Visual processing and sensorimotor integration in flute music reading: Eye movements, anticipation, and breathing...

This study examines eye movements, breathing patterns, and performance measures in relation to learning strategies during musical practice. A group of 27 flautists with varying levels of expertise read and practiced an excerpt of Giulio Briccialdi's Duo Concertante for Two Flutes, No. 2, Op. 100. Participants were evaluated across three trials: a first sight-reading performance, a second performance after 10 min of self-guided practice with a metronome, and a final performance without a metronome, during which their learning strategies and the measures studied were analyzed. A multivariate analysis revealed two main components underlying single-session learning: the first was linked to attentional and anticipatory processes, as reflected in eye-hand span, visual information intake (number of fixations), and information processing (fixation duration), while the second reflected physiological regulation, including breathing patterns (thoracic-to-abdominal balance) and blink dynamics. Musicians employing a wider variety of learning strategies (combining mental practice, music structural, and technical approaches) demonstrated improved anticipation, increased blinking activity, shorter fixation duration, and more balanced thoracic and abdominal breathing patterns. Musical structure influenced significantly all studied variables, with similar response patterns observed across trials. These findings underscore the importance of employing a diverse range of learning strategies, and suggest that the integration of anticipatory, embodied, and self-regulatory processes is essential for optimizing performance in short practice sessions.