Creative musical activities in early childhood education: An analysis of teaching practices

Abstract

The aims of this quantitative descriptive research were to find out the involvement and training of generalist Early Childhood teachers in active in the school year 2023/2024 in the development of creative musical and sound activities. An online questionnaire was used to obtain socio-demographic data, creative self-concept, as well as the degree of training, importance attached to and use of certain creative music and sound activities, and statistical correlational analyses were carried out between the variables. In total 72 Early Childhood teachers responded to online questionnaire. The results indicated that, despite having no training in music or music pedagogy, Early Childhood teachers consider themselves to be creative, attach importance to these activities, and use them often. These findings can contribute to the establishment of national or regional standards for music teaching in early childhood education, as well as to the revision of early childhood teacher training in music education.

Keywords

Creative musical activities early childhood teachers teaching practices

Introduction

The undeniable significance of nurturing creativity within 21st-century school education cannot be overstated, with critical and creative thinking being basic skills for the education of the future according to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD, 2015). Proof of this is the growing interest of the scientific community in this area in recent years in education in general (Cremin & Chappell, 2021; King, 2020) and in music education in particular (Hennessy, 2015; Odena, 2001; Trujillo Galea, 2024).

Creativity is today positioned within the main axes of school curricula (Barrio-Aranda et al., 2022; Robinson & Aronica, 2015). In the case of Spain, Real Decreto 95/2022, which regulates early childhood education, gives a prominent role to creativity, incorporating it into two key competencies. The Entrepreneurial Competition fosters imagination, strategic and creative thinking, while the Competition in Cultural Awareness and Expression seeks to promote creative expression through various languages and artistic forms, in addition to the specific competencies in the area of Communication and Representation of Reality. However, its presence in classrooms is still insufficient, with teachers being mainly responsible for it (Hennessy, 2015; Mullet et al., 2016). Educators play a key role in fostering creativity but may have difficulties in implementing creative activities appropriately. If they are insecure about their own skills, knowledge, and understanding of the subjects they teach (Hennessy, 2000) and are unclear about what counts as creative learning in those subjects (Davies et al., 2014; Mullet et al., 2016), they are likely to miss opportunities to promote creative thinking.

Bearing all this evidence in mind, the study by Trujillo Galea, (2024) investigated the practices of specialist music teachers in Primary and Secondary Education (N = 60) in Extremadura (Spain), concluding that creative activities were the least used by teachers, even less so if they are based on non-tonal sound, and that there is a positive correlation between the use of these activities and their self-concept as creative and innovative, and their initial training. In order to extend this study to the context of Early Childhood teachers, the present research had the general objective of finding out about the training of general Early Childhood teachers (N = 72), as well as their creative self-concept, and their involvement in the development of creative musical activities.

Research questions

The research questions guiding this study were the following:

RQ1: What is the degree of training, importance given and time commitment to music and creative sound activities by Early Childhood teachers?

RQ2: Is there a relationship between the training of early childhood teachers, the importance given to and the dedication to creative music and sound activities?

RQ3: What is the creative profile of Early Childhood teachers based on their self-concept of whether they are creative, innovative, open to change and learning, and curious and restless?

RQ4: Is there a relationship between this self-concept and the variables of training, importance attached, and time commitment to creative musical and sound activities?

Literature review

Traditionally, there has been a tendency to associate creativity with the arts, where creativity has been regularly discussed in the context of and described by reference to the visual arts, music, poetry, or the performing arts. For this reason, in the realm of arts education, particularly within the realm of music instruction, creativity is frequently assumed as inherent, however, this is not always the case. Creativity in early childhood music education, according to Essa and Burnham (2019), focuses on children’s ability to explore, experiment, and express themselves through music. This definition highlights the importance of providing an environment that fosters freedom of musical expression and improvisation, where the aim is not only to produce music, but to cultivate a holistic approach that promotes children’s emotional, cognitive, and social development through music. Despite evidence that musical expression can facilitate the creative experience (Fazaie & Ashayeri, 2018), the dynamics of creativity within the music classroom and instructional methods can significantly shape the learning experience, being complex phenomena that they can and should be approached from different perspectives (Alsina, 2006). Therefore, not all musical activities carried out in the school music education environment foster creative processes (Bautista et al., 2024).

