‘Open-mindedness and Creative Thinking in Music Classroom’

Music lessons at MIS are focused on developing an empowered community of learners who achieve and contribute positively within and beyond the school. In music class, we celebrate diversity by exploring the music of different cultures, times, and places, developing music-related skills, and gaining new knowledge. During our music lessons, students demonstrate agency (learner-centric approach) as well as their understanding through the application of knowledge of skills (applicable).

In semester 2, Primary Years Learners have been exploring the music of different cultures, places, and times and creatively expressing their responses to music in different ways. The learner profile attribute, Open-minded, is represented and demonstrated throughout all grade levels as learners ‘appreciate their own cultures and personal histories, as well as values and traditions of others’. P2, P4 and P5 learners explored more about the traditional music of Japan, Spain, and Hawaii by identifying the main characteristic of music, instruments, and composers. Learners demonstrated their agency by researching deeper, using their own interests, about these cultures. P3 learners explored the history of music from its primitive beginning to nowadays innovative technologies. They creatively responded to music of each historical period through their creative drawings and shared their preferences with their peers. EY1-P1 learners creatively responded to musical compositions in a variety of ways which supported and developed their personal expression and creativity.

Overall, all PYP learners develop and demonstrate their ‘ability to think imaginatively (creatively) in sound and to manipulate and create new and interesting musical ideas’ (Hickey, 2012, p. 8). The creative thinking process begins with an intention for a musical product, goes through a four-stage thinking process, and ends with a product such as a composition, improvisational performance, or musical analysis such as listening or writing. ‘Creativity opens our mind, allows us to view problems more openly and with innovation’.

Cited:

  1. International Baccalaureate. “IB Learner Profile.” Sso.ibo.org, resources.ibo.org/data/g_0_iboxx_amo_1702_2_e.pdf.
    1. Hickey, M. (2012). Music outside the lines: Ideas for composing in K-12 music classrooms. New York, NY: Oxford University Press
    1. Coss, Roger G. “Creative Thinking in Music: Student-Centered Strategies for Implementing Exploration into the Music Classroom.” General Music Today, 25 Apr. 2019, p. 104837131984065, 10.1177/1048371319840654. Accessed 14 July 2019.

“Why Is Creativity Important and What Does It Contribute?” National Youth Council of Ireland, www.youth.ie/articles/why-is-creativity-important-and-what-does-it-contribute/#:~:text=Creativity%20allows%20us%20to%20view

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