Embracing Creativity and Empowering Student Learning in the Performance-based Music Curriculum

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As we enter the 21st Century the prevailing zeitgeist is that "creativity" may replace the focus on information. The notion of a creative age is timely. Inexperienced and pre-service teachers spend much of their time acquiring information and knowledge often resulting in less time being devoted to exploring ways to "engage" the students we work with so that they can make meaning of the material presented. Each student's search for meaning involves a creative process. Creativity does not demand absolute originality, instead it may take the form of a traditional process being viewed or approached differently. Creativity offers the hope of new solutions to old problems. Educational research suggests that individuals are better able to make meaning of information when the process is student-centered. For those of us involved in teaching/conducting large performance-based ensembles in the music curriculum, the student-centered approach requires a major "shift in focus" in the process of teaching and learning. I believe that there are two main perspectives on Teaching and Learning. Perspective I is teacher-centered, while Perspective II is student-centered. The norm in our performance-based music classes is Perspective I whereby the students often become mere receptacles, non-thinking vessels for our words of wisdom—such an approach stifles creativity, yet music demands creativity. We have made much progress in education; however, we must continually guard ourselves from falling into the "trap" of inert pedagogical practice.

Stream: Creative Arts and Learning

Paper: A paper has not yet been submitted.

Dr. King is Professor and Director of the School of Music at the University of Victoria where he serves as the conductor of the UVIC Wind Symphony. He is considered one of Canada’s most respected conductors and educators and is equally comfortable conducting Wind Bands, Orchestras and Choirs. A former student of internationally renowned conductor, Maestro Kazuyoshi Akiyama, Dr. King’s professional career has taken him throughout Canada, the United States, Great Britain, Denmark, Sweden, Holland, Germany, Italy, France, Spain, Japan, Mexico, and most recently Hong Kong. Dr. King’s conducting appearances with Regional, National, International Honor, and Professional Ensembles have been praised for performance quality, artistry, and creativity. In addition to his passion for making music he is also widely recognized as an expert for his ability to link theory and practice in the field of teaching and learning. Among his many recordings and publications is a chapter in the book, Creativity and Music Education written by seventeen authors from the United States, Canada, Israel, Australia, Great Britain, Spain, and Scotland. The book includes a forward by noted author on Creativity, Mihalyi Csikszentmihalyi.