On the other hand, creative activities at their core, such as improvisation or music and sound composition, are becoming increasingly important in music education today (Biasutti, 2017; Riaño et al., 2022; Robinson & Aronica, 2015; Sungurtekin, 2021). Improvisation involves music creation in real time, without prior planning, allowing students to explore musical language, experiment with musical ideas and develop aural, technical, and expressive skills (Zhang, 2023), fostering creativity and the ability to actively listen and respond to music (Biasutti, 2017). Composition, on the other hand, involves planned and structured musical creation, where students have the opportunity to apply the theoretical and technical knowledge they have acquired, as well as to explore their own musical creativity and expression. Furthermore, it enables students to express their thoughts and feelings through music, thereby nurturing both their artistic expression and personal growth (Biasutti, 2017). Moreover, improvisation and composition foster collaborative learning through musical interaction between students, sharing ideas, and developing mutual listening and adaptation skills (Lage-Gómez & Cremades-Andreu, 2019).

From the field of sound, with the contributions of the new languages of music and Sound-based music (Landy, 2007), a range of possibilities opens up for the development of creative skills in the classroom (Bond, 2015; Delalande & Cornara, 2010; Murillo et al., 2019; Peñalba et al., 2021; Riaño et al., 2022; Viig, 2019; Yelo, 2018). Reaffirmed by musicians and pedagogues such as Schafer (1994), Paynter (1992), or Reibel (1984), openness to listening and sound experimentation by children, in a playful, creative, and free expression context, favors music learning and the cultivation of creative skills. Creative activities such as soundscape recreation or sound creation, as well as sound experimentation itself, foster creativity in students by allowing them to explore and manipulate sounds in unconventional ways, opening up new avenues for artistic expression and divergent thinking. Sound recreation, as the process of creating or recreating a specific acoustic scene by manipulating and combining various sound elements, is a valuable activity not only because it directs children’s attention to the sound details of their environment, enhancing their critical and conscious listening skills, but because it stimulates imagination and creativity by combining and manipulating sounds to produce new auditory experiences (Botella, 2020). Sound experimentation is considered an innovative and exploratory approach to sound creation and manipulation that goes beyond traditional music techniques and practices, being at the intersection of music, science, and art (Yalçın & Erden, 2021). Sound creation, on the other hand, allows for the generation, manipulation, and organization of sounds for artistic purposes. Sound creation can involve both traditional and innovative methods and can be applied in various educational contexts (Peñalba et al., 2021). Although sound experimentation and sound creation share a common interest in sound and its manipulation, they differ in their approaches, objectives, techniques, and contexts of application. Sound experimentation is more exploratory and open-ended, while sound creation is more structured and oriented toward the production of a specific end result. Nevertheless, despite the emphasis placed by literature on fostering creative musical activities in school music education, certain studies have validated their limited integration into teaching methodologies (Riaño et al., 2022; Sungurtekin, 2021), with few recent studies focusing on this field in Early Childhood teachers (Trujillo Galea & Juárez Ramos, 2023).

Although there are few studies on creative musical training of future Early Childhood teachers, we can highlight programs such as that of Chung (2021) in which there was a significant increase in the self-efficacy of the participants after completing a training program. musical pedagogy that placed a strong emphasis on applied music. In the context of the training of general primary school teachers, more studies were found than in the field of Early Childhood, such as that of Carroll and Harris (2023), which highlights positive changes in the self-efficacy of future teachers through use of directed digital music creation tasks.

Taking into account this background, the present study, whose objective was to learn about the creative musical practices of early childhood teachers and their relationship with their self-concept, is a contribution to the literature on music education in early childhood education, as well as to the training of future teachers.

