Interesting article but it is not a general performance environment - it was during exams. That buy itself would support the conclusions that few music students enjoyed or were fully in the flow state during the exam. The suggestion that this should be done more broadly in a live performance environment is a good one. I think it would be interesting to compare the results between both settings.
The item that would be really helpful is if there were suggestions that would help to "remove the barriers" or enhance the likelihood of entering the flow state. Unfortunately the full article only alludes to this and does not address it. Are you aware of any other publications that are geared toward enhancing the flow state? Thanks for the article. It is an interesting read. Regards David -----Original Message----- From: lute-...@cs.dartmouth.edu [mailto:lute-...@cs.dartmouth.edu] On Behalf Of Franz Mechsner Sent: Friday, July 26, 2013 12:20 PM Cc: lute mailing list list Subject: [LUTE] Music education Most students seem to be unhappy with their performance... thus with making music... An article from the journal "Psychology of Music" (current issue): The experience of the flow state in live music performance 1. [1]William J. Wrigley 2. [2]Stephen B. Emmerson 1. Griffith University, Australia 1. William Wrigley, Griffith University, 140 Grey Street, South Brisbane 4101, Australia. Email: [3]b...@atatci.com Abstract This study examined the optimal psychological state of flow in a live music performance context at an Australian tertiary music institution in order to advance understanding of this under-researched experience in music performance and education. The Flow State Scale-2 (FSS-2) was administered to 236 students from five instrument families immediately after their performance examinations. A further aim was to examine the psychometric properties of the FSS-2 in order to determine its suitability for use as a measure of flow in music performance domains. The findings provided the first empirical confirmation of the validity and reliability of the flow model in live music performance. The flow experience was found to be consistent with findings from sport performance and did not vary substantially according to instrument type, year level, or gender. Most students in the sample did not believe they were sufficiently skilled to meet the challenge of the performance and most did not experience it as absorbing or enjoyable. The implications of the findings for the enhancement of teaching and learning methods were examined. Future research directions were discussed, particularly in regards to psychological skills training to help improve the music performance experience. ----------------------- Dr. Franz Mechsner Zum Kirschberg 40 D-14806 Belzig OT Borne franz.mechs...@gmx.de +49(0)33841-441362 References 1. http://pom.sagepub.com/search?author1=William+J.+Wrigley&sortspec=date&submi t=Submit 2. http://pom.sagepub.com/search?author1=Stephen+B.+Emmerson&sortspec=date&subm it=Submit 3. mailto:b...@atatci.com To get on or off this list see list information at http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
