Now we know the study of creativity began with some behavioral psychologists in the early 1900s (What Does It Mean To Be Creative?) and there are some different ideas about what makes up the creative process which can include elements of convergent and divergent thinking. But you might ask, what do I do with this…
One of the enjoyable tasks in this semester’s Listening and Creating class was the opportunity to read a book about creativity. We were offered several options to choose from, some related to music and music education, and others with a more broad look at creativity. I chose a book outside music education. I’ve read books…
Some scholars believe that creativity can be measured as part of a process, which I wrote about here: What’s the Role of the Creative Process in Music? But others were more interested in looking at what makes a person creative. They found that individuals have measurable characteristics that determine how creative they are. The ability…
When looking at creativity, there are differences in opinion on where the creativity comes from. Scholars vary on whether they believe it’s the person, process, product, or place that determines if creativity exists. This blog post will focus on things surrounding the creative process in music. If you had asked me four months ago if…
Creativity is a word we hear often in education, especially in music education, and it’s something I’ve become quite passionate about in the last few years. How are we, as music educators, offering opportunities for students to be creative? When do students get to create their own music and make their own musical decisions, instead…
We’ve hit the time of year where many of us have settled into routines and (probably) feel pretty comfortable with what we’re doing. This is often when we ask, how can I make rehearsal more interesting? How can I ensure the students are engaged? How can I mix things up? While there is comfort in…
By 2022, most adults have probably watched a how-to video at some point in their lives. Maybe it involved cooking techniques, home repair, or even craft projects. It’s also very likely that students have watched this type of video as well. In fact, there were many days when students would come to class, proud to…
This was post was originally published in July 2021, but has been updated now in September 2022. As the new school year is about to start, remember how important it is to include students in the creative process. Even though my project was completed during hybrid learning, the concepts can definitely transfer now that we’re…
For many music teachers, the creativity standards are the most elusive and sometimes challenging to incorporate. When the National Core Arts Standards were released in 2014, there was a noticeable change in the format and language included in the standards. What were nine simple statements turned into a multi-page document with numerous subsections. The difference…
We’ve reached the time of year when the questions appear on social media daily: “we just had our concert and there are three weeks left, what do I do?!?” Honestly, when I was in the classroom this was some of my favorite time! The concert is over, the performance pressures are gone, and now the…