Musical Creativity: Insights from Music Education Research (SEMPRE Studies in The Psychology of Music)

How do we develop musical creativity? How is musical creativity nurtured in collaborative improvisation? How is it used as a communicative tool in music therapy? This comprehensive volume offers new research on these questions by an international team of experts from the fields of music education, music psychology and music therapy. The book celebrates the rich diversity of ways in which learners of all ages develop and use musical creativity. Contributions focus broadly on the composition/improvisation process, considering its conceptualization and practices in a number of contexts. The authors examine how musical creativity can be fostered in formal settings, drawing examples from primary and secondary schools, studio, conservatoire and university settings, as well as specialist music schools and music therapy sessions. These essays will inspire readers to think deeply about musical creativity and its development. The book will be of crucial interest to music educators, policy makers, researchers and students, as it draws on applied research from across the globe, promoting coherent and symbiotic links between education, music and psychology research. How do we develop musical creativity? How is musical creativity nurtured in collaborative improvisation? How is it used as a communicative tool in music therapy? This volume offers new research o these questions by an international team of experts from the fields of music education, music psychology and music therapy. The book celebrates the rich diversity of ways in which learners of all ages develop and use musical creativity. Contributions focus broadly on the composition/improvisation process, considering its conceptualization and practices in a number of contexts. The authors examine how musical creativity can be fostered in formal settings, drawing examples from primary and secondary schools, studios, conservatoire and university settings, as well as specialist music schools and music therapy sessions. These essays will inspire readers to think deeply about musical creativity and its development. The book will be of crucial interest to music educators, policy makers, researchers and students, as it draws on applied research from across the globe, promoting coherent and symbiotic links between education, music nd psychology research Contents 6 List of figures and illustrations 8 List of music examples 10 List of tables 12 Notes on contributors 14 Series editors’ preface 20 Acknowledgements 22 Introduction 24 Part I: Conceptualizing musical creativity 26 1 Rethinking ‘musical creativity’ and the notion of multiple creativities in music 28 2 Teachers’ perceptions of creativity 52 Part II: Examples from practice 72 3 Preparing the mind for musical creativity: early music learning and engagement 74 4 Music composition as a way of learning: emotions and the situated self 96 5 Towards pedagogies of revision: guiding a student’s music composition 116 6 The nature of the engagement of Brazilian adolescents in composing activities 136 7 Empathetic creativity in music-making 156 8 Cognition and musical improvisation in individual and group contexts 172 9 Music therapy: a resource for creativity, health and well-being across the lifespan 188 Part III: Paths for further enquiry 206 10 Action-research on collaborative composition: an analysis of research questions and designs 208 11 Perspectives on musical creativity: where next? 224 Index 238 How do we develop musical creativity? How is musical creativity nurtured in collaborative improvisation? How is it used as a communicative tool in music therapy? This title offers research on these questions, celebrating the diversity of ways in which learners of all ages develop and use musical creativity.