that articulates epistemological, ethical, and pedagogical dimensions, emphasizing the transformative potential of self-writing in educational and artistic contexts. It also addresses quality criteria, ethical challenges, and critical contributions linked to epistemic justice, decolonization of knowledge, and a pedagogy of care. The discussion calls for expanding the notion of scientific rigor toward an “ecology of artistic knowledge” that integrates sensitivity, reflexivity, and social commitment. In a context marked by digitalization and the emerging role of artificial intelligence, embodied musical autoethnography is presented as a humanistic and sustainable research practice capable of reconfiguring the relationships between art, knowledge, and education.

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Author Biography

Margarita Lorenzo de Reizábal, Centro Superior de Música del País vasco- MUSIKENE

Prof. Dra. Margarita Lorenzo de Reizabal

Centro Superior de Música del País Vasco

Directora de orquesta, compositora, pianista, docente, médico e investigadora.

Nació en Bilbao (País Vasco). Titulada superior en Piano, Composición, Música de Cámara, Pedagogía y Dirección de Orquesta (en el Royal College of Music-London) con premios Fin de Carrera en todas las especialidades. Licenciada en Medicina y Cirugía en la UPV/EHU. Pianista de la Orquesta Sinfónica de Bilbao (BOS) durante 16 temporadas. Máster en Psicodidáctica y Doctora en Métodos de Investigación y Diagnóstico en Educación. Catedrática de Armonía-Composición del Conservatorio Municipal de Leioa. Directora Titular de la Joven Orquesta de Leioa (450 conciertos, 8 CD y 3 DVD) durante 25 temporadas. Conciertos en España, Francia, Países escandinavos, Italia y para RTVE. Actualmente, es directora invitada de bandas y orquestas sinfónicas en España y Europa.

Libros: “Análisis Musical: claves para entender e interpretar la Música” (Ed. Boileau, 2006), prologado por Joaquín Achúcarro; “En el Podio: manual de dirección de orquesta, coros, bandas y otros conjuntos instrumentales” (2010), prologado por Jesús López Cobos y traducido a varios idiomas (editorial Schott y H. Lemoine).

Profesora titular del Centro Superior de Música del País Vasco (Musikene) y docente del Máster de Estudios Orquestales. Participa habitualmente en Congresos Internacionales de Música y de Educación. Más de 80 artículos de investigación publicados en revistas de impacto nacionales e internacionales. Es Inspectora de Calidad de los Conservatorios Superiores de Música en Europa. Coordinadora del equipo de investigación sobre Enseñanza de los Conservatorios Superiores de Música en España. Divulgadora musical con los programas radiofónicos semanales “¡Música, Maestra!”, y “La traviata. Pasión por la lírica” en Radio Popular/Herri Irratia (País Vasco). Acreditada por UNIBASQUE y ANECA como profesora titular de Universidad.

Es presidenta de AEPMIM (Asociación Española de Psicología de la Música y de la Interpretación Musical) y ha sido coordinadora general del I Congreso Iberoamericano de Psicología de la Música y la Cognición musical (abril 2023) y coordinadora general del II Congreso de Psicología de la música y de la Interpretación Musical- AEPMIM 2024 en Sevilla (noviembre 2024).

ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8561-5458

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Published

2026-03-02

How to Cite

Lorenzo de Reizábal, M. (2026). Embodied Musical Autoethnography: Body, Practice, and Situated Knowledge in Artistic Research. Iberoamerican Journal of Music Education, 3(1). Retrieved from https://revistaiberoamericanadeeducacionmusical.org/index.php/riem/article/view/23