Methodology

Population and sample

In total 76 Early Childhood teachers responded to online questionnaire that represented 5.9% of the population, universe of teachers of Early Childhood Education in Extremadura (Spain), which with a confidence level of 90% obtained a margin of error of 9%. However, four participants were subsequently eliminated of data total because two participants were not currently working in a school (N = 2) and other two Early Childhood teachers had many unanswered questions or were inconsistent answers. After checking for outliers, the sample was determined to be 72 active educators in Early Childhood teachers for the 2022 to 2023 school year. Of this sample of Early Childhood Teachers, 71 are female and 1 is male. The average age of the teachers surveyed is 46.6 years (SD = 7.6) with an age range of 29 to 60 years. The average number of years of teaching experience is 19.3 years (SD = 9.89) with a range of 1 to 42 years. In terms of qualifications, 78.1% have a bachelor degree specializing in Early Childhood teachers and 21.9% have a higher professional training degree in Early Childhood Education. Of all Early Childhood teachers, 22.2% have postgraduate studies. The setting or context in which they teach is rural (52.8%) and urban (47.2%).

Instrument

A questionnaire was created to collect the following data and variables:

- Socio-demographic data (gender, age, years of teaching experience, and qualifications) and the context in which they teach (rural/urban).

- Self-assessment of teaching profile with a .74 Cronbach’s alpha that measure the level of curiosity and restlessness, opening to learning, willing to change, responsibility and commitment reflective, creativity, and innovation) with answers according to a Likert-type scale (a little, medium, or a lot) based on Urrutia (2012).

- Degree to which the teacher is trained to carry out creative musical activities based and adapted on Urrutia (2012; Cronbach’s alpha = .91) such as sound experimentation, soundscape recreation, improvisation, composition, and sound creation, measuring the degree of training in these activities on a Likert scale from 1 to 5, where 1 is not trained at all and 5 is very trained.

- Degree of importance given by the teacher to certain creative activities in school music education (Cronbach’s alpha = .93) (sound experimentation, soundscape recreation, improvisation, composition, and sound creation) activities based and adapted on Urrutia (2012), the degree of importance being measured on a Likert scale from 1 to 5, where 1 is not important at all and 5 is very important.

- Degree to which the teacher uses creative activities in the classroom activities based and adapted on Urrutia (2012; Cronbach’s alpha = .87) (sound experimentation, soundscape recreation, improvisation, composition, and sound creation), measuring the degree of dedication in time to these same contents and activities on a Likert scale from 1 to 5 where 1 is never, 2 is at least once a year, 3 is at least once a term, 4 is at least once a month, and 5 is at least once a week.

Data analysis

Statistical analyses were carried out with SPSS version 21.0. To check the normality of the variables of teacher self-assessment, level of training, importance, and dedication to creative activities (sound experimentation, soundscape recreation, improvisation, composition, and sound creation), a Kolmogorov-Smirnov test was performed, and the assumptions of normality and homogeneity of variances (Levene’s test) were verified. Subsequently, Pearson correlations were performed between the variables in our study to analyze the possible relationships between them (demographic data, teacher self-assessment profile, degree of importance, and dedication to creative activities).

Results

Self-assessment of the music teaching profile

Table 1 shows the descriptive analyses of the self-assessment of the music teaching profile with a Cronbach’s alpha = .7. The results were that the teachers consider themselves to be very curious and restless (M = 2.77), open to learning (M = 2.94), willing to change (M = 2.79), and creative and innovative (M = 2.65).

Table 1.

Self-assessment of the teaching profile.

	Little (1)	Medium (2)	A lot (3)	Measures of central tendency
	N	N	N	M	SD	Me	Mo
Curious and restless	0	17	55	2,77	0,42	3	3
Open to learning	0	4	68	2,94	0,23	3	3
Willing to change	0	15	57	2,79	0,40	3	3
Creative and innovative	1	23	48	2,65	0,50	3	3

Training for teaching creative musical activities

With creative musical activities proposed in this work that can be carried out in the classroom (Table 2).

Table 2.

Extent of training in creative musical activities in the classroom.

