ILLINOIS COLLEGIATE MUSIC EDUCATORS Danelle Larson, Chairperson
The Creative Mind . . . Thoughts from Campus
As I sat in my office working on ideas for an article on creativity, I quickly became bogged down while simply attempting to define the term. I constantly advise students to “be more creative” in devel- oping musical activities for lesson plans, rehearsals, and in their daily teaching. As educators, we must continue to nurture and develop our own creative minds in order to best be able to inspire our students. I scrapped my first draft of this article, one that was very traditionally written and included a textbook defini- tion of creativity. Instead, I opted for a more creative approach in the hopes of practicing what I am preaching. I ven- tured out of my office and questioned students who were willing to talk with me about creativity.
A few common threads emerged from the informal discussions I shared with students. Each person mentioned the importance of problem solving skills, and the notion that creativity is neces- sary for critical thinking. Tey also all spoke about the individuality of creativ- ity. What does this mean for educators? We need to remember that it is up to us to provide authentic opportunities for our students to express their individual thoughts and ideas in ways that promote critical thinking. I believe that we need to remember to not only ask our students what they think, but we need to reflect upon how their ideas can positively influence our teaching.
I think creativity is something that you are born with, but you have to reach down inside for it. For me, it sparks from music – listening to music I love. I have to be open-minded. Everyone is creative – just in different areas. All fields need creativity. I think that teachers should let students have more class discussions, let them improvise more, and let them decide more regard-
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ing aspects of musical performance. As a teacher, I hope to be ready to take more chances with my teaching.
~ Music Education Student, junior
Tis student is thinking about her past and current teachers, and she is reflect- ing upon her own future teaching. Why don’t we have more class discussions? Why don’t we allow students to have more of a voice in determining aspects of musical performance? Tese strategies could easily be incorporated into music classes and rehearsals.
It is important to remember that cre- ativity is a balance between familiarity and new ideas. As an artist, I think it is important to learn all of the mechanical material to prepare myself for creative moments. Teachers need to point out that these mechanics are important, essential – we need to understand all sides of the box before we can think out- side of the box. Ten the teacher needs to provide opportunities for students to use their tools to be creative.
~ Graduate Student in Jazz Studies
Teachers are responsible for presenting necessary content material, but as this student so eloquently states, it is then up to the teacher to provide experiences for the students to apply their new knowl- edge while hopefully building upon previous experience.
It’s all about expression. It’s about showing what your thoughts and deep- est feelings are, and expressing them in a way that’s physical. When talking about creativity, we first think of art and music, but creativity can be as simple as how you present something. You can be creative within yourself, without outwardly expressing it. It’s
what nurtures our soul and our ability to live. You can be creative by perform- ing, but you should also be able to put your own spin on things, create your own music, and put your own thoughts into the art.
~ Music Education Student, freshman
Creativity is finding a way to solve a problem while trying to do it in an original way. It’s towing the line be- tween being relevant and original.
~ Art Student, sophomore
Everyone is creative. Some teachers seem like they don’t want their students to be creative, almost like they just want them to learn what they need to learn for a test. I think that creativity is being able to apply what we know to create new ideas, new products, new works of art, or new ways of looking at old problems.
~ Math Student, freshman
Tis student has touched upon the ongo- ing issue of “teaching to the test.” How would our teaching in the band classroom change if we were evaluated on how many of our students continue to play their instruments after graduation rather than being evaluated on festival ratings?
As you continue to prepare lesson plans, rehearse, coordinate trips, and work to give your students the best possible daily musi- cal experiences, I encourage you to think about what creativity means to you. How can you nurture the creative mind in each of your students? How can you nurture your own creative mind? Providing oppor- tunities for students to think critically in the music classroom will not only encour- age creativity, but will help prepare them for success in their field of choice.
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