One thing that surprised me, specifically about creativity, was that the “illumination” stage of the creative process occurs when we least expect. I expected there to be environmental stimuli that would help evoke a creative idea. The concept just seems to be counterintuitive.
Our book defines higher order thinking as thinking that involves complex cognitive processes that transform and apply our knowledge, skills and ideas. Creative thinkers fit this definition because their minds work in divergent, complex ways. Creative thinking also requires critical thinking. A creative person needs to think from different perspectives, has to think of potential implications and consequences, and has to evaluate their own ideas, which are also aspects of critical thinking. They might have a crazy, unrealistic strategy to solve a problem, but the same characteristics that make that individual creative will allow that individual to make that strategy practical.
Creativity is a must in choir, but that is not simply because music is an art. The primary task my students will have is to sing the notes that someone else has already written on their score. But performing does require some creativity. If someone has a solo, it takes some creative processes to plan out an action and think about the potential consequences. Will the audience react positively? Will they laugh? It takes a creative thinker (and a critical thinker, as well) to improvise and react to an audience.
One way that I can involve their creativity in a performance is to ask the student’s during rehearsal how they would conduct the piece. This will help them think about where to take time, where to add some extra dynamic, and which styles off singing will sound best to communicate a certain emotion or mood, all of which are creative aspects of music making.
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