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Arts & Communication Japanese children’s musical flow

the conventional flow research has focused on adult we designed to provide the participants with experiences
professionals, Csikszentmihalyi described that children are of interacting with both technological and traditional
naturally in flow. 2 musical instruments, as well as metallic objects producing
In the realm of music education research, flow research, ringing tones.
which originated in preschool children’s music making, 2.2. Settings
has expanded to include school-aged children, middle
school beginner string orchestras, beginner adult singers, 2.2.1. Technology
and community music learning settings. These studies Professor Yutaka Nakanishi of Shujitsu University installed
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employed flow indicators in musical activities (FIMA), Ableton Live 9 Lite digital audio workstation software on
devised by Dr. Lori Custodero of Teachers College, his laptop. He then imported sound effects and drum
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Columbia University, as a reliable tool to assess children’s loops into Live 9 Lite and connected Novation’s Launchpad
flow during musical activities. In addition, Akutsu’s study Pro grid controller to the laptop. This grid controller, also
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in the realm of string education narratively analyzed a known as MIDI controller, pad controller, matrix controller,
2-year-old boy’s flow experiences in violin playing at or DJ controller, consists of a matrix of pushbuttons
home and in community settings. These studies revealed measuring 1 cm . When a button is pressed on the pad
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domain-specific flow experiences in specific situations, controller, a musical phrase is played. In the setup, a large
such as early childhood music classes, string classes, and pushbutton switch operated the pad controller, while a
orchestra classes. However, there has yet to be a study palm-sized pushbutton switch, developed for people with
solely focused on observing children’s flow experience disabilities, controlled a solenoid, electromagnetic switch
in musical play using both musical instrument digital to push the buttons on the pad controller (Figure 1). Based
interface (MIDI) and traditional instruments. on an idea from a workshop participant, a system was
developed where tape-like light-emitting diodes (LEDs)
Rather than focusing solely on how children follow were attached around a large button, activated by MIDI
teacher-oriented instruction to master specific tasks, this signals. To simplify the setup, a custom-made interface
study shifts its focus toward observing the qualities of device was created to connect the pad controller, large
children’s engagement with self-assigned tasks. The aim pushbutton switch, and LEDs simultaneously.
is to understand children’s ability to add complexity to
playing musical instruments and tools. Custodero notes 2.2.2. Violin
that children, utilizing both social and material resources, The researcher prepared 10 violins and bows on a low table
strive to maintain a balance between skill and challenge. in the room (Figure 2). Children were able to freely explore
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Our objective was to capture and contrast children’s flow the violin sound, listen to researchers’ playing, and receive
traits as they interact with music technology, traditional some instruction on sound-making.
instruments, and bell-like sound objects. Ultimately,
this study offers insights into alternative methods of 2.2.3. Metallic materials
assessing children’s musical activities, particularly in The researchers utilized metallic musical materials to create
free-play-oriented situations, as opposed to conventional an original instrument. This involved creating holes in a
music classroom settings. thin metal plate and threading a string through it, allowing
2. Methods for manual hanging (Figure 3). The resulting sound
encompassed various metals, including pure aluminum,
This study investigates children’s interactions with aluminum alloy (A2017), pure titanium, titanium alloy
electronic musical instruments, violins, and metallic bell- (Ti-6Al-4V), copper alloy (brass), stainless steel (SUS304),
like objects during a music learning session conducted in cast iron, and magnesium alloy (AZ31). We evaluated both
2023 in Okayama Prefecture, Japan. Although the level of the timbre of the emitted sounds and the strings containing
evidentiary hierarchy is low, qualitative descriptions of them. Subsequently, we evaluated the relationship between
participants’ experiences could inform practice decisions. changes in timbre due to alterations in metal composition
and infants’ responses using the flow observation method.
2.1. Participants
Participants in the study comprised 20 children 2.3. Procedure
(11 females and nine males) aged two to nine. In addition, The workshops had the following structure: (i) Participants
the researchers, acting as practitioner-researchers, were welcomed by practitioner-researchers who played
collaborated in a team to organize the workshop. Children the musical instruments; (ii) participants were given the
and their caregivers participated in the workshop, which opportunity to freely explore the MIDI controllers, violins,

Volume 2 Issue 2 (2024) 2 doi: 10.36922/ac.1782