Creative music pedagogy: Authenticity and childhood

It is often claimed that jazz is an adult genre, thus the children at Improbasen are not playing their own music, and hence, they are not authentic. The fact that the tuition is strongly teacher-directed in choices of repertoire and activities contributes to this conception. This resonates with a dominating discourse within music education research that criticises traditional instrumental tuition for inhibiting children's 'natural' inclination to play and spontaneous expressivity. Creative music pedagogy often rejects idiomatic material from 'adult' music in favour of fostering children's authentic exploration with their own material. By contrasting the practice at Improbasen with ideals from 'free' improvisation, I challenge some taken-for-granted notions of what teacher positions and musical content foster creativity. I also critically discuss the naturalised ideal of authenticity in childhood.