The role of musical improvisation in the development of creative thinking in children (El rol de la improvisación musical en el desarrollo del pensamiento creativo infantil)

ABSTRACT This study examines the role of musical improvisation in the development of creative thinking in children studying at Harbin No. 3 Secondary School (Harbin, Heilongjiang Province, China). The creative thinking of two groups (experimental and control) was examined through pre- and post-tests aimed at musical creativity measurement and assessing the effectiveness of musical improvisation in the development of musical creativity. The post-test mean and standard deviations of each musical creativity factor in the experimental group showed an increase in four factors: musical extensiveness (by 65%), musical flexibility (by 37%), musical originality (by 34%) and musical syntax (by 42%). All correlations between the MCTM factors were significant (p < .01), demonstrating that the four factors are representative of creative thinking. The research is of practical and scientific significance as it proves the factor of the influence of musical improvisation on the development of creative skills in children. The research results can be applied by schools and other educational institutions that are interested in increasing the indicators of creativity of their students.