Creativity in music education: the influence of policy and experience on piano and school music teachers’ perceptions in Shandong, China

This paper explores how 3 primary school music and 3 private piano teachers perceive and foster pupils’ creativity in Shandong, China. Drawing on fieldwork comprising 24 lesson observations, 17 interviews, 6 critical incident charting paths, and 329 diary entries, thematic analysis revealed that curriculum and textbook changes shape teachers’ awareness of creativity, while teachers face ongoing challenges in fostering creativity in practice. The findings further indicate that teachers’ own experiences of music learning and teaching play a key role in shaping how they balance policy expectations with these challenges. The findings highlighted that school music teachers engaged with creativity mainly through textbook-based activities but faced tensions between creative processes and standardised assessments. Private piano teachers, although not formally bound by the national curriculum, navigated parental expectations and graded examination pressures that constrained opportunities for creative exploration. The study highlights the importance of supporting process-oriented assessment and pedagogical approaches that foster pupils’ creativity across both contexts.