The contribution of talk to generating flow experience in the music classroom

Abstract

People can experience flow whilst taking part in a range of activities such as painting, sport and music and work. A flow state is achieved by balancing high levels of skill and challenge in a cyclical process that involves setting clear self-imposed goals and generating immediate, unambiguous feedback. Originally developed to study the quality of experience in everyday life, the flow model has been applied in this study to investigate young people’s experiences in the music classroom. The aim is to contribute to research in educational practice by exploring how school children experience working together during music lessons. Although collaborative musical participation is encouraged in the classroom context, very little empirical research has been conducted to investigate how effective this is and even less by practicing music teachers in UK schools. The research illustrates how flow theory can contribute to reaching a greater understanding of the nature and quality of pupils’ experiences in the music classroom. The study was conducted by a music teacher based in a state secondary school near Manchester in the north west of England. A mixed methods approach was used incorporating quantitative analysis of participants’ self reports recorded on experience sampling forms and qualitative analysis of verbal interactions. Findings were triangulated with teacher assessments of the finished compositions. The paper reports examples of the results of analysis of the verbal interactions recorded during the composing process. During the interactions, participants were observed in cooperative and competitive discussion, using a range of problem solving strategies and demonstrating their abilities for critical reflection mutual acceptance of each other’s ideas. These aspects were found to reflect flow experience in collaborative contexts.