Although flow has been studied extensively in music and sport, there is a lack of research comparing these two domains. With the aim of filling this gap, elite musicians and top athletes in Slovenia were contrasted in the current study. Differences for flow and satisfaction with life between elite musicians and top athletes were explored. Individual versus group performance setting and gender differences were considered. 452 participants; 114 elite Slovenian musicians (mean age 23.46 years) and 338 top Slovenian athletes (mean age 22.40 years) answered questions about flow and satisfaction with life measures. The results show differences between elite musicians and top athletes in four flow dimensions: transformation of time and autotelic experience were higher in musicians while clear goals and unambiguous feedback were higher in athletes. However, differences in global flow were not confirmed. Elite musicians and top athletes experienced flow more often in group than in individual performance settings and surprisingly it was experienced more in male than in female top performers. Satisfaction with life has a positive correlation with all nine dimensions of flow, but only challenge-skill balance was a significant predictor for satisfaction with life.

This article examines the effects of Montessori music-movement activities on the development of the rhythmic abilities of 59 children from Montessori preschools, aged between 3 and 6 years. Children were deployed into two experimental groups (EG 1 (n = 20) & EG 2 (n = 22)) and a control group (CG) (n = 17). Our intervention consisted of introducing 15 to 20 min of unstructured movement time, either accompanied by a piano (EG 1) or recording (EG 2), three times a week for four months, whereas the control group carried on the usual Montessori program. We used a quasi-experimental nonequivalent groups design with pretest–posttest. Three tests for measuring rhythmic abilities were used: auditory discrimination of the rhythmic patterns, imitation of spoken rhythmic phrases, and determining the synchronization of movement with the rhythm of the music. The interventions had a positive effect on the development of the rhythmic abilities of children included in the study. The most significant effect was noticed in EG 1, while no effect of non-activity was detected in the control group.

The present study uses a qualitative approach to focus on dance improvisation and flow. Dance instructors with wide experience in performing and teaching dance improvisation took part in semi–structured interviews that featured questions about dance improvisation and flow, including issues of flow in dance education with children. The data were analyzed using a grounded theory approach, and the findings highlighted the following macro areas: characteristics of flow, conditions for flow, educational issues, and outcomes. Participants emphasized several connections between flow and dance improvisation and demonstrated their awareness of the potentialities of flow during dance improvisation and its usefulness for dance education with children. Participants considered the teacher a facilitator who has to inspire pupils and adopted a process orientation and a learner-centered approach for guiding children to exploring multiple ways of knowing. Physical and psychological wellbeing influenced performing excellence, as a global condition induced by flow and creative transfer emerged in the multidimensional framework in which improvisation and flow operate. The findings are discussed in the framework of general theories of flow to highlight the implications of adopting improvisation in general education.

The current study focuses on motor creativity in children by analyzing the factors related to teaching dance improvisation. A qualitative methodology is adopted to collect the expert dance instructors’ conceptions of using dance improvisation in their teaching practice. Participants took part in semi–structured interviews that included questions about improvisation in dance education for children on topics like meanings, the motor and mental skills involved, motor creativity development, basic exercises, and the most frequently used ideas for organizing and teaching a typical lesson. Data were examined using content analysis, and the following macro areas were highlighted: creativity, movement, holistic development, and holistic education. The findings provided evidence of participants’ conceptions of and ideas about dance improvisation and creativity development in children. The participants demonstrated awareness of the potentialities of dance improvisation and its usefulness for creativity development in children. The findings are discussed in the framework of general theories of creativity, highlighting the implications of using improvisation in education.

Flow is a specific state of consciousness when people are completely immersed and concentrated on a task, that they lose the sense of time, and feel as if doing things unconsciously. This article aims to provide a brief overview of the flow in music, focused on music performance, and shed light on aspects such as psychological correlates, occurrence and educational applications. Our objective is to build a bridge between theory and practice examining the implications of flow for improving the musical practice. Several studies analyse flow in various musical activities, including improvisation/composition, listening and performance. Music improvisation is considered one of the most crucial pedagogical tools for promoting flow from the early years of music education on. Flow in music performance is the most extensively studied, and practical implications to facilitate optimal experience and flow conditions could be developed. In the final part of the article, educational strategies for inducing flow are proposed based on the nine characteristics of flow (Csikszentmihalyi, 1990).