A RT I C L E 307

An empirical investigation of Psychology of Music

Psychology of Music
creativity and musical Copyright © 
Society for Education, Music
experience and Psychology Research
vol (): ‒ [-
() :; ‒]
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E L I Z A B E T H A . G O N C Y A N D C H A R L E S A . WA E H L E R
U N I V E R S I T Y O F A K RO N , O H , U S A

This preliminary investigation examined the relationship between

A B S T R AC T
creative personality traits and musical experience. Creative personality traits
were hypothesized to be positively correlated with musical experience. Two self-
report measures, the Creative Personality Scale and the Scale of Musical
Experience, were designed for this study. Initial analyses showed that both
measures designed for this study were reliable and valid. Students (n = 150) from
Introduction to Psychology and Music classes participated in the study. Results
from correlational analyses showed that there was a positive correlation (r = .34,
p < .01) between creative personality traits and musical experiences.

KEYWORDS: creativity, musical experience, personality

Introduction
Music performance has long been considered a talent requiring special
abilities, skills, training and practice. Specific characteristics have been recog-
nized as characteristics of musicians, especially skillful musicians. Theorists
have suggested that musicians may show specific personality characteristics
(Kemp, 1996). Considering that people who deem themselves as creative can
be described as demonstrating particular personality traits (James and
Asmus, 2001), research has shown that personality traits of creative people
may be similar to the personality of musicians (Lund and Kranz, 1994). In
this project, we are attempting to study this link more directly.
Kemp (1996) researched personality characteristics of musicians and
concluded that introversion, independence, sensitivity and anxiety may all be
positively related to success as a musician. Lund and Kranz (1994)
categorized musicians as being emotionally detached, exhilarated and
anxious. They also suggested that in order to perform well, musicians must

sempre :

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308 Psychology of Music 34(3)

have a sense of ‘internal quiet’ and a positive attitude, closely related to

Kemp’s idea of introversion. Relatedly, extraversion does not correlate with
musicians’ personalities, again showing introversion as a prominent feature
of musicians (Crawford and Strapp, 1994). From his research with Cattell’s
16 PF (personality factors), Kemp (1996) concluded that the primary factors
of aloofness, desurgency and self-sufficiency (second-order introversion) are
highly related to musical ability. Kemp suggested that the tendency for
musicians to be introverted might result from musicians spending many
hours in isolation working on a performance piece or composition. However,
there may be individual differences among musicians on the trait of intro-
version. For instance, research has shown that brass players, vocalists and
music educators may show more extraversion than other musicians (Kemp,
1996; Wubbenhorst, 1994).
Kemp (1996) also noted that musicians often demonstrate high inde-
pendence. His research with Cattell’s primary factors of independence found
that musicians are also dominant, adventurous, and imaginative. It has been
suggested that the factor of dominance may be found more often in first-born
children and that first-born children more often become musicians (Schubert
et al., 1997). Kemp also suggests that imagination is important in a
musician’s personality and that imaginative people are described as being
unconventional and open. Furthermore, the adventurousness factor of
independence may be important considered in the sense that musicians are
commonly risk-takers (Kemp, 1996).
Musicians have been considered risk-takers both because their emotions
fluctuate after performance and they risk failure in performance for the
enjoyment of others (Lund and Kranz, 1994). Additionally, individuals who
study music may be under-aroused in life and seek stimulation from music,
again classifying them as risk-takers (Crawford and Strapp, 1994). Kemp
(1996) also agrees that when musicians raise their anxiety level, they can
increase their level of sensitivity and imagination. At optimum levels, anxiety
can be used as motivation and performance may become enhanced.
Based on the above research, it has been shown that musicians may
display personality traits specific to their profession (i.e. teacher, performer).
However, there may be other, more general, traits that musicians display,
such as creativity. Musicians may be introverted, accompanied by a strong
tendency toward independence, a quality shared by other creative types of
people (Kemp, 1996). Helson’s (1999) longitudinal study of women’s
creative potential indicated an imaginary-artistic interest, which showed a
strong correlation to other creativity measurements. Additionally, Helson
found that playing a musical instrument in childhood was linked to creative
potential. Through a closer look at the creative personality, one can see the
connection creativity has with the musician’s personality and ability. These
include introversion, sensitivity, risk-taking, and the three components of
independence (imagination, dominance and adventurousness).

