Musical creativity and mindfulness meditation: Can the practice of mindfulness meditation enhance perceived musical creativity?

Abstract

The relationship between musical creativity and mindfulness meditation is explored through a qualitative study of three composers’ individual experiences of musical creativity and participation in eight guided mindfulness meditation sessions. Through qualitative interviews conducted before and after completion of a mindfulness course, data was analyzed and categorized into themes in order to identify whether the practice of mindfulness meditation had enhanced participants’ perceived musical creativity. Themes from the first set of interviews (Expression, Harmony, Intuition) represent the participants’ subjective experience of musical creativity, while themes from the second set (Enhanced focus and awareness, Non-striving) outline subjective changes reported by each participant. The study re-acknowledges the importance of the subjective experience in musical creativity research, which frequently includes transpersonal and spiritual components.