Brinkman, D. J. (2010). Teaching creatively and teaching for creativity. Arts Education Policy Review, 111(2), 48-50. doi:10.1080/10632910903455785
This article was very intriguing to me. It's interesting that we need to truly think and break down how to "be creative", because there's no way that one could ever actually describe what exactly "creativity" is. Though, the article does a relatively good job at trying to put a definition on such an abstract term. With relation to music, it uses the idea of the "Big C" and the "Little C". Big C refers to the legendary icons within the music industry such as Beethoven, Back, etc. The article speaks to the fear of having to compare to these musical geniuses, and often is more discouraging instead of encouraging. Instead, the article suggests finding ways to incorporate little c creativity which includes all the small, seemingly "mundane" ways we can spice things up, whether that be using new analogies when explaining concepts, etc. I think this concept is interesting to think about because it makes me wonder, is it impossible for new "Big C" people to emerge? If we are told to find little ways to foster creativity, does that mean to say there will be no more new creative minds like Bach or Beethoven? Certainly not. The article can be interpreted this way, but I think that instead it is wise to look at the article with the idea that multiple "little c" ideas strung together can create a "Big C" type person. Likewise, this article has very interesting things to say on how to promote creativity in a classroom setting. In terms of music education curricula, the article said how important it is for students to reconnect with the joy of creative activity in music. This deeply troubled me. The article was speaking of undergraduate students in particular, and what scared me the most was when did we stop seeing music as a creative medium? I believe that's something I've struggled with a lot as a first year undergrad. Suddenly, when all music is being marked and graded, all the "fun" and "creativity" seems to have been sucked out. As the article eloquently puts, " ensemble directors focus on teaching students to be the same. " Coming out of my first year of undergrad, we've all been taught the same things: the same music theory, the same music history, the same musicianship skills. Voice majors like myself are all taught to sing with a distinctly "classical" style. We're basically all working on the same degree, and are being taught to be just like each other. What I really like about our music education class is that we are encouraging to be different from each other. Every time we do activities in class, I always have an impulsive sense of discomfort that there is so much creative license. "What if I do something wrong?" I ask myself. Though, the article addressed my fear, saying, "The beauty of the arts is that more than one answer can be correct." That, I think is the most important take away of the entire article. Creativity in music education is incredibly important because that's what makes music such an artform. It troubles me that somehow, we're taking music and all studying it with the hopes that we'll all learn the same technique and knowledge. But everyone comes into music with so many different life experiences with music, it just doesn't make sense to try and make us all the same. If I become a music educator, the trouble then will be: how do I teach so many different people coming from so many different places? And what exactly do I teach them to help them foster their own creativity? As of now, I don't know if I know the answers to those questions. I might never really know; but it is definitely really a puzzling, important issue to think about.
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Carole PalattaoI'm an 18 year old studying classical voice at Western University. I'm also a hardcore mental health advocate, and I do creative writing on the side for fun!
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