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 Goncy and Waehler: Creativity and music 309

The research discussed above suggests that musicians are found to possess
many of the same characteristics as creative people. Some personality traits
that appear in musicians, such as independence, introversion, perseverance,
willingness to take risks, and emotional variability, also appear in creative
people in general (James and Asmus, 2001). In addition, other research has
shown that traits associated with musicians (confidence, adventurousness,
curiosity, artistic interests, and risk-taking) are also associated with creativity
(Davis, 1989). These traits have been assessed by measures such as the
Adjective Check List (Gough and Heilburn, 1983) and the Situational
Outlook Questionnaire (Isaksen et al., 1995). Helson (1999) has shown that
creative potential can be linked to situational factors such as non-conformity
and rebelliousness. Wubbenhorst (1994) also described creative people as
being more likely to exhibit personality characteristics of the other gender,
possibly because creative people may use a fuller range of emotions. This is
associated with Kemp’s (1996) notion that musicians may be androgynous,
meaning they display characteristics of both males and females.
One challenge to researchers who have explored creativity is that there is
no reliable way to measure creativity. Belcher et al. (1981) complained about
creativity measures (such as the Adjective Checklist, Creativity Motivation
Inventory, What Kind of Person Are You?, Preconscious Activity Scale and
How Do You Think?) and argued that they lack reliability and validity
because they are not correlated with each other. Additionally, measuring
creativity has been difficult because of a lack of a conceptualized definition of
creativity that can be easily used in assessment (Amabile, 1982; Fleenor and
Taylor, 1994; Wakefield, 1991). In addition to the lack of an operational
definition of creativity, it has been suggested that creativity constructs also
fail in technical correctness and validity (Amabile, 1982). Therefore, it was
suggested in research by Wakefield (1991) that maybe the best way to
measure creativity is to use a self-report inventory to assess how creative a
person believes he or she may be.
This research study will attempt to focus directly on the relationship
between creativity and musical experience. Based on the research concerning
the aspects of both the musician’s personality and the personality of those
considered creative, we hypothesize that the more musical experience people
self-report, the greater self-reported creative personality he/she will have as
well. Additionally, it is hypothesized that specific musical activities, such as
composition and improvisation, will also be related to creativity. This study
will attempt to demonstrate these relationships through two self-report
inventories of creativity and musical experiences. These measures will be
analyzed to determine their psychometric properties and appropriateness
before proceeding to testing the hypotheses.

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310 Psychology of Music 34(3)

Method
PARTICIPANTS
Participants in this study (n = 150) ranged in age from 18 to 50 with a mean
age of 22.66 (SD = 7.11). A majority of the participants were women (n =
89, 59%) and white or Caucasian (n = 128, 86%). Other races indicated
include African-American (n = 7, 4.7%), Asian-American (n = 4, 2.7%),
Hispanic (n = 3; 2%) and Native American (n = 1, 0.7%). The remaining 4
percent (n = 7) reported themselves in the ‘Other’ category. A majority of the
participants were single (n = 120, 80%), with 8 percent engaged. Ten percent
were married (n = 15) and the final 3 percent were either divorced or
separated.
Most of the participants were students (n = 145, 96.7%), including first-
year students (n = 60, 40%), sophomores (n = 27, 18%), juniors (n = 24,
16%), seniors (n = 9, 6%) and students in their fifth year or in graduate
studies (n = 25, 16.7%). Participants were recruited from the University of
Akron campus and reported that they were music majors (n = 83, 55%) or
non-music majors (n = 67, 45%). Music majors were taking, on average, five
classes, with 80 percent being music classes. Non-music majors were taking
on average four classes, with only a few non-music major participants in
music classes. These groups were used to compare a wide range of musicians
from novice to knowledgeable. All participants were treated in accordance
with the American Psychological Association (APA) Ethical Code. Each
student gave his or her informed consent by signing a permission form to
participate. Also, all persons were given alternatives to participation and the
opportunity to withdraw their participation at any time.

