Teachers’ Perceptions of Creativity: A Practice-Informed Model From Primary School Music and Piano Teaching in China

Creativity has become increasingly central to global music education, yet research has largely focused on creative teaching methods, technology integration, and collaborative supports. A critical gap remains in understanding how music teachers perceive creativity within contemporary educational contexts. Our study addresses that gap by investigating the factors within contemporary music education settings in China that influence teachers’ perceptions of creativity. Using an interpretivist qualitative approach, data were collected from three primary school music teachers and three private piano teachers through 12 classroom music lesson observations, 12 piano lesson observations, 17 semistructured interviews, critical incident charting, and the researcher’s diary. This article focuses on findings related to the study’s first research question: What are these Chinese music teachers’ perceptions of creativity? We present a model of these teachers’ perceptions of creativity in contemporary music education contexts. Two key themes emerged. First, creativity was understood in two main ways: as the reinterpretation of musical works and as the development of pupils’ creative thinking. Second, participants described using progressive pedagogical strategies to navigate the tension between fostering creativity and meeting examination-related demands within teacher-centred structures. Drawing on these insights, we propose a Spectrum of Music Education and a practice-informed model comprising seven developmental phases, capturing how creative practices are embedded across different teaching contexts. Primary school teachers emphasised musical knowledge and classroom engagement as foundational to creativity, whereas piano teachers prioritised technical proficiency and aesthetic sensitivity. By incorporating the perspectives of both classroom and piano teachers, the study provides a diverse range of insights, deepening understandings of how creativity is conceptualised and implemented both in and out of school music educational settings in contemporary China. We highlight implications for policy, research, and practice, including the importance of aligning technical with creative development.