	Nothing formed (1)	Poorly trained (2)	Somewhat formed (3)	Fairly educated (4)	Highly educated (5)	Measures of central tendency
	N	N	N	N	N	M	SD	Me	Mo
Sound experimentation	7	24	26	12	3	2.72	0.99	3	3
Soundscape recreation	7	19	25	15	6	2.9	1,09	3	3
Improvisation	15	20	24	8	5	2.55	1.14	3	3
Composition	29	23	14	5	1	1.97	1	2	1
Sound creation	28	23	13	7	1	2,02	1.04	2	1

Degree of importance given to different types of creative music activities in the classroom

The importance given to the different activities (Table 3) was also measured on a Likert scale from 1 to 5 (Cronbach’s alpha = .87). Early Childhood teachers attach importance to the creative musical activities proposed in this work, with scores ranging from important to quite important.

Table 3.

Importance given to different types of creative musical activities in the classroom.

	Nothing important (1)	Unimportant (2)	Important (3)	Quite important (4)	Very important (5)	Measures of central tendency
	N	N	N	N	N	M	SD	Me	Mo
Sound experimentation	0	5	18	20	29	4.01	0.97	4	5
Soundscape recreation	0	6	14	21	31	4.06	0.98	4	5
Improvisation	2	4	19	18	29	3.94	1.07	4	5
Composition	3	7	22	23	17	3.61	1.08	4	4
Sound creation	3	4	18	25	22	3,81	1.06	4	4

Extent to which types of creative musical activities are used over time in the classroom

Next, when asked about the time spent on these same contents and activities (Table 4), also on a Likert scale, it is observed that the tendency of these activities is high in terms of frequency, being carried out between once a quarter and once a month.

Table 4.

Dedication of time to different types of creative musical activities in the classroom.

	Never (1)	At least once a year (2)	At least once a quarter (3)	At least once a month (4)	At least once a week (5)	Measures of central tendency
	N	N	N	N	N	Mean	S.D.	Me	Mo
Sound experimentation	4	3	11	30	24	3.93	1.07	4	4
Soundscape recreation	1	4	12	23	32	4.12	0.97	4	5
Improvisation	6	5	16	21	24	3.72	1.23	4	5
Composition	19	6	24	13	10	2.84	1.37	3	3
Sound creation	14	9	21	13	15	3.08	1.39	3	3

Statistical correlational analysis

First, we checked the outliers of data, and these were not detected. After, we observed if the data followed a normal distribution. For this, we performed the Shapiro–Wilk test, together with the Kolmogorov–Smirnov test) and the assumptions of normality were verified. Later, we realized Levene’s test being the homogeneity of variances confirmed. Subsequently, Pearson bilateral correlations were performed between the variables in our study to analyze the possible relationships between them (demographic data, teacher self-assessment profile, degree of importance, and dedication to creative activities).

Within the correlational statistical analysis, the significant and positive association between all the skills such as being curious and restless, creative, open to learning, and open to change stands out in the teacher self-assessment, as these are variables associated with creativity and cognitive flexibility. However, significant correlations show low linear correlations (r with a value between .2 and.4) and moderate linear correlations (r with a value between .4 and .6).

The ability to be creative is the skill that is most closely related to the performance of creative musical activities, as it is positively low correlated with more frequent performance of creative musical activities such as sound experimentation (r = .264, p = .002), recreation of soundscapes (r = .315, p = .000), and improvisation (r = .270, p = .002). The positive low relationship of this ability with training in composition is also reflected (r = .284, p = .001). People who consider themselves open to change show a positive low relationship with training in soundscape (r = .243, p = .004) and with the degree of importance given to sound experimentation (r = .256, p = .003). In turn, there are positive, low, and significant correlations between the consideration of being a teacher open to learning and training in soundscape experimentation (r = .238, p = .004), and between being curious and restless with the frequency of use of the soundscape recreation activity (r = .307, p = .000).

