Musical Creativity: insights from music education 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 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.

Contents: Introduction, Oscar Odena; Part I Conceptualising Musical Creativity: Rethinking 'musical creativity' and the notion of multiple creativities in music, Pamela Burnard; Teachers' perceptions of creativity, Oscar Odena and Graham Welch. Part II Examples from Practice: Preparing the mind for musical creativity: early music learning and engagement, Margaret S. Barrett; Music composition as a way of learning: emotions and the situated self, Ana Luísa Veloso and Sara Carvalho; Towards pedagogies of revision: guiding a students' music composition, Peter R. Webster; The nature of the engagement of Brazilian adolescents in composing activities, José Soares; Empathetic creativity in music making, Frederick A. Seddon; Cognition and musical improvisation in individual and group contexts, Su-Ching Hsieh; Music therapy: a resource for creativity, health and well-being across the lifespan, Leslie Bunt. Part III Paths for Further Enquiry: Action-research on collaborative composition: an analysis of research questions and designs, Gabriel Rusinek; Perspectives on musical creativity: where next?, Oscar Odena; Index.

About the Editor: Oscar Odena is Reader at the School of Education, University of Glasgow, UK. He is the Co-Chair of the Research Commission of the International Society for Music Education and a member of the editorial boards of the International Journal of Music Education, Research Studies in Music Education, British Journal of Music Education and Revista Electrónica Complutense de Investigación en Educación Musical.

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Musical Creativity: insights from music education research