MATERIALS
Participants were given two questionnaires: the Creative Personality Scale
(CPS) and the Scale of Musical Experience (SME). Both the CPS and SME were
created for use in this study. A demographics questionnaire was included to
inquire about age, race, marital status, year in school, credits taken this
semester, music credits taken this semester and birth order.
The CPS (see Appendix 1) consists of 30 statements measuring personality
traits similar to those found in people of high creativity. The traits were
designed to incorporate three major categories of creativity: personality,
situational influences and problem solving. The items were written to
promote reliability and decrease response sets by writing all even-numbered
items to be reverse scored. Statements were chosen for inclusion from
research on the Adjective Checklist (Gough and Heilburn, 1983) and
Situational Outlook Questionnaire (Isaksen et al., 1995). Kadsun and
Schaefer (1991) identified certain personality traits in the Adjective Check
List, which were also included in a creative personality subscale. These items
(1–12, 15, 16 and 20) assess personality traits linked to creativity.

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 Goncy and Waehler: Creativity and music 311

Additionally, these personality characteristics were also suggested by Kemp

(1996). Situational factors of different environments can foster creativity
including challenges, freedom, time and risk-taking (Isaksen et al., 1999).
Items (9, 22, 23, 25, 26, and 29) were devised to measure this factor.
Additionally, as Wakefield reported problem-solving abilities as part of
creativity, items measuring problem solving were included. Problem solving
items (3, 7, 8, 12, 14, 17, 19, 21, 24, 28, and 30) included divergent
thinking, insight and intelligence. Finally, items (13, 18, and 27) were
included to increase face validity. The participants were asked to assess
agreements with each item on a six-point Likert scale. Items were modified
three times to help with readability, ease and understandability. Our intention
in drawing from these other instruments was for the CPS to incorporate
Wakefield’s (1991) observation that ‘perhaps the most expedient way (to
assess creativity) is a self-report inventory which includes several domains of
artistic activities’ (Wakefield, 1991: 190). In keeping with his observations,
we also acknowledge that ‘reports and checklists are not creative perfor-
mances . . . [but represent] shadows of creative performances’ (pp. 190–1).
The second scale, the SME (see Appendix 2), has 40 items measured on a
six-point Likert scale. These 40 statements were designed to measure five
categories applicable to musical experience: (1) knowledge and experience in
different genres of music; (2) improvisation, composition and theory; (3)
performance aspects; (4) self-awareness as a musician; (5) musical interest
and external application. The first category, knowledge and experience, was
derived logically, as one assumes that participation in different musical
experiences should imply musical skill. Nine yes-or-no items were included to
measure past and present involvement in music in a variety of settings. The
second and third category items were chosen to measure different profes-
sional fields of musicians: composing and performing. A fourth category, self-
awareness, was included to determine personal insight in musical ability. The
final category was added to include people who are interested in music, but
who may lack musical skill, by addressing listening and emotional aspects
associated with music. Items were split so that each category was asked at
every fifth question, with knowledge and experience being asked at questions
1, 6, 11, and so on. This was done to help prevent response sets in the
answering. These items were also revised three times to again help with
readability, ease and understandability.

PROCEDURE
Surveys were passed out in Introduction to Psychology, Music Theory, Music
History and Music Literature review classes. Participants were given an
informed consent permission slip and a letter explaining the project, in
addition to the two questionnaires and demographics sheet. Participants
were informed why the research was being conducted, how the informed
consent worked and how their answers would remain confidential through-

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312 Psychology of Music 34(3)

TA B L E 1 Factors derived from the Creative Personality Scale (CPS)

