Oscar Odena is Professor of Education at the School of Education and the School of Interdisciplinary Studies, University of Glasgow, UK. He has a doctorate from UCL Institute of Education and has held posts at universities in Spain, England and Northern Ireland. His areas of expertise comprise music education, creativity, qualitative research approaches, social inclusion and professional learning. He was Co-Chair of the Research Commission of the International Society for Music Education (2012–2014) and serves on the boards of leading journals and the review colleges of the UK Arts and Humanities Research Council and the Irish Research Council. Publications number over 70 peer-reviewed articles and chapters, including the edited book Musical Creativity. He holds dual Spanish and British citizenship and lives in Edinburgh with his wife and two daughters.
'Odena's monograph offers a detailed research-based examination of musical creativity in various settings. He explains that the prevalent view of musical creativity is that...is not found in the average person. His book challenges that perception and offers ideas for musicians of every age and ability.' American Music Teacher 'A welcome nuancing of the many recent studies that provide contributions to our understanding of creativity from a neuroscientific perspective...The final section on doing research in creativity offers...helpful ideas and insights into thinking about and uncovering the creative process in music...Practical examples and ideas are offered in terms of research design and using qualitative data analysis software...particularly useful for postgraduate students who are working on music educational projects; Odena provides lots of welcome ideas about how to do this sort of work....This book is a welcome addition to the literature on music education'. British Journal of Music Education 'Each case study concludes with a set of detailed and systematic recommendations for effectively mediating the development of creativity in similar and related settings. There are lessons to be learnt in each of the chapters that could effectively be applied to music education settings across a range of contexts... There is much to recommend Odena's Musical Creativity Revisited...It provides a range of insights into contemporary research and thinking on musical creativity, alongside how these insights might be applied, and indeed tailored, to a range of educational contexts through detailed suggestions for developing effective practices. It will no doubt serve as a useful reference volume for students and practitioners of music education, alongside those engaged in research on musical creativity.' Music Education Research 'The diverse scope of the coverage...is remarkable. An essential point of reference for students, educators, researchers, and practitioner-researchers interested in musical creativity across disciplines...the writer effectively inspires curiosity and deep thinking about how musical creativity may be conceptualized, applied in practice, and studied further.' Psychology of Music 'Odena's monograph offers a detailed research-based examination of musical creativity in various settings. He explains that the prevalent view of musical creativity is that...is not found in the average person. His book challenges that perception and offers ideas for musicians of every age and ability.' American Music Teacher 'A welcome nuancing of the many recent studies that provide contributions to our understanding of creativity from a neuroscientific perspective...The final section on doing research in creativity offers...helpful ideas and insights into thinking about and uncovering the creative process in music...Practical examples and ideas are offered in terms of research design and using qualitative data analysis software...particularly useful for postgraduate students who are working on music educational projects; Odena provides lots of welcome ideas about how to do this sort of work....This book is a welcome addition to the literature on music education'. British Journal of Music Education 'Each case study concludes with a set of detailed and systematic recommendations for effectively mediating the development of creativity in similar and related settings. There are lessons to be learnt in each of the chapters that could effectively be applied to music education settings across a range of contexts... There is much to recommend Odena's Musical Creativity Revisited...It provides a range of insights into contemporary research and thinking on musical creativity, alongside how these insights might be applied, and indeed tailored, to a range of educational contexts through detailed suggestions for developing effective practices. It will no doubt serve as a useful reference volume for students and practitioners of music education, alongside those engaged in research on musical creativity.' Music Education Research 'The diverse scope of the coverage...is remarkable. An essential point of reference for students, educators, researchers, and practitioner-researchers interested in musical creativity across disciplines...the writer effectively inspires curiosity and deep thinking about how musical creativity may be conceptualized, applied in practice, and studied further.' Psychology of Music