On the other hand, within the relationships between musical training, degree of importance given, and regularity of use of the creative activity in the classroom, we found mostly positive relationships between the level of training in the specific creative musical activity and the degree of importance given to that activity, as well as with the regularity with which it is carried out in the classroom. Specifically, in the sound experimentation activity, we found positive moderate relationships between training in this activity and the importance given to it (r = .441, p = .000), and with its frequency of use (r = .375, p = .001). With regard to soundscape recreation, we obtained positive moderate relationships between formation and the degree of importance (r = .554, p = .000) and positive low significant correlations with the frequency of its use (r = .351, p = .002), as well as between the importance attached to it and the regularity of its use (r = .240, p = .04). As for sound creation, we found positive moderate correlations between training and importance of the activity (r = .421, p = .000); positive low relation with degree of use in the classroom (r = .336, p = .000), and no significant relationship between the importance given to the activity and its regularity of use (r = .96, p = .424). This pattern is similar in composition, where positive low relationships are found between training and the degree of importance (r = .274, p = .002) and the frequency of use in the classroom (r = .385, p = .000), and no significant relationship between the importance given to the activity and its regularity of use (r = .187, p = .115). Finally, in the improvisation activity, we only found positive low relationships between training and degree of importance of the activity (r = .357, p = .002), with no relationship between training and regularity of use (r = .199, p = .093), nor between degree of importance and regularity in the classroom (r = .031, p = .798).

Discussion

The present study has yielded many results that aim to provide knowledge about the practices of Early Childhood teachers regarding the incorporation of creative musical and sound activities. Through the analysis of socio-demographic and training data, the degree of importance and use of certain activities, and the teachers’ own assessments of their creative self-concept, it has been possible to learn a little more about this group and, by extension, about the reality of education. These results have also been compared with those of a previous similar study, but with the population of specialist music teachers in primary and secondary education, and differences have been found between the two groups.

In response to RQ1, about the degree of training, the importance given and the time devoted to music and creative sound activities by Early Childhood teachers, the teachers surveyed, although they consider themselves poorly trained to teach through these creative music and sound activities, the level of importance they attach to them, and their time commitment are high. It is indisputable today that creative activities and arts education are important for the holistic development of early childhood, and teachers are aware of this (Schiavio et al., 2023). Previous studies have already confirmed that teachers believe creativity is necessary and recognize that creativity is important in school in particular and in society in general (Mullet et al., 2016). Early Childhood Education is the ideal stage for fostering creativity, as it is the time when a person’s neuronal development is at its highest, providing a good basis for the future, and when there is a desire to experiment, try, investigate, and solve problems on their own, in short, to create (Fandakova & Hartley, 2020). These desires and concerns lay the foundations that help to encourage critical and creative thinking, so it is logical that teachers try to take advantage of these opportunities to learn from musical experiences.

However, many teachers stated that they never carried out activities such as musical composition or sound creation. This data could be explained by the lack of musical training of the teachers. The correlational analysis of data indicated that there are significant relationships between the training of teachers in these specific activities (sound creation and musical composition) and the importance given and dedication in the classroom to them. Teachers give them importance, but they are not trained to carry them out in the classroom and therefore they use them very little in their classes. The mastery of creation and composition is usually associated with the musical competence received in initial training, unlike sound experimentation, the recreation of soundscapes or improvisation, which are more open activities and do not require mastery of the code or the musical techniques for its execution. Previous studies indicated that generalist teachers use music activities to a lesser extent because they have little confidence in their abilities (Chung, 2021; Holden & Button, 2006).

Another aspect to highlight from these results is that, among the musical and sound-based creative activities covered by this study, teachers score higher in importance and dedication to creative activities that use sound as raw material, such as soundscape recreation and sound experimentation, and to a lesser extent to musical activities such as improvisation and musical composition. This approach of teachers to sound-based creativity can be explained as part of curricular requirements, the influence of current active methodologies and/or a lack of musical training. Active methodologies, discovery learning, interdisciplinary teaching, or STEAM teaching (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts & Mathematics) are used in today’s early childhood classrooms and encourage creative activities (Yalçın & Erden, 2021), with research and experimentation being the key resources used for learning. The hands-on, child-centric approach facilitates the nurturing of environmentally conscious relationships between children and the soundscape around them (Deans et al., 2005). The discipline of acoustic ecology or soundscape, pioneered by Murray Schafer, has motivated educators to create methodologies for exploring the auditory environment within educational settings across all levels (Hurtado-Soler et al., 2020). On the other hand, the constructivist and globalizing approach to teaching in Early Childhood Education allows the arts to be used as a means to conceptualize, understand, and express science and vice versa, and sound can be investigated as both a physical and artistic phenomenon (Gershon & Ben-Horin, 2014).