Item Factor 1 – Factor 2 – Factor 3 –

problem solving unconventionality spontaneity

1 .457 – –
2 .504 – –
3 .751 – –
4 – – –
5 – – –
6 – – –
7 .538 – –
8 .562 – –
9 .567 – –
10 – .653 –
11 .477 – –
12 – .549 –
13 .725 – –
14 – – .514
15 – – –
16 – .565 –
17 .677 – –
18 .678 – –
19 .566 – –
20 – .350 –
21 .602 – –
22 .335 – –
23 – – –
24 .408 – –
25 .457 – –
26 – – .369
27 .737 – –
28 .311 – –
29 – – .461
30 – .451 –

out the study. Students were invited to ask questions and were able to
complete the surveys immediately or take them home to return in the next
class meeting. All participants were offered extra credit for participation, with
the amount of extra credit awarded at the discretion of the professor. After
the surveys were returned, the informed consent sheet and cover letter were
removed immediately to ensure confidentiality. Each set of questionnaires
was given an identification number and was then entered into SPSS-10
software (available from SPSS Inc., http://www.spss.com) for data analysis.
General descriptive statistics, including means, standard deviations and
frequencies, as well as correlations and t-tests, were run on the data.
Additionally, because this was the first time the CPS and SME measures were
used, factor analysis and reliability analyses were undertaken to determine
their psychometric properties.

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 Goncy and Waehler: Creativity and music 313

Results
THE CREATIVE PERSONALITY SCALE
An exploratory factor analysis was run on all items in the CPS to determine
the number of factors the scale was measuring. Three factors with
eigenvalues greater than 1 emerged from an orthogonal rotation of the data
(see Table 1). A majority of the items (n = 17) loaded on one factor
(eigenvalue = 6.19, variance accounted for = 20.64%). These items reflect
problem solving aspects in creativity so that this factor was designated
‘problem solving.’ A second factor with a significant loading (eigenvalue =
2.43, variance accounted for = 8.09%) included five items which we deemed
as reflecting the ‘unconventionality’ in creativity. A third factor (eigenvalue =
2.18, variance accounted for = 7.26%), included three items related to
‘spontaneity’. Five items that are not associated with these three factors may
possibly be related to other personality traits, but did not cluster into
significant factor(s) (items 4, 5, 6, 15, and 23). A reliability analysis was
performed on the entire CPS. Generally, the CPS appears to be reliable
(α = .82) and had a mean of 132, a range between 84 and 166 and a
standard deviation of 15.35.

SCALE OF MUSICAL EXPERIENCE

An exploratory factor analysis using orthogonal rotation was run on all items
in the SME to consider precisely what construct the scale is measuring. The
majority of items (n = 34) loaded on one factor (eigenvalue = 15.65), which
accounted for a significant portion of the variance (39.12%). The specific
content of these items represents a wide range of different dimensions related
to musical activities, so that the SME appears to be measuring a construct
which we have designated as ‘general musical experience’ (see Table 2). The
five items (items 10, 16, 30, 31, and 35) not loading on the first factor were
seen as measuring aspects independent from one another, but possibly
indicating an interest in music. In addition to the factor analysis, a reliability
analysis produced a significant alpha of .96, showing excellent internal
consistency. The mean of the scale was 174.8, with a range between 71 and
230 and a standard deviation of 38.

HYPOTHESIS TESTING
Correlations were run to compare aspects of the two scales for possible
relationships. A correlation was first administered between the CPS and SME
total scores resulting in a significant positive result (r = .34, p < .01) such
that as musical experience scores increase, so do creative personality scores.
A correlation matrix was derived from the CPS and SME and their
corresponding factors (see Table 3). It was found that 10 of the 12 possible
correlations between the measures of creativity, musical experiences and
their sub-factors were significantly correlated to each other. These results

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314 Psychology of Music 34(3)

TA B L E 2 Factors derived from the Scale of Musical Experience (SME)

Item General musical experience Interest in music

1 .526 –
2 .600 –
3 .478 –
4 .830 –
5 – –
6 .630 –
7 .766 –
8 .875 –
9 .724 –
10 – .544
11 .397 –
12 .837 –
13 .811 –
14 .758 –
15 .519 –
16 – .447
17 .419 –
18 .744 –
19 .782 –
20 .370 –
21 .515 –
22 .623 –
23 .835 –
24 .809 –
25 .600 –
26 – –
27 .433 –
28 .839 –
29 .626 –
30 – .596
31 – .703
32 .608 –
33 .803 –
34 .784 –
35 – .720
36 .778 –
37 .674 –
38 .648 –
39 .719 –
40 .655 –

successfully allowed for rejection of the null hypothesis, which stated that
there is no relationship between musical experience and creative personality
traits.

