Effects of Different Teaching Styles on the Development of Musical Creativity: Insights from Interviews with Music Specialists

Abstract

This paper explores the effects of different teaching styles on the development of musical creativity among primary school children through insights of interviews with music specialists. An experimental study that was carried out first at a primary school in England revealed that children who had experienced creativity (improvisation) as part of their music lessons scored higher than those who did not in a test of creative thinking in music (Webster's MCTM-II). This finding suggested that creative thinking can be an acquired behaviour, and therefore it can be nurtured in the music classroom. The results of the experiment were followed up by interviews with music specialists. This paper reports on the findings of the interview study; it discusses the different objectives and outcomes of different teaching styles, as well as the links between theory and practice concerning the development of musical creativity. The analysis of the interviews leads to the identification of two different teaching styles: the didactic/teacher-led one and the creative/child-centred one. This study suggests that each teaching style can have different effects on the musical development of children. A creative teaching style could support and promote the creative development of children, as well as their psychological and social development.