Following on from the discussion on the frequency of using creative sound activities over musical ones, it is logical to think that this is related to the lack of musical training of Early Childhood teachers. The exploration of sound has conventionally been considered the domain of music educators (McGinley, 2001). However, in early childhood, sound investigations frequently occur within the realm of spontaneous play, and generalist teachers encourage habits of active listening and unrestricted sound exploration. Pedagogical approaches based on the search for sound experiences capitalize on children’s curiosity and inquiries, incorporating investigations into sound attributes, exploring the characteristics of sound, and encouraging the description and reproduction of specific sounds (Dansereau, 2015), and therefore do not require musical knowledge, but do require pedagogical skills and strategies. There are numerous experiences of exploration, experimentation, and sound creation carried out in preschool that show their applicability for non-music teachers (Barrett et al., 2021; Bond, 2015; Chung, 2021; Ciurana & Alsina, 2019; Deans et al., 2005; Peñalba et al., 2021; Viig, 2019).

With regard to RQ2, findings from this study suggested that training in each of the proposed creative musical and sound activities is correlated with the importance given to them, as well as with the degree to which they are used in the classroom, with the exception of improvisation. The results show that the importance and dedication to these activities is related to the training received, since the training received allows for mastery in a field of knowledge. It can be seen from the results that, while considering themselves to be generally poorly trained, teachers consider themselves to be less trained to carry out creative musical activities than for sound activities, and this is reflected in the lower degree of importance given to these activities and in the frequency with which they are used. Again, this can be attributed to teachers’ dominance of pedagogies focusing on sound rather than music education. Although beneficial for the holistic development of young children, it is also advantageous for teachers to undergo music education training. In line with other studies, early childhood teachers would benefit from receiving music education training in order to foster creative experiences in their classrooms (Bautista et al., 2024). Sometimes, Early Childhood teachers limited training in pedagogical techniques for teaching music can affect their confidence and self-efficacy beliefs (Burak, 2019). This lack of preparation might cause teachers to feel unsure about teaching music (Swain & Bodkin-Allen, 2014), which could lead to fewer creative musical activities being incorporated into their lessons.

According to RQ3, teachers consider themselves to be very curious and inquisitive, creative, open to learning, and open to change, all of these variables being associated with creativity and cognitive flexibility. Based on the fact that teachers’ self-concept determines their creative practices (Chung, 2021), these results are positive and correlated with the frequency of use of the creative musical activities consulted. Specifically, and responding to RQ4 on the relationships between this self-concept and creative musical and sound activities, the outcomes of this study pointed to the consideration of being creative is the one that is most related to the performance of these activities, mainly with carrying out activities such as sound experimentation, recreation of soundscapes and improvisation more frequently. The teachers consider that they do not have sufficient training to undertake teaching through these activities, but they consider themselves to be creative, so in this case the high degree of use of these activities is determined more by self-concept than by their training. Thus, considering oneself as creative may increase teachers’ confidence and self-efficacy for creative music teaching (Chung, 2021).

Going deeper into these results, it was also found that the most frequently used creative activities, those that use sound as a basis, are the ones that correlate mainly with the teachers’ creative self-concept, which could be explained again by the generalist teachers’ lack of musical training. However, the least used are the musical ones, those in which teachers are perhaps not confident enough to perform, probably encouraged by their lack of training in music and/or music pedagogy. According to Barrett et al. (2019), there is an implicit neglect of the area of music in the education and development of our children due to teachers not feeling confident about the place and value of music. There is a clear need to ensure that initial teacher education builds the confidence and capacity of teachers through the acquisition of specific musical competencies needed to address creative learning and ensure the holistic development of children (Murillo & Tejada, 2022).

