Teacher and Student Perspectives on Creativity in Pop Music Education

Abstract

Pop music education has become a new field in music education. Considering this, the short history of pop music in China makes it difficult to construct a comprehensive education system for this genre of music. Though creativity has become one of the most important elements discussed by music educators, there are insufficient references to creativity in pop music education. Therefore, this research explores teachers' and students' perspectives on the development of student creativity in pop music education at the Sichuan Conservatory of Music (SCM), a professional institution that established the first pop music department in China. Employing a qualitative approach, data from in-depth interviews with both teachers and students were analyzed. Findings demonstrated two main issues: a lack of professional faculty and insufficient academic events. This chapter proposes the improvement of academic conditions, including professional development opportunities and teaching modes to address issues of creativity in Chinese pop music education.