Alicia Keys Teaches Songwriting and Producing

Armin van Buuren Teaches Dance Music

Carlos Santana Teaches the Art and Soul of Guitar

Christina Aguilera Teaches Singing

Cornel West Teaches Philosophy

Danny Elfman Teaches Music for Film

David Lynch Teaches Creativity and Film

deadmau5 Teaches Electronic Music Production

Elevate Your Singing and Stage Presence

Hans Zimmer Teaches Film Scoring

Herbie Hancock Teaches Jazz

Itzhak Perlman Teaches Violin

Jake Shimabukuro Teaches ʻUkulele

John Legend Teaches Songwriting

Joy Harjo Teaches Poetic Thinking

Ken Burns Teaches Documentary Filmmaking

Mariah Carey Teaches the Voice as an Instrument

Martin Scorsese Teaches Filmmaking

Metallica Teaches Being a Band

Mira Nair Teaches Independent Filmmaking

Nas Teaches Hip-Hop Storytelling

Parris Goebel Teaches Creativity in Choreography

Questlove Teaches Music Curation and DJing

Reba McEntire Teaches Country Music

Ringo Starr Teaches Drumming & Creative Collaboration

Ron Howard Teaches Directing

Sheila E. Teaches Drumming and Percussion 

St. Vincent Teaches Creativity and Songwriting

Timbaland Teaches Producing and Beatmaking

Tom Morello Teaches Electric Guitar

Usher Teaches The Art of Performance

Werner Herzog Teaches Filmmaking

Yo-Yo Ma Teaches Music and Connection

Christina's Inspiration

Student Sessions: Rock Style

Playing With Textures and Tones

Choosing Subject Matter

Developing Your Musical Point of View

Making Lyrics Your Own

Meet Your Instructor

Honoring the Source

Poetry Ancestors

Every Song Needs an Epiphany

“Savior” Songwriting Demo: Early Sketches

Student Workshop: Cheyenne

Country Music Overview

Writing Lyrics

Exploring Dynamics: The Song “One”

In the Studio: Writing an Original Rap Song

Case Study: Writing Challenges

Using Your Power and Voice

Hip-Hop Is Our Universe 

Lyrics and Melody

DJing at the White House: Surviving Failure

Bring All the Elements Together

Songwriting With Empathy

Bonus: Special Guest

Making a Song Your Own

Craft Songs With Emotion

The Beat

Introduction

Making a Beat: Tweaking and Layering Drums

Making a Beat: Creating a Breakdown

Improvising Alone

Finding Melodic Inspiration

Riff Rock Writing: Verses and Multitracking

Finding Your Rhythm 

Playing the Timbales 

Experimenting With Percussion 

Meet Your Instructor: Questlove

Gathering Music: Organizing and Pruning

Training Your Ears to Listen

Evoke Emotion With Novel Techniques

Sound Design

Music and Scoring

Deep Dive: Vocal Arrangement

The Importance of Sound Design

Scene Workshop, Part 3: Final Take

Sound

Music

Making a Beat: Manipulating Vocal Samples

How to Persevere

Working With Musicians: The Orchestra - Part 2

Sound Design and Scoring

Evoke Emotion With Sound Design

A Global Music Rolodex

Blending Musical Genres

Gathering Inspiration

A Career in Music

Bonus Chapter: For Parents and Teachers

The Impact of Music on Community

Developing Creativity

Conclusion

Expand Your Artistic Versatility

Making a Beat: Starting With a Chord Progression

Color and Tone

Collaboration

Bonus Chapter: Acquiring a Fine Instrument

Learning by Listening

Chord Voicings

Ravel's Creative Harmonies

The Bass Sound

Developing Melodic Structures

Turning Melodies Into Arrangements

Shaping Sounds With Effects And Processing

Playing Advanced Chords

Finding Your Sound

Mastering Vibrato

The Beauty of Harmonics

Getting Started on the Drums

Playing Drums in a Band 

Hey Mr. DJ: DJ 101

Warming Up Your Voice

Perfect Chord Voicings for Expression

Instrumentation and Emotion

Studio Microphones

Going Inside the Note

Melody Is Supreme

The Music Beyond the Page

Bonus: Techniques

Studio Session: Making a Beatbox Beat

Making a Beat: Getting Warmed Up

Making a Beat: Adding a Topline

Improvisation

Piano Basics

Recording a Song

Meet Your Instructors

Building a Rock Solo From the Blues

Putting Together an Album

Performance: Bach, Suite no. 5, "Sarabande"

