Creativity in and through music

Starting from an overview of the most recent studies on musical creativity in childhood, this chapter will introduce a constructivist perspective based on "reflexive" interaction and the concept of creativity in and through music as a need and a tool for children to express and shape their emotions, style, and identity. The reflexive interaction paradigm is related to the phenomena of repetition-variation, turn-taking and co-regulation. It is grounded on neuroscience, flow theory and embodied cognition, and there are empirical evidences that it can have significant effects on musical creative processes in children. The chapter will provide an outline of the theoretical framework and will present examples of studies and activities with 8-month to 10-year-old children in reflexive interactive environments. Implications for practices will be suggested.