Secondary Music Educators’ Use of Pedagogical Creativity in Large Ensembles During COVID-19 School Shutdowns: A Literature Review

Abstract

The purpose of this literature review was to synthesize research related to music educators’ use of pedagogical creativity in response to the COVID-19 school shutdowns and provide implications for future research and praxis. This literature review begins with a presentation of pedagogical creativity, including an overview of how it is contextualized. I follow with a brief overview of COVID-19 school shutdowns and the implications for school music education, the application of the major principles of pedagogical creativity, and a discussion of the implications for music educators. Pedagogical creativity offers a framework of teacher characteristics, behaviors, and attitudes focusing on high situational awareness and flexibility. During the COVID-19 pandemic, music educators overwhelmingly responded with adaptive and effective solutions despite increased stress and many unknowns.

Keywords

COVID-19 pedagogical creativity school shutdowns secondary school ensembles

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Abramo

J. M.

Reynolds

(2015). “Pedagogical creativity” as a framework for music teacher education. Journal of Music Teacher Education, 25(1), 37–51. https://doi.org/10.1177/1057083714543744

Abramo

J. M.

Tan

(2017). A cross-cultural interview study of Singaporean and US general music teachers’ “pedagogical creativity.” Bulletin of the Council for Research in Music Education, 214, 41–61. https://doi-org.ezproxy.bu.edu/10.5406/bulcouresmusedu.214.0041

Antonini Philippe

Schiavio

Biasutti

. (2020). Adaptation and destabilization of interpersonal relationships in sport and music during the Covid-19 lockdown. Heliyon, 6(10), e05212. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2020.e05212

Beghetto

R. A.

(2021). How times of crisis serve as a catalyst for creative action: An agentic perspective. Frontiers in Psychology, 11, 600685. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.600685

Beghetto

R. A.

Kaufman

J. C.

(2011). Teaching for creativity with disciplined improvisation. In Sawyer

R. K.

(Ed.), Structure and improvisation in creative teaching (pp. 94–112). Cambridge University Press.

Berger

Kuang

Jerry

Freund

(2022). Impact of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic on public and private elementary and secondary education in the United States (preliminary data): Results from the 2020-21 National Teacher and Principal Survey (NTPS) [First Look] (NCES 2022019). National Center for Education Statistics. https://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp?pubid=2022019

Biasutti

Antonini Philippe

Schiavio

(2022). Assessing teachers’ perspectives on giving music lessons remotely during the COVID-19 lockdown period. Musicae Scientiae, 26(3), 585–603. https://doi.org/10.1177/1029864921996033

Bowman

L. C.

(2022). Secondary school music teacher perceptions of music technology integration during a pandemic (Order No. 28965057) [Doctoral dissertation, North Central University]. ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global.

Brandt

W. C.

(2020). Measuring student success skills: A review of the literature on self-directed learning. 21st century success skills. National Center for the Improvement of Educational Assessment.

10.

Burnard

(2012). Rethinking “musical creativity” and the notion of multiple creativities in music. In Odena

(Ed.), Musical creativity: Insights from music education research (pp. 5–28). Ashgate.

11.

Burnard

(2016). Considering creative teaching in relation to creative learning. In Haddon

Burnard

(Eds.), Creative teaching for creative learning in higher music education. Routledge.

12.

Burns

(2021). School music administration during the COVID-19 pandemic: Trauma, loss, meaning, change, and innovation (Order No. 28412950) [Doctoral dissertation, University of South Florida]. ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global.

13.

Bylica

Bauman

(2022). Teaching in a time of crisis: Pedagogical creativity in music education. Bulletin of the Council for Research in Music Education, 231, 7–24. https://doi.org/10.5406/21627223.231.01

14.

Calderón-Garrido

Gustems-Carnicer

(2021). Adaptations of music education in primary and secondary school due to COVID-19: The experience in Spain. Music Education Research, 23(2), 139–150. https://doi.org/10.1080/14613808.2021.1902488

15.

Cameron

Montgomery

Moore

Stewart

(2018). Swimming with ideas: What happens to creativity in the wake of a disaster and the waves of pro-social recovery behaviour that follow? Creativity Studies, 11(1), 10–23. https://doi.org/10.3846/23450479.2018.1428832

16.

Camilleri

M. A.

(2021). Shifting from traditional and blended learning approaches to a fully virtual and remote course delivery: Implications from COVID-19. Academia Letters, Article 481. https://doi.org/10.20935/AL481

17.

Campbell

M. R.

Thompson

L. K.

Barrett

J. R.

(2012). Supporting and sustaining a personal orientation to music teaching: Implications for music teacher education. Journal of Music Teacher Education, 22(1), 75–90. https://doi.org/10.1177/1057083711427587

18.

Carrillo

Flores

M. A.

(2020). COVID-19 and teacher education: A literature review of online teaching and learning practices. European Journal of Teacher Education, 43(4), 466–487. https://doi.org/10.1080/02619768.2020.1821184

19.