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 Goncy and Waehler: Creativity and music 315

3 Correlation of factors in the Creative Personality Scale (CPS) and the Scale of
TA B L E
Musical Experience (SME)

CPS SME CPS CPS CPS SME SME

Total Total factor 1 factor 2 factor 3 factor 1 factor 2

CPS Total –
SME Total .34** –
CPS factor 1 .90** .35** –
CPS factor 2 .37** .10 .05 –
CPS factor 3 .51** .62** .39** .22** –
SME factor 1 .32** .99** .32** .12 .60** –
SME factor 2 .28** .33** .35** –.18* .19* .25** –

Notes * p <.05; ** p <.01.

Correlations were computed between the aggregate CPS score and the
demographic items of musical experience. These items presented questions
about quantitative aspects of music (i.e. years studied, years performed,
compositions written, number of instruments played, perfect pitch,
knowledge of different genres). These correlations were calculated because of
research suggesting that certain musical experiences (i.e. musical
extensiveness, musical flexibility, musical originality and musical syntax)
may be related to traits identified by the Torrance Tests of Creative Thinking
(Baltzer, 1988). Five of the nine correlations were significant between
musical experience items and the aggregate scores of the CPS. Creativity was
linked to number of compositions completed (r = .33, p < .01) and experience
performing jazz (r = .34, p < .01), bluegrass (r = .28, p < .01), blues (r = .31,
p < .01) and reggae/pop (r = .20, p < .05). These correlations were all
positive, suggesting that as creative personality traits increase, musical
performance will also increase.

Discussion
This study investigated the reliability and validity of a newly designed
measure of creativity and one of musical experience. Both the CPS and the
SME were shown to have high levels of reliability. This means the scales are
internally consistent and appear to measure factors consistent with their
theoretical constructs. Additionally, factor analytic examination revealed
several interesting constructs with both the CPS and SME.
First, the CPS was found to be principally measuring problem solving. A
majority of items (n = 17) appeared to load on the first factor and were
related to creativity in problem solving. These items are consistent with the
research completed by Torrance (1966) in the creation of the Torrance Tests
of Creative Thinking, tests with a problem-solving basis. Also, this finding is
concordant with research by Wakefield (1991) on the major types of

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316 Psychology of Music 34(3)

creativity testing, as he proposed that all creativity tests fall in two main
categories: problem solving and personality measures. Items that did not load
on the first factor appeared to comprise two different personality traits of
unconventionality and spontaneity. These constructs relate to Wakefield’s
theory of measuring creativity through personality traits. From the results of
the reliability testing and factor analysis of the CPS, the CPS appears to be an
innovative approach to measuring some creative aspects in people.
The SME was found to have a high internal reliability that is indicated by a
high alpha coefficient (α = .96). A factor analysis of the SME found the scale
to measure one general construct: general musical ability. The SME seems to
be demonstrating a common component of musical experiences that can be
applied as a solid measure in this area.
After determining the merit of the measures created for this study,
analyses of the hypotheses were undertaken. Based on the results, the null
hypothesis (stating that musical ability and creative personality traits have no
relationship) can be rejected. This significant finding suggests that musical
experience and creative potential are characteristics that are positively
related. The first factor, problem solving, and the third factor, spontaneity, of
the CPS both appear to have stronger correlations with musical experience
than the second factor, unconventionality. These correlations between
musical experience and creative personality traits noted here do not indicate
that one causes the other. The significance of this relationship suggests these
two concepts are highly associated with one another.
Additionally, the results showed that there may be more specific fields in
music that are related to creativity. For instance, the number of compositions
created was significantly correlated to creativity. This association may be due
to the need for original and creative ideas in producing novel pieces of music.
Conversely, this relationship suggests that people with creative personalities
may be seeking stimulation and may satisfy this need through creating
innovative musical compositions. Also, creativity was linked to experience
performing jazz, bluegrass, blues and reggae/pop; the spontaneity and
improvisation associated with these musical genres may explain why
creativity was more highly correlated with them, rather than with classical
or church music.
Although several important observations were made in this study, there
are also several limitations. The first major limitation is the CPS. Previous
research has suggested that creativity is a very difficult construct to measure
and this may have been a limitation in this study as well. Due to the lack of an
operational definition for creativity, the CPS may not be a true analysis of
creativity in an individual. As was shown in the factor analysis, the majority
of questions were measuring the smaller construct of creativity, problem
solving. Although problem solving may be a main component of creativity,
this scale may have missed other components of creativity. Additionally, this
measure was a self-report evaluation, which although it has been shown in