On the other hand, this phenomenon can also be explained by the relationship between self-efficacy and creativity, taking Bandura’s (1997) concept of self-efficacy as a reference. This approach is applied to different areas of performance, including creativity both in a broad sense and in specific contexts. In the teaching field, a positive correlation has been found between teachers’ self-efficacy beliefs and their creative performance, both generally and in terms of creative self-efficacy. Karwowski (2016) suggests that the perception of one’s own creativity may influence its development and posits that self-perception may mediate between creative potential and its expression in performance. For their part, Rubenstein et al. (2013) pointed out that self-efficacy in teaching and the perception of creative abilities are related, emphasizing that teachers’ beliefs about their creativity impact the value they place on it.

Comparing the results of this study with the findings of Trujillo Galea, (2024) on the use of improvisation and musical composition by music specialists in Primary and Secondary Education, in the same geographical context of Extremadura (Spain), it was found that Early Childhood teachers attach more importance and use more often this type of creative activities. Possible reasons for the higher frequency of use of these activities in Early Childhood Education than in Primary and Secondary school may include the learning context itself. Although teachers’ traits may influence their creative approaches, the learning environment for children remains paramount (Cheung, 2012). The studies of Amabile and Gryskiewicz (1989) indicated that stimulating and free environments, in which errors are accepted as opportunities and autonomy is encouraged, are favorable to creative experiences. The school can create these environments, but they tend to be more frequent in Early Childhood classrooms than in primary or secondary schools. On the other hand, and as part of the environment, positive relationships between teachers and Early years students can foster creativity, whereas relationships are more distant and even conflictual in primary and secondary school, mainly due to the physical and psychological changes that occur in adolescence (Gavotto, 2015). Within “creative learning environments,” defined as those that are designed to promote “creative learning” (Davies et al., 2014), one of their main components is the teacher, and how he or she organizes learning and teaching is a determining factor. Therefore, we can assume that the greater frequency of teachers’ use of creative musical activities may have more to do with the mastery of pedagogical skills and strategies than with musical mastery.

From another perspective, also certain institutional and cultural issues may undermine the effective teaching of musical creativity (Hämäläinen & Vähäsantanen, 2011), with some cultural representations of music and music education being an obstacle to the practice of musical creativity by primary and secondary music specialist teachers. More conservative music teaching institutions, such as schools that have trained music teachers, perpetuate eurocentric musical approaches (Shifres & Gonnet, 2015) through traditional methods where the acquisition and transmission by reproduction of information and skills is prioritized, rather than the creation of new knowledge and the fostering of their students’ musical identity (Jorquera Jaramillo, 2004).

Conclusions

This study has allowed us to discover aspects of the teaching profile of generalists in Early Childhood Education related to the use of creative musical activities. They consider themselves creative, give importance to and frequently use these activities, but especially those that use sound as raw material, such as sound experimentation or the recreation of soundscapes. It seems, in short, that the musical training of teachers correlates negatively with the use of creative musical practices by teachers, favoring the development of creative activities with the language of sound over the language of music.

Limitations

The findings of this research offer a general vision of the profile and creative musical practices of Early Childhood teachers in Extremadura. However, although the data obtained are interesting and are in line with previous studies, they should be interpreted with caution due to the limitations of the study, such as the sample size, which could make it difficult to make broader inferences about the variables studied.

Implications

These results can serve as a basis for future research and encourage reflection and the exchange of good practices in teaching music at school. Current musical education must adjust to the educational and creative needs of today’s society and to do so, it is necessary that the initial and ongoing training of teachers also be adjusted, generating a teaching profile that acts as a guide, counselor and facilitator of learning, promoting autonomy, critical thinking, and the creative potential of students. The use of active methodologies and creative experiences in musical teacher training can improve the creative abilities and beliefs of future teachers as well as their pedagogical skills, which are necessary to foster musical creativity in school classrooms (J. S. Barret et al., 2021; Burak, 2019; Chung, 2021).

Footnotes

Acknowledgements

None.

Author contribution(s)

Yolanda Trujillo Galea: Conceptualization, Formal analysis, Investigation, Writing - original draft, Writing - review & editing.

Verónica Juárez Ramos: Conceptualization, Data curation, Formal analysis, Investigation, Methodology, Writing - review & editing.

Data availability statement

Yes.

Declaration of conflicting interests

The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Funding

The author(s) received no financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

ORCID iDs

Yolanda Trujillo Galea

Verónica Juárez Ramos

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