Cheng

Lam

C. Y.

(2021). The worst is yet to come: The psychological impact of COVID-19 on Hong Kong music teachers. Music Education Research, 23(2), 211–224. https://doi.org/10.1080/14613808.2021.1906215

20.

Cumberledge

(2021). Band together: How college marching band students perceived community during the COVID-19 pandemic. Update: Applications of Research in Music Education, 39(3), 67–74. https://doi.org/10.1177/87551233211003839

21.

Daugvilaite

(2021). Exploring perceptions and experiences of students, parents, and teachers on their online instrumental lessons. Music Education Research, 23(2), 179–193. https://doi.org/10.1080/14613808.2021.1898576

22.

de Bruin

. (2020). Instrumental music educators in a COVID landscape: A reassertion of relationality and connection in teaching practice. Frontiers in Psychology, 11, 624717. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.624717

23.

Dik

Morrison

Sabol

F. R.

Tuttle

(2022). Looking beyond COVID-19: Arts education policy implications and opportunities. Arts Education Policy Review, 123(3), 160–168. https://doi.org/10.1080/10632913.2021.1931603

24.

Dolloff

(2007). All the things we are: Balancing our multiple identities in music teaching. Action, Criticism, and Theory for Music Education, 6(2), 1–21. http://act.maydaygroup.org/articles/Dolloff6_2.pdf

25.

Edgar

(2014). Approaches of a secondary music teacher in response to the social and emotional lives of students. Contributions to Music Education, 40, 91–110. http://www.jstor.org/stable/24711073

26.

Feindler

Mayo

Shaw

Sabol

F. R.

Tuttle

Weaver

(2022). Jumping into the virtual environment implications and possibilities for arts education. Arts Education Policy Review, 123(3), 117–126. https://doi.org/10.1080/10632913.2021.1931602

27.

Gherheş

Stoian

C. E.

Fărcaşiu

M. A.

Stanici

(2021). E-learning vs. face-to-face learning: Analyzing students’ preferences and behaviors. Sustainability, 13(8), 4381. https://doi.org/10.3390/su13084381

28.

Goodrich

(2021). Online peer mentoring and remote learning. Music Education Research, 23(2), 256–269. https://doi.org/10.1080/14613808.2021.1898575

29.

Gül

(2021). Teachers’ views on music education practices in secondary education in distance education during the COVID-19 pandemic process. Journal of Education in Black Sea Region, 6(2), 95–111. https://doi.org/10.31578/jebs.v6i2.235

30.

Halliwell

(1993). Teacher creativity and teacher education. In Bridges

Kerry

(Eds.), Developing teachers professionally (pp. 67–78). Routledge.

31.

Hash

P. M.

(2021). Remote learning in school bands during the COVID-19 shutdown. Journal of Research in Music Education, 68(4), 381–397. https://doi.org/10.1177/0022429420967008

32.

Hendricks

(2018). Compassionate music teaching: A framework for motivation and engagement in the 21st century. Rowman & Littlefield.

33.

Jeffrey

Craft

(2004). Teaching creatively and teaching for creativity: Distinctions and relationships. Educational Studies, 30(1), 77–87. https://doi-org.ezproxy.bu.edu/10.1080/0305569032000159750

34.

Johnson

Merrick

(2020). Enabling music students’ well-being through regular zoom cohort chats during the COVID-19 crisis. In Ferdig

Baumgartner

Hartshorne

Kaplan-Rakowski

Mouza

(Eds.), Teaching, technology, and teacher education during the COVID-19 pandemic: Stories from the field (pp. 261–264). AACE International. http://hdl.handle.net/11343/296008

35.

Joseph

Lennox

(2021). Twists, turns and thrills during COVID-19: Music teaching and practice in Australia. Music Education Research, 23(2), 241–255. https://doi.org/10.1080/14613808.2021.1906852

36.

Katzman

N. F.

Stanton

M. P.

(2020). The integration of social emotional learning and cultural education into online distance learning curricula: Now imperative during the COVID-19 pandemic. Creative Education, 11, 1561–1571. https://doi.org/10.4236/ce.2020.119114

37.

Kibici

V. B.

(2021). Analysis of music job satisfaction and COVID-19 anxiety levels. International Journal on Social and Education Sciences, 3(4), 752–767. https://doi.org/10.46328/ijonses

38.

Kibici

V. B.

Sarıkaya

(2021). Readiness levels of music teachers for online learning during the COVID 19 pandemic. International Journal of Technology in Education, 4(3), 501–515. https://doi.org/10.46328/ijte.192

39.

Knapp

(2022). Teaching music during COVID-19: Teachers’ perceptions of personal and professional effects. Bulletin of the Council for Research in Music Education, 231, 57–76. https://doi.org/10.5406/21627223.231.04

40.

Koner

Potter Gee

Borden

(2022). Lived experiences: Music educators’ stress in the COVID-19 pandemic. Visions of Research in Music Education, 39(1), 4–19. https://digitalcommons.lib.uconn.edu/vrme/vol39/iss1/2

41.

