An Examination of Musical Process as Related to Creative Thinking

Abstract

VV;TH1N THE CONTEXT OF MUS1C in the elementary school, creativity is often thought of as an exercise in instant composing on the student's part, or as a proliferation of devices on the teacher's part to make the medicine go down. However, in the wider context of the cultivation of human pcxtential, creativity is considered to be as much a mode of thought as the product of it. Further, since creative teaching ought perhaps to be defined as that which promotes creative thinking, the authors felt it might be desirable to try to develop in children, through the medium of music, traits associated with the creative individual. Music, like creativity, is a mode of thought in and of itself. This article is a report of a pilot study undertaken to determine the extent to which creative thinking might be influenced by certain musical experiences at the elementary school level. Research mrith respect to such a generalizing effect has been undertaken in several areas, and it is partly from such studies that the present one took its cue: Even's study of art,l Sommers' study of teaching methods,2 and Williams' study in the field of practice and reinforcement.3 Some support for the main hypothesis of the present study can also be derived from Simpson's study, to the effect that certain processes in creative thinking are in fact improved as a result of partiapation in conventional music programs at the high school level.4