Week Two Reflection - Creative Process

Creativity is the act of turning the imaginable into a reality. It involves breaking traditions and familiar patterns in way that supplies a fresh point of view. However, creativity is still an untapped power that needs to be shared with the world.  I realize that I have not been as transparent as I initially have hoped. I have been denying "the other 80%" the right to benefit from studying music education and the development creativity in all students. I must admit I was one to believe that creativity was rare gift, a superpower, or an anomaly. In my defense, I find it difficult, mostly intimidating, to teach students how to improvise melodies or compose a simple tune. It is definitely something I do not specialize in, nor did I know where to begin. After reading the beginning of chapter three, I realized it is a process I should be teaching all of my students instead of catering to the naturally gifted.

In an attempt to foster creativity for all learners, I completed a bit of extra research on the order of successful creative processes. After reviewing various model, I came to the conclusion on three elements that they all have in common. No matter what area of interest, all creative processes involve the identification of a problem or task, thinking, and a final product. The question at hand after considering the information is: How can I make this information prevalent to all engaged in scholastic work in my community?

I selected three model that best conveyed the concepts to help my students tap into their creativity. The model are The Creative Process by Graham Wallas, Creative Process of Advertising by John Young, and The Process of Creativity by David Gill. Graham Wallas' model is the granddaddy to the others listed. Using these guidelines as examples, I created a process to creativity that I think will benefit my students.

1.  Inception: The beginning of the process. The idea is no longer a figment of the imagination but rather ready to become an idea towards fruition. This is where you understand the task or problem to solve and generate all possible solutions subconsciously, no action is required.
2.  Incubation: The stage where you test your assumptions and gather all materials and data necessary to complete the process. Commit to the process.
3. Illumination: John Young's model says it best, "Eureka, I have found it." This is the moment of epiphany. The ideas to address any situation be comes clear. Work on finding a solution through trail and error.
4. Realization:  Test all of the final products, make corrections, and analyze the results. Choose the best solution.
5. Verification: Reflection: How does the creative product measure to the data in the incubation process? Allow others to assess the final product. If the feedback is not positive, begin again from step 2. 

Although this model is not geared towards my particular content, I want to make it generic enough for student to use in other content areas. This is just the rough draft of a creative process I would like to implement to begin moving student towards the standard we do not get to cover, improvisation and composing. It is the idea that students matriculating through this revised model will become successful by "develop[ing] the knowledge and skill necessary for a creative task" (Bauer, 2014),  and achieve the  highest level of Bloom's revised taxonomy for cognitive complexity (p. 48). If all of these initiatives yield positive results, I will create a generation of well-rounded students and exception members to service and contribute to our society.

Bauer, W. I. (2014). Music learning today: Digital pedagogy for creating, performing, and responding to music. New York, NY: Oxford University Press