Creativity in instrumental music education : a survey of winds and percussion music teachers in New York State

Includes abstract and vita.Creativity is valued in music education policy, yet common instrumental music education instructional practice often prioritizes a performance model concerned primarily with accurate performance of existing repertoire from notation (Battisti, 2002; Reimer, 2009; Stringham, 2010). While some in the profession claim that the act of performing existing music is creative, in and of itself (Battisti, 2002; Reimer, 2009), a growing body of literature affirms the crucial role of generative creativity in helping children learn music (Lehmann, Sloboda & Woody, 2007; Reynolds, Long & Valerio, 2007). A lack of consensus between policy and practice suggests a need to (a) define creativity more clearly, and (b) examine how creativity is currently implemented in instrumental music education. With the intent to improve instrumental music education instructional practice, the purpose of this study was to explore teacher perceptions and implementation of the National Standards for Music Education based on grade levels taught and years of teaching experience. Research questions guiding this study were: 1) What are instrumental music teachers' perceptions of the National Standards? 2) Do differences in perceptions of instrumental music teachers exist on (a) grade levels taught, and (b) years of teaching experience? 3) How do instrumental music teachers define creativity in instrumental music education? and 4) How do instrumental music teachers implement creativity in instrumental music education? In June 2012, I invited 1,020 public school winds and percussion instrumental music teachers in New York State to participate in a researcher-designed online survey; 314 teachers completed the survey (30.8%). Demographic data was distributed equitably, representing (a) grades 4 through 12, (b) varied years of teaching experience, and (c) a nearly equal distribution of male and female participants. Based on analysis of data in this study, three conclusions are warranted. First, participants in this study (a) perceive all of the National Standards as important; (b) report being comfortable engaging in musical activities specific to the National Standards; and (c) report variable levels of agreement with how well teacher educatio, graduate education, and professional development have prepared them to teach musical activities specific to the National Standards. Second, participants did not differ significantly in perception of the National Standards based on grade levels taught or years of teaching experience. Third, participants defined creativity in instrumental music as a blend of performing and generating music, with a greater emphasis on recreating existing repertoire. Recommendations for future research include (a) replication with additional music teacher populations, (b) qualitative and mixed methods inquiries consistent with the intent of this study, (c) examination of other music education stakeholders' perceptions of the National Standards, and (d) continued refinement of the profession's definition of creativity in instrumental music education