ERIC Number: EJ1256474
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2020-Jul
Pages: 13
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0265-0517
EISSN: N/A
'Pouring Everything That You Are': Musicians' Experiences of Optimal Performances
Ford, Jessica L.; Vosloo, Justine; Arvinen-Barrow, Monna
British Journal of Music Education, v37 n2 p141-153 Jul 2020
The purpose of this study was to document the lived experiences of flow during an optimal music performance. Fifteen undergraduate musicians (M[subscript age] = 19, 53% male) participated in in-depth, semi-structured interviews, where they were asked to describe an optimal performance experience. Results from an inductive qualitative analysis revealed three main themes: environmental context, emotional connectedness and interpersonal relationships, which synthesised the optimal performance experience. The results also suggest that flow among musicians appears to be a common emotional state and similar to that conceptualised in sport. The ways a musician experiences flow are important, as these can help music educators gain a better understanding of the conceptualisation of flow within music performance. However, given the nuanced differences in the sociocultural environment of a flow experience typical in a sport or music performance, additional research into the divergences of domains may be warranted.
Descriptors: Music, Performance, Undergraduate Students, Musicians, Student Attitudes, Interpersonal Relationship, Emotional Experience, Music Education, Sociocultural Patterns, Team Sports, Music Teachers, Music Activities
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A