Dissertation
Improvisation in music education : empirical evidence, classroom practice, and teacher preparationImprovisation in music education : empirical evidence, classroom practice, and teacher preparation
Improvisation is widely recognized as an important part of music education. It can enhance, among other things, creativity, musical understanding, self-confidence, collaboration, and enjoyment. Although improvisation is included in many national curriculum standards, it is often absent from everyday classroom practice.
- Author
- Cheng Hua
- Date
- 09 July 2026
- Links
- Fulltext in Leiden University Scholarly Publications
Despite the value of improvisation for creativity, musical understanding, and confidence being widely emphasized by researchers and curriculum standards, important gaps remain in understanding how improvisation can be supported by empirical evidence, implemented in classroom practice, and embraced by teachers.
This dissertation examines how improvisation is conceptualized, implemented, and supported in music education, contributing to a more detailed understanding of how improvisation moves from a valued ideal to actual classroom practice. To achieve this aim, the dissertation investigates improvisation activities, classroom implementation, and teacher-related factors in Dutch and Chinese contexts.
Four studies were conducted:
- A systematic review mapping improvisation activities and their learning outcomes in music education;
- An investigation of Dutch primary teachers’ implementation and evaluation of improvisation activities in classroom practice;
- A mixed-methods study of Dutch pre-service teachers’ attitudes and self-efficacy regarding studying, teaching, and incorporating improvisation;
- A mixed-methods study of Chinese pre-service and in-service teachers’ emotions, motivations, and subjective norms in shaping their intentions to implement improvisation.
Overall, this dissertation provides a comprehensive understanding of improvisation in music education by integrating evidence from literature, classroom practice, and teacher perspectives, thereby informing future research, educational practice, and music teacher education.