This blog is from a COBIS Supporting Associate.

Written by Lincoln Abbotts, Executive Director: Strategic Development, ABRSM

Creativity is found in everyone, it speaks to mathematicians, scientists and entrepreneurs as well as to story tellers, dancers and musicians. Creativity is important and powerful but how do you nurture it in yourself and learners?

Creativity is a bit of a buzz word in education now but in truth it’s always been an important part of a rounded education. How do we define what creativity is, what creativity means for us as individuals, for our work with others, and how it contributes to the wider world?

For me, it’s the capacity to bring into being something that was not there before- be that major innovations in science and technology or when individuals and communities find new solutions to daily challenges. Creativity is founded on knowledge and understanding as well as the development of facility and technique. Before any of us start to experiment, explore and push at whatever boundaries may be left – we need to learn our craft.

Writing this as a musician, I want to call out that creativity is not confined to the arts, and it doesn’t require you to wear a loud shirt or hat tipped at a jaunty angle.  Creativity speaks to us all. It can be taught and practised regardless of socio-economic factors. Creativity offers us all a sense of agency.

In music, we know - because we have completed extensive research via our Making Music research series - that in the UK, 97% of people we asked say that they directly engage with music in some way, that 84% of children and 74% of music teachers say music is important for mental health and wellbeing. About of half of people asked make music for fun, with many also learning to gain skills and confidence.

There are far more stats available in that report than I have space to go into here, but the good news is that it’s loud and clear that music is good for us. A second major conclusion is the importance of music in schools. Where there is access to a musical education, huge numbers of children enjoy classroom music lessons (93%) with 82% happy and confident to play in front of classmates. Those first steps taken in a learning environment are incredibly important in nurturing young people’s interest and engagement. Teachers – giving the right guidance, support and signposting make all the difference. With 54% adapting teaching methods to meet learners’ needs, many using and valuing digital technology and teaching an ever-wider range of instruments there’s plenty of evidence that suggests teaching is successfully adapting as learners’ needs and tastes are changing. 

We also asked teachers what motivated them and what they value about music and music education and one of the quotes: “It develops confidence, it boosts self-esteem and sense of satisfaction and happiness, it allows them to develop their own skills, it encourages them to develop their brain, it is fun.” speaks to the myriad ways in which an education underpinned by creativity helps to build essential skills that will be of benefit across subjects and into life beyond school.

Schools can provide access to creative experiences for young people. The bands, choirs, orchestras and extracurricular activities that schools offer are themselves deeply important to the life of the school and its community. They provide excitement and challenge, the sense of achievement and commitment that people make to their academic life, complementing and enriching their formal studies. When young people participate, perform and create it has an impact on collaborative skills and builds a sense of belonging. This in turn adds to the academic role of the school, in attainment, progression and transition.

At ABRSM, we also recognise the importance of music in society to provide personal enrichment, fulfilment and well-being. We believe that music has the power to unite; reminding us of all of what it is to be human, bringing people together in times of joy and sorrow. We have also been developing more ways to support teachers to bring music into the classroom, through Classroom 200 and Teacher Hub both packed with resources aimed at teachers. In April, we launched a new suite of qualifications called Creative Musicianship, recognising learners who create their own music might be following a different musical path.

The world needs people to be curious, compassionate and able to create space to think, it is also widely recognised that creativity is a driver of global economic growth and innovation. Creativity is one of the most widely sought-after cluster of skills for all employers. In a world where AI looms, and where our expectations of leaders and on education shift rapidly there is a fresh urgency to developing our creative muscle, and to finding ways to encourage it in others – to acquire the skills not only to survive but to thrive.

To find out more, please get in touch with Bethany Hermon at bhermon@abrsm.ac.uk 

Visit the ABRSM website