Investigating Flow in the Music Classroom

Music teacher and musician Catherine Preston has always been intrigued by the psychology behind creativity in the secondary school music classroom. Why does one pupil excel at music while others struggle?

Then she heard academic John Sloboda chatting about ‘The Tingle Factor’ on BBC Radio Four. The conversation immediately captured her imagination, linking two loves, music and psychology. Inspired to find out more, she discovered flow theory, defined by its creator Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi as being primarily concerned with the quality of individual subjective experience and the ways in which it is possible to be immersed in an activity for its own sake rather than for any extrinsic reward.

Catherine embarked upon a doctoral research journey where she focused on classroom composing at two secondary schools in the North West of England.  The fascinating results are published in this book, which is dedicated to anyone who ever banged a drum, strummed a guitar or bashed a keyboard in the classroom.

Commenting on her research, Catherine says: “The fundamentals of flow experience, enjoyment, heightened awareness and increased challenge and skill are relevant across all walks of life and ‘Investigating Flow in the Music Classroom’ will appeal in its own right to teachers, academics and people interested in seeking out ways to lead happier and more fulfilling lives.”