“Ngeli”: Flowing together in a Gamelan ensemble

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine the collective flow experiences of participants while playing in a Gamelan ensemble. Participants were 15 members of a Gamelan ensemble in Singapore who were prompted to articulate their phenomenological experiences through extensive semi-structured interviews. Their responses were then transcribed and analyzed for emergent themes with initial codes guided by flow and collective flow theories. Three themes emerged from the data: community, chemistry, and collective peak. The Javanese term “ ngeli” surfaced from the interviews as a parallel notion to the Western concept of flow. Implications for theory and practice were proffered in light of the findings.

Creative Collaboration and Collaborative Creativity: A Systematic Literature Review

“…In the first (Kenny, 2014 ), the research adopted a participant observer role over a 9-month period, and gathered observations, interviews and reflections concerned with collaborative creativity in the context of a non-formal jazz ensemble, where adult participants were supported by eminent expert tutors. The second community-based study (Tan et al, 2020 ) used in-depth interviews to explore the relevance of creative collaboration in relation to the phenomenon of flow, as experienced by adult participants of a non-formal gamelan ensemble.…”

“…Of those concerned with collaborative creative learning , six studies were carried out in higher education (Barrett, 2006 ; Barrett and Gromko, 2007 ; Blom, 2012 ; Dobson and Littleton, 2016 ; Virkkula, 2016 ; de Bruin et al, 2019 ) and two in the context of professional development (de Bruin, 2016 ; Brinck, 2017 ). Where the phenomenon of interest was conceptualized as creative collaboration , one study was carried out in the context of higher education (van Nort, 2018 ), four studies were located in professional practice contexts (Khodyakov, 2007 ; Hill and Fitzgerald, 2012 ; Morgan et al, 2015 ; Hill et al, 2018 ), and one was undertaken in a community context (Tan et al, 2020 ). Finally, among the papers where collaborative creativity was the core concept, one study was located in higher education (Freeman and Van Troyer, 2011 ), three were concerned with professional development (Biasutti, 2015 , 2018 ; de Bruin, 2019 ), five were concerned with professional practice (MacDonald and Wilson, 2006 ; Wilson and MacDonald, 2012 , 2017 ; Marchini et al, 2014 ) and one study was located in a community context (Kenny, 2014 ) ( Table 9 ).…”

“…Papers were coded in the creative collaboration category when their focus was on collaborative processes, with creativity embedded within the collaboration. Studies within this category drew upon sociocultural perspectives (e.g., Khodyakov, 2007 ), the theory of flow (e.g., Morgan et al, 2015 ; Hill et al, 2018 ; Tan et al, 2020 ) and intersubjectivity (e.g., van Nort, 2018 ). Key facets of creative collaboration, as discussed in this group of papers, were non-hierarchical approaches, a collectivist mindset where all members of the group have “equal contributional potential” (van Nort, 2018 , p. 68) and unpredictable outcomes, alongside the idea of emergent intentionality in creative practice unfolding over time.…”

“…Key facets of creative collaboration, as discussed in this group of papers, were non-hierarchical approaches, a collectivist mindset where all members of the group have “equal contributional potential” (van Nort, 2018 , p. 68) and unpredictable outcomes, alongside the idea of emergent intentionality in creative practice unfolding over time. A feature of creative collaboration is that “the nature and quality of the interactions between ensemble members is a critical determinant of musical outcomes” (Hill and Fitzgerald, 2012 , p. 169), or as discussed by Tan et al ( 2020 ), the intersection of relationship, community and peak musical experiences. These intersections may be framed with what Khodyakov ( 2007 , p. 7) refers to as the “chamber paradigm,” guided by “the principles of collaboration, equality and democracy” and occurring within a musical context where creative decision-making is distributed among the group.…”

“…The closely enmeshed strands of musical and interpersonal processes have been highlighted in research concerned with creative collaboration (Khodyakov, 2007 ; Hill and Fitzgerald, 2012 ; Morgan et al, 2015 ; Hill et al, 2018 ; van Nort, 2018 ; Tan et al, 2020 ) and collaborative creativity (Freeman and Van Troyer, 2011 ; Kenny, 2014 ; Marchini et al, 2014 ; Biasutti, 2015 , 2018 ; de Bruin, 2019 ). This intersection between musical and social facets of creative collaboration was evidenced by Morgan et al ( 2015 ), who reported a link between timing synchrony and interpersonal eye contact among improvising drummers, as well as correlations between visual contact and self-reports of creativity and engagement.…”