Creativity as creative thinking

One bibliography of literature that deals with creativity in music education contains over a hundred annotated citations organized into theoretical, practical and empirical categories. Although much of this work has been helpful in understanding the complexities of creativity and in helping to formulate practice, confusion continues about just what the word means. By focusing on creative thinking, the authors place the emphasis on the process itself and on its role in music teaching and learning. It is this kind of imaginative problem solving with musical sound that plays such an important role in the creative process and that has captured the attention of many music professionals interested in the formal study of creativity. Musical imagination, conceptual modelling, measurement and observation are four keys to a better understanding of creative thinking in music.