ABSTRACT

This chapter describes the changing role of creativity from the earlier stages to the later stages of secondary school music education and reflects on the expectations of these various stages. Music education qualifications appear to predicate a progression from minimal musical competence to a pre-professional level of training. Music is a universal language that embodies one of the highest forms of creativity. The progression from earlier stages of secondary school education through to the final stages involves an increased use of Western notation; the length of creative work extends, and perhaps compared with earlier stages a greater percentage of the qualification comes from a written-based examination. Music education at Key Stage 3 favours a holistic approach to music teaching, and the UK National Curriculum encourages a practical approach with collaborative creativity at its core. At higher education level, students may be less prepared for the fluidity of assessment of creative tasks, and thus their confidence might be diminished.