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 Goncy and Waehler: Creativity and music 317

research as an effective way to measure creativity (Wakefield, 1991), is still a

highly subjective method; self-report measures are always going to be
dependent on, and sensitive to, social desirability and accurate self-
knowledge.
A second limitation of the study is the lack of a representative sample. A
more representative sample would include musicians of more varied levels,
including professional and beginner musicians. Including a broader spec-
trum of musicians may affect results. For example, once a musician reaches a
certain level of performance and knowledge, he/she could become focused in
his/her primary specialty. When a musician begins to focus on only one
aspect of his/her musicianship, he/she may have less time and opportunity to
use creativity in his/her work. Additionally, a beginning musician may
display personality traits that are less like a creative person because of the
concentration required in learning a new field of study. Further research
might include a longitudinal study following people before and after a music
class. A study such as this could measure creative personality traits before a
group begins a music class and measure the same people after they have
completed the music class. Conversely, it would be interesting to see if higher
creativity before taking a music class would lead to more efficient learning of
music and thus an increased sense of musical ability. Additionally, the type of
musician one is (e.g. performer, composer, or educator) may influence the
level of creativity demonstrated. The current research suggested that being a
composer and improviser may be more associated with creativity than
performer or educator.
Also, this sample was underrepresented in minority categories. Due to the
sample being mostly white or Caucasian, the results may be limited to white
populations. The same idea may apply to college students; since most of the
participants in this study were undergraduate students, the results may not
be generalizable beyond a university setting. Therefore, one should be careful
in over-generalizing these results.
This study extends other constructive research on creativity, personality
and behavior into a new psychological area. In so doing we observed that
creative personality traits appear to be related to musical experience, which
is a promising start in the field of examining creativity and musical
experience.

AC K N OW L E D G E M E N T S

An earlier version of this paper was presented in a poster session at the 2003 Annual
Meeting of the American Psychological Association in Toronto, Canada.

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 Goncy and Waehler: Creativity and music 319

Appendix 1: Creative Personality Scale

Creative Personality Scale

Directions: Please rate yourself using the following scale to show the degree to
which you agree with the statements.
1 2 3 4 5 6
strongly somewhat slightly slightly somewhat strongly
disagree disagree disagree agree agree agree
1. I find myself capable of handling a variety of situations.
2. I have very little confidence in myself.
3. I can find clever, unique ways to solve problems.
4. I am not a humorous person.
5. When comparing myself to my social group, I would label myself an individual.
6. I am altruistic as opposed to egotistical.
7. I think that I am intelligent.
8. I do not see myself as insightful and adequate at problem solving.
9. I have a wide assortment of interests and activities.
10. I am a very conventional person.
11. I use what is available to make the best of my situation.
12. I solve problems in a fashion similar to others.
13. I am generally creative in my work.
14. I don’t feel I have much freedom to choose the actions in my life.
15. My views are generally more extreme than my peers.
16. I am a very cautious person.
17. I find many solutions to one problem.
18. People who know me would describe me as creative.
19. I am talented in more than one of the following areas: verbal skills, art/music,
science, and/or mathematics.
20. Most decisions I make in my life are objective and clear-cut.
21. I do well at synthesizing materials from many different parts of my life.
22. I am not involved in many activities.
23. I can be critical of other people’s work.
24. I do not consider myself a complex thinker.
25. I enjoy novel challenges in my life.
26. I don’t see myself having lots of spontaneity in my life.
27. I solve problems in creative ways.
28. My ideas are rarely unique compared to my peers’.
29. I am a risk-taker.
30. ‘Independent thinker’ is not a phrase I use when describing myself.

