Creative competences development in music and dance education.

The theoretical background A Music and Movement workshops were set up at the University of Bologna, Italy, as part of the degree course for future nursery and primary school teachers. Particular attention will be given to examining how the aural analysis (Imberty 1979, 1981; Deliège 2001a, 2001b), and the analysis of movement (Laban 1950) could be applied in a specifically didactic context, the theory of the didactic of the dance based on the Art Model (Smith-Autard 1976) with the aim of developing creativity in music and body expression. The theory of Flow (Csikszentmihalyi 1997) is particularly pertinent for the interpretation of the results observed during the workshop. It captures the crucial elements of the creative process, excitement, surprise and the gradual transformation of musical and dance activities into a self-motivated activity. The purpose (aim) of the study The main aims of the workshops were: 1. develop basic competences in music and body expression; 2. develop creative skills; 3. develop professional competences for general teachers in music and dance education. Method and synthesis of the content The didactic method was as follows: - Exploration. An initial phase where the music and body activities are carried out separately: for music this involves Listening and Production, and for movement Observation and Production. - Creative composition of Music/Movement. In the second phase the students produce something new, by combining the two languages, that of the music and that of the body. The product may be a short sequence or a broader choreographic action. The phase can be divided into three distinct moments: Intuition, analysis, final product. - Exchange, Observation and Assessment: At a later point the Creative composition itself is subjected to a process of observation, analysis and self-assessment by the students. A number of methodological principles underlying the described project: principles of significance, motivation, direction, continuity, recursivity, linguistic transferability: (Pellerey 1979). Conclusion and implications for music education The results observed during the workshop emphasize the categories of Flow experience: focused attention (the students concentrate on focused activities both when they play and when listen and both during the exploration and the composition phase of body movement); the students create and listen in a self-motivated way without the presence of any external pressure; immediate feedback permits the students to observe and evaluate their work; students possessed the tools necessary to realize the tasks and objectives requested and have control of the situation; the motivation is intrinsic. We think the state of flow observed is principally caused by the balance between objectives and skills acquired during the workshop. From a point of view of music education it is important to implicate creative skills in the professional profile of music teachers as they enhance self-motivation and creative teaching/learning relationships between teacher and pupils.