Critical Pedagogy and Children's Musical Flow

Abstract

This study investigates the authors’ application of critical pedagogy constructs during Japanese children’s violin learning. Designing and implementing the Instructional Organizer (IO) for critical practice and adapting Custodero’s (1998, 2005) flow studies in children’s musical activities forms the conceptual framework of the study. A Japanese violin teacher, one of the researchers of this study, applied the IO in a Japanese public school’s afterschool program to construct community violin classes. In contrast, the same teacher taught group violin classes in a traditional manner at another public school. Lesson videos and field notes enabled the authors to narratively describe children’s flow experiences. Findings suggest that multiple flow experiences were identified in the community classes. In contrast, the flow was often stifled in the traditional group classes. The IO template was very useful in aiding the teacher in creating rich pedagogical spaces where community group students were able to exhibit hallmarks of “flow.”