Creativity in the elementary music classroom: A study of students’ perceptions

Abstract

This research explored essential elements to be considered when teaching US students to develop and define creativity in the general elementary (students aged 5–11 years) music classroom. This case study focused on answering the following research questions: 1) What are students’ perceptions of creativity? 2) How can music educators successfully implement improvisation lessons to promote student creativity and learning? Data included students’ in-class written work and homework, and field notes taken during observations of classroom discussions after improvisation lessons. Analysis of this data provided evidence that students produce more creative, original music when they are more confident with their musical ability. Students viewed music they enjoyed as creative. Students also believed that a variety of instruments or rhythms make music creative. Although improvisation skills were demonstrated for students, the results indicated that students might take more risks when creating music if their teachers played music and demonstrated skills more often in class.