Creativity really is important in teaching. Students need more opportunity to express themselves to really engage in their learning and to really retain what they're doing. It's also very motivating, which can further improve their learning down the line.
Your article reminded me of an awesome video that I saw a while back. It's a bunch of students who learned to play Crazy Train by Ozzy Osbourne. For me this is a great example of good teaching -- it's clear that all the students are incredibly engaged, and it's not the typical music project where a student might play a very simple melody in a small group. It's clear they're all working together towards something big!
If you're interested you can check out the video here. Even if you don't watch it, it's nice to hear in the background.