THE EFFECT OF MODIFIED CONCRETE LEARNING ON ELEMENTARY SCHOOL STUDENTS’ CREATIVITY IN MUSIC EDUCATION
Published:
2026-10-01Downloads
Abstract
Creativity is an important dimension of music education because students need opportunities not only to reproduce musical materials but also to generate and express their own musical ideas. This study aimed to examine the effect of Modified Concrete Learning on elementary school students’ creativity in music education. A quantitative approach was employed using a quasi-experimental pretest–posttest control group design. The participants were elementary school students divided into an experimental group and a control group. The experimental group received music instruction through Modified Concrete Learning adapted from music learning practices observed in Dutch elementary schools, while the control group received conventional music instruction. Students’ creativity was measured before and after the intervention using a validated and reliable instrument. The data were analyzed using Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA), with creativity pretest scores used as a covariate. The findings indicated that Modified Concrete Learning had a significant effect on students’ creativity after controlling for their initial creativity scores. The learning activities provided students with opportunities to engage directly with musical materials, explore musical possibilities, and develop their own melodic ideas. These findings suggest that concrete and experiential musical activities can provide a meaningful learning environment for fostering creativity in elementary music education.
Keywords:
Modified Concrete Learning musical creativity music education elementary school students experiential learningReferences
Biasutti, M. (2015). Pedagogical applications of cognitive research on music. Frontiers in Psychology, 6, 614. Frontiers Media SA. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2015.00614
Brattico, E., & Pearce, M. (2013). The neuroaesthetics of music. Psychology of Aesthetics, Creativity, and the Arts, 7(1), 48–61. American Psychological Association. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0031624
Bruner, J. S. (1966). Toward a theory of instruction. Harvard University Press.
Burnard, P. (2012). Musical creativities in practice. Oxford University Press.
Dewey, J. (1934). Art as experience. Perigee Books.
Elliott, D. J. (1995). Music matters: A new philosophy of music education. Oxford University Press.
Hallam, S. (2010). The power of music: Its impact on the intellectual, social and personal development of children and young people. International Journal of Music Education, 28(3), 269–289. SAGE Publications. https://doi.org/10.1177/0255761410370658
Juslin, P. N., & Sloboda, J. A. (Eds.). (2010). Handbook of music and emotion: Theory, research, applications. Oxford University Press.
McPherson, G. E., & Welch, G. F. (Eds.). (2018). Music and music education in people's lives. Oxford University Press.
Piaget, J. (1972). The psychology of the child. Basic Books.
Reimer, B. (2003). A philosophy of music education: Advancing the vision (3rd ed.). Prentice Hall.
Scherer, K. R. (2004). Which emotions can be induced by music? What are the underlying mechanisms? And how can we measure them? Journal of New Music Research, 33(3), 239–251. Taylor & Francis. https://doi.org/10.1080/0929821042000317822
Sloboda, J. A. (2005). Exploring the musical mind: Cognition, emotion, ability, function. Oxford University Press.
Welch, G. F. (2021). The challenge of music education. International Journal of Music Education, 39(1), 3–10. SAGE Publications.
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Pasca Violita Langit, Kun Setyaning Astuti, Fu'adi
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
