That blissful feeling: phenomenological conceptions of music performance from one performer's perspective

Inspired by the small amount of relevant past research available (Berger 1999, Berliner 1994, Monson 1996, Sudnow 1978), this paper focuses on the type of performance experience an individual musician views as worthy of striving toward (and avoiding) and the possible way(s) in which this can be accomplished. Using Strauss and Corbin's (1998) take on Grounded Theory (GT) as a methodology, data obtained from a semi-structured, in-depth interview with ,Jeremy Kelshaw (JK), a professional musician, are examined. JK's subjective, phenomenological experience of music performance comprised a detailed understanding of an ideal performance which emerged from JK's understanding of excellence and the uniquely uncertain nature of music performance. Also important in this experience were a number of strategies implemented by JK and his band Cloud Control in an attempt to establish, maintain, and regain vibe, the mysterious key ingredient of a desirable performance experience. Alongside the implications it holds for music education, this research also provides a unique insight into an individual musician's understanding of an ideal performance experience and the strategies used to achieve this.