Koner

Weaver

(2022). An exploratory case study of mindfulness techniques in a high school band program during the COVID-19 pandemic. Update: Applications of Research in Music Education, 40(3), 71–81. https://doi.org/10.1177/87551233211050011

42.

Kuebel

Haskett

(2022). “I’m doing the best I can”: Teaching general music in the time of Covid-19. Update: Applications of Research in Music Education, 42(2), 28–37. https://doi.org/10.1177/87551233211067766

43.

McWilliam

(2008). Unlearning how to teach. Innovations in Education and Teaching International, 45(3), 263–269. https://doi.org/10.1080/14703290802176147

44.

McWilliam

(2009). Teaching for creativity: From sage to guide to meddler. Asia Pacific Journal of Education, 29(3), 281–293. https://doi.org.ezproxy.bu.edu/10.1080/02188790903092787

45.

McWilliam

Dawson

(2008). Teaching for creativity. Higher Education, 56(6), 633–643. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10734-008-9115-7

46.

Mellizo

J. M.

(2018). Applications of the developmental model of intercultural sensitivity (DMIS) in music education. Topics for Music Education Praxis, 2, 46–67. http://topics.maydaygroup.org/2017/Mellizo18.pdf

47.

Parkes

Russell

J. A.

Bauer

W. I.

Miksza

(2021). The well-being and instructional experiences of K–12 music educators: Starting a new school year during a pandemic. Frontiers in Psychology, 12, 701189. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.701189

48.

Pokhrel

Chhetri

(2021). A literature review on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on teaching and learning. Higher Education for the Future, 8(1), 133–141. https://doi.org/10.1177/2347631120983481

49.

Reilly

R. C.

Lilly

Bramwell

Krinish

(2011). A synthesis of research concerning creative teachers in a Canadian context. Teachers and Teacher Education, 27(3), 533–542. https://doi-org.ezproxy.bu.edu/10.1016/j.tate.2010.10.007

50.

Rinn

(2022). Research-to-resource: Persistence and recruitment in elective choral music during the pandemic recovery. Update: Applications of Research in Music Education, 41(3), 5–11. https://doi.org/10.1177/87551233221111078

51.

Ritter

S. M.

Damian

R. I.

Simonton

D. K.

van Baaren

R. B.

Strick

Derks

Dijksterhuis

(2012). Diversifying experiences enhance cognitive flexibility. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 48(4), 961–964. https://doi-org.ezproxy.bu.edu/10.1016/j.jesp.2012.02.009

52.

Salmela-Aro

Upadyaya

Vinni-Laakso

Hietajärvi

(2021). Adolescents’ longitudinal school engagement and burnout before and during COVID-19—The role of socio-emotional skills. Journal of Research on Adolescence, 31(3), 796–807. https://doi.org/10.1111/jora.12654

53.

Sawyer

R. K.

(2004). Creative teaching: Collaborative discussion as disciplined improvisation. Educational Researcher, 33, 12–20. https://doi.org/10.3102/0013189X033002012

54.

Shaw

Mayo

(2022). Music education and distance learning during COVID-19: A survey. Arts Education Policy Review, 123(3), 143–152. https://doi.org/10.1080/10632913.2021.1931597

55.

Shulman

L. S.

(1986). Those who understand: Knowledge growth in teaching. Educational Researcher, 15(2), 4–14. https://doi.org/10.2307/1175860

56.

Thorgersen

Mars

(2021). A pandemic as the mother of invention? Collegial online collaboration to cope with the COVID-19 pandemic. Music Education Research, 23(2), 225–240. https://doi.org/10.1080/14613808.2021.1906216

57.

Thornton

(2020). Music education at a distance. Journal of Music Teacher Education, 29(3), 3–6. https://doi.org/10.1177/1057083720928615

58.

Tuttle

Hansen

(2022). Arts education in a virtual learning environment: An introduction to the lessons, policies, budgets, and practices from the COVID-19 era. Arts Education Policy Review, 123(3), 115–116. https://doi.org/10.1080/10632913.2021.1931600

59.

Vaizman

(2022). Teaching musical instruments during COVID-19: Teachers assess struggles, relations with students, and leveraging. Music Education Research, 24(2), 152–165. https://doi.org/10.1080/14613808.2022.2053512

60.

Walzer

(2021). Fostering trauma-informed and eudaimonic pedagogy in music education. Frontiers in Education, 6, 647008. https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2021.647008

61.

Webster

(2002). Creative thinking in music: Advancing a model. In Sullivan

Willingham

(Eds.), Creativity and music education (pp. 16–34). Canadian Music Educators Association.

62.

Wieser

Müller

F. H.

(2022). Motivation in instrumental music instruction before and during the remote learning phase due to COVID-19 crisis. Music & Science, 5, 1–13. https://doi.org/10.1177/20592043221132938

63.

Yoo

Kang

(2021). Teaching as improvising: Preservice music teacher field experience with 21st-century skills activities. Journal of Music Teacher Education, 30(3), 54–68. https://doi.org/10.1177/10570837211021373