Case Study: Activating Conscious and Subconscious Expression

Expanding Your Horizons

An All-Starr Jam

Growing as a Bandleader 

Welcome to the Family

How to Work With Music

Alicia, the Songwriter

Play Music With Soulful Expression

Teaches the Voice as an Instrument

Mariah Carey

Lessons from Influential Black Voices

Black History, Black Freedom, and Black Love

Teaches Singing

Christina Aguilera

Teaches the Art and Soul of Guitar

Carlos Santana

A Documentary by Bess Kargman

Diane Warren: Relentless

Teaches Songwriting

John Legend

Teaches Music for Film

Danny Elfman

Teaches The Art of Performance

Usher

Teaches The Art Of Performance

Teaches Poetic Thinking

Joy Harjo

Teaches Filmmaking

Werner Herzog

Teaches Producing and Beatmaking

Timbaland

Teaches Violin

Itzhak Perlman

Teaches Creativity and Songwriting

St. Vincent

Teaches Jazz

Herbie Hancock

Teaches Country Music

Reba McEntire

Teaches Being a Band

Metallica

Teaches Dance Music

Armin van Buuren

Teaches Hip-Hop Storytelling

Teaches Electronic Music Production

deadmau5

Teaches Electric Guitar

Tom Morello

Teaches Film Scoring

Hans Zimmer

Teaches ʻUkulele

Jake Shimabukuro

Teaches Philosophy

Cornel West

Teaches Music and Connection

Yo-Yo Ma

Teaches Drumming & Creative Collaboration

Ringo Starr

Teaches Drumming and Percussion 

Sheila E.

Teaches Creativity in Choreography

Parris Goebel

Teaches Music Curation and DJing

Questlove

Teaches Songwriting and Producing

Alicia Keys

Creativity is the ability to conceive new or imaginative ideas and turn them into reality. All creative work emerges from two actions: thinking and producing. Thinking is activating your imagination, allowing your mind to forge new connections between ideas, and exploring problem-solving approaches to an idea. The second is producing, which is the hard work involved in bringing those creative thoughts to fruition. 

Creativity is a necessary skill for those in the arts, but it has application in other areas, too. For example, creativity is the foundation for many modern businesses and industries. Many industries and entrepreneurs value inner creativity, empathy, and understanding more highly than analytical thinking. Creative thinking helps businesses find new and inventive ways to stand out from their competition and add value to their goods and services.
Creative thinking is not limited to naturally creative people. Research shows creativity is less of a gift than it is a skill you can learn through regular practice. Regularly engaging the creative process can even [improve creativity](https://www.masterclass.com/articles/how-to-improve-creativity) over time.
If you want to [be more creative](https://www.masterclass.com/articles/st-vincents-tips-for-honing-your-creativity), try dedicating time each day to:

- __Daydream__. Mind-wandering, or daydreaming, might feel like procrastinating, but it frees the mind to explore creative problems to its furthest limits. Researchers suggest setting aside time to daydream by reducing distractions, relaxing, and letting ideas flow for a set number of minutes.
- __Doodle__. Many creative geniuses, including Pablo Picasso and Steve Jobs, stimulated their creative juices by doodling—creating a simple drawing without much effort or attention. Doodling provides a subconscious workspace for the brain to explore new problems and create new ideas.
- __Exercise__. Brainstorming during thirty minutes of exercise often helps break down creative blocks and fuel new ideas. Research shows moderate exercise has a positive impact on both creativity and cognitive thinking. 
- __Freewrite__. Busy schedules can leave us feeling in a rut and unable to free up space in the brain for creative thoughts. To get started with [freewriting](https://www.masterclass.com/articles/freewriting-prompts-to-help-break-your-writers-block), simply grab a piece of paper and let your words flow. The results might help you gain perspective and clarity. Many online sources provide daily [writing prompts](https://www.masterclass.com/articles/writing-prompts) if you need ideas.
- __Play video games__. It might surprise you to learn video games help many young people develop their creativity and problem-solving skills. Research shows better social skills, improved concentration, motivation, and spatial skills are all linked to playing video games.
Grab the [MasterClass Annual Membership](https://www.masterclass.com) and plumb the depths of your creativity with the help of modern artist Jeff Koons, abstract artist Futura, and stage designer Es Devlin. Our exclusive video lessons will teach you to do things like utilize color and scale, explore the beauty in everyday objects, and so much more.
Creativity is a skill everyone can learn. Discover new and unique ways to spark creative thoughts.

Creativity is a skill everyone can learn. Discover new and unique ways to spark creative thoughts.

How to Be Creative: Activities That Boost Creative Thinking

Creativity is the ability to conceive new or imaginative ideas and turn them into reality. All creative work emerges from two actions: thinking and producing. Thinking is activating your imagination, allowing your mind to forge new connections between ideas, and exploring problem-solving approaches to an idea. The second is producing, which is the hard work involved in bringing those creative thoughts to fruition. Creativity is a necessary skill for those in the arts, but it has application in other areas, too. For example, creativity is the foundation for many modern businesses and industries. Many industries and entrepreneurs value inner creativity, empathy, and understanding more highly than analytical thinking. Creative thinking helps businesses find new and inventive ways to stand out from their competition and add value to their goods and services.

What Is Creativity?

Creativity is a skill everyone can learn. Discover new and unique ways to spark creative thoughts.

Creativity is a skill everyone can learn. Discover new and unique ways to spark creative thoughts.


Unlock Musical Creativity & Expression

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Unlock Musical Creativity & Expression

Unlock Musical Creativity & Expression

Spring Forward Sale: Get 40% off

Spring Forward Sale: Get 40% off