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320 Psychology of Music 34(3)

Appendix 2: Scale of Musical Experience

Scale of Musical Experience

Please circle the degree to which you agree with the following statements.
1 2 3 4 5 6
strongly somewhat slightly slightly somewhat strongly
disagree disagree disagree agree agree agree
1. I consider myself knowledgeable in many genres of music.
2. I am a good improviser on my instrument/voice.
3. If I am going to perform a musical piece, I enjoy listening to it first.
4. I know my strongest qualities as a musician.
5. I enjoy listening to the radio, tapes or compact discs.
6. I can comfortably switch from listening to or performing different genres of
music in the same day.
7. I can make unique sounds on my instrument or with my voice that aren’t used
traditionally in classical music.
8. I use a wide range of dynamics in performance.
9. When playing a composition for the first time, I pay attention to the marked
dynamics.
10. I use music to help me relax, study or as therapy.
11. I enjoy listening to or participating in drum circles.
12. I understand musical notation very well.
13. Others would rate me as above average on my instrument/voice.
14. I am aware of where I would need to improve to become a better musician.
15. If I had the opportunity, I would learn to play an instrument I don’t already play
or develop an additional musical talent.
16. I am interested in many types of music.
17. I frequently compose musical pieces.
18. When I practice a new musical piece, I will learn to play fast pieces slow and then
work it up to tempo.
19. I feel that I am an excellent musician.
20. I can create pictures or stories in my head that accompany music I listen to.
21. I enjoy music that uses many different dynamics and appears to be very intense.
22. I enjoy improvising on my instrument or with my voice.
23. When performing or singing a piece, I pay attention to the marked dynamics.
24. I use practice time effectively to improve my musical skills.
25. I enjoy, or think I would enjoy, the life of a musician.
26. I feel you don’t have to understand a piece of music analytically in order to be
moved by it.
27. I feel comfortable improvising in front of others.
28. My musical skill level can be considered at a college-level ability.
29. Many of my daily activities incorporate music.
30. Listening to music can make me feel satisfied.
31. Music is fun and enjoyable.
32. I like to ‘jam’ with other musicians freestyle.
33. I enjoy performing solos in an ensemble.
34. I would take instruction well to help myself grow as a musician.

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 Goncy and Waehler: Creativity and music 321

35. Music can give me the desire to remain quiet and relaxed even on the most
stressful day.
36. I would feel comfortable performing musical pieces by myself.
37. I am very good at music theory.
38. I am a good sight-reader.
39. I would like to improve my musical skills.
40. If I enjoy a piece of music aesthetically, I can also enjoy talking about that same
piece analytically.

E L I Z A B E T H A . G O N C Y is currently a graduate student at Kent State University

working toward her doctoral degree in Clinical Child Psychology. She received her
bachelors degree from the University of Akron with a double major in Music and
Psychology and her masters in Clinical Psychology from Cleveland State University.
Ms Goncy completed the current study as part of her undergraduate University
Honors Student requirements. Ms Goncy is an accomplished trumpet player.
Address: Department of Psychology, Kent State University, Kent, OH 44242-001, USA.
[email: egoncy@kent.edu]

is an associate professor and Co-Training Director in the

C H A R L E S A . WA E H L E R
Collaborative Program in Counseling Psychology at the University of Akron. He
received his PhD in Counseling Psychology from Northwestern University in 1989. He
has authored the book Bachelors: The Psychology of Men who Haven’t Married (Praeger,
1996). He is a practicing psychologist with Cornerstone Comprehensive Psychological
Services in Medina, Ohio. His research interests include personality assessment and
the counseling process.
Address: Department of Psychology, The University of Akron, Akron, OH,
44325–4301, USA. [email: cwaehle@uakron.edu]

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