Music education is not just about learning to perform with voices and instruments; it is about guiding students toward understanding music, what it is, how it works, and what it does to and for human beings. One of the goals often expressed for music education is the nurturing of students' creativity, and opportunities for students to express their creativity are readily found in composition, exploration, improvisation, and even in the expressive aspects of performing preexisting works. The potential for creativity in listening, however, has not been fully recognized. The author proposes that an understanding of listening as a creative activity would not only enrich students' listening experiences, but also could have an impact on all music making insofar as listening is at the heart of all musical activity. This article presents an overview of the research through which the author developed a theory of creative listening.