Name
Flow experiences during piano practice sessions using the Pomodoro Technique
Date & Time
Tuesday, July 28, 2026, 2:20 PM - 2:50 PM
Description
The experience of flow refers to an individual's deep immersion in a high degree of engagement in a particular activity. According to Flow Theory proposed by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, there are some indicators of the flow experience: the balance between challenges and skills, the fusion between action and awareness, the establishment of clear goals, immediate feedback, intense concentration, the loss of self-consciousness, feelings of control, sense of timelessness, and autotelic experience. This work aims to verify the occurrence of the flow experience during piano practice using the Pomodoro Technique, a time management method created and developed by Francesco Cirillo. A case study was conducted with the participation of two piano students, who completed 60 piano practice sessions over 30 days. Each practice day involved two sessions: one related to the execution of Carl Czerny exercises (technical activity) and another related to the creation of arrangements for Brazilian music standards (creative activity). After each practice session, participants recorded the presence or absence of flow indicators in a reflective diary. The reflective diary entries were subjected to content analysis, with the nine flow indicators considered as analysis categories. Results indicate that concentration, sense of timelessness, and autotelic experience were experienced more frequently in creative activity than in technical activity. We conclude that the flow experience during piano practice using the Pomodoro Technique seems to depend on the type of activity to be performed by the student. This study shows important implications for optimizing piano teaching/learning, especially regarding the quality of practice.
Location Name
512G
Full Address
Palais des Congres - Montréal Convention Centre
1001, Place Jean-Paul-Riopelle
Montreal QC H2Z 1H2
Canada
Session Type
Full Paper Presentation
Presenting Author(s)
DANILO RAMOS