An Exploratory Study of Music Teachers’ Flow Experiences Between Performing and Teaching Music

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine music teachers’ experiences with flow while performing and teaching music. A model with four flow antecedents (Challenge, Skills, Goal Clarity, and Feedback) and three dimensions of flow state (Absorption, Enjoyment, and Intrinsic Motivation) was adopted to investigate music teachers’ flow experiences in performing and teaching. Two hundred twenty-five music teachers completed the Flow in Music Performing and Teaching Scale, modified from Buil et al. The analyses revealed that the four flow antecedents in the proposed model explained a substantial amount of variance in music teachers’ flow state for both performing and teaching music settings (54.0% in performing, 34.7% in teaching). Participants’ open-ended descriptions of flow were also collected to further explore music teachers’ personal experiences with flow. The open-ended descriptions revealed that music teachers cited topics pertaining to Challenge, Skills, Absorption, Enjoyment, and Flow Disruptor when describing flow in performance. In contrast, they tended to cite topics pertaining to Feedback, Goal Clarity, and Group Flow when describing flow in teaching. Because Feedback and Goal Clarity appeared to be more closely associated with flow in teaching, executing lesson plans to accomplish goals while flexibly responding to students’ spontaneous feedback may elicit flow for teaching.