While creating the visualization, I was focused on making a presentation that would be played in the beginning of an improvisation unit. I wanted this to be a way to show how the layout of the unit would work, as well as reviewing how the class is a safe place to experiment with improvisation and new musical ideas. Building a safe environment is absolutely crucial to being successful in teaching improvisation because if the students do not feel free to make mistakes and learn without fear of judgement, they will not get to have as successful of an experience improvising.
I realized through creating this visualization that the importance of understanding how to begin improvising is something we don’t always think about how to approach. This project forced me to come up with a way to create different levels of improvisation to allow students to ease their way into it without being completely overwhelmed. I like the idea of “Leveling Up” after each level of improvisation because it reassures the students that while they may not be perfect in improvisation because it is a new experience, they are in fact improving!
The first text I chose is “Improvisation in Music” from the conference of the Royal Conservatoire. This text discusses the history of improvisation in music, as well as improvisation in multiple genres. For my inquiry blog post, I will be using pages 12-16. This is the portion of the text that focuses on improvisation within three different genres of music (contemporary classical music, folk music, and jazz music).
This text is a bit of a challenge, so I would say it is more accessible to high school students. Quantitative complexity of this text is very manageable (the section I am focusing on is only five pages, and the average sentence length is not overwhelming). I agree with the quantitative complexity because the section of the article is short enough that the students will be able to focus on the vocabulary and more complex musical ideas without being overwhelmed by the length of the text. The qualitative complexity will be a little bit of a challenge for some students, so I would plan on spending a significant amount of time doing pre-reading exercises discussing vocabulary and breaking down the text to make it more manageable. Vocabulary that will likely require instructional support includes the following: contemporary, integration, composition, interactive, restrictions, Mugham, Azerbaijani, dramaturgy, solfeggio.
This text is going to be used to provide an introduction to improvisation in more genres than just jazz music. It will also build upon the previously learned history of improvisation that will be discussed in another text. This text will build on students’ cultural assets because it discusses improvisation in multiple cultures, including Azerbaijani culture that many students are not introduced to. The task is to gain more background knowledge of how improvisation is represented in different genres of music and cultures. The text complexity is paired well with the task complexity because the task is not extremely strenuous, so the students can really focus on understanding the text without being overwhelmed by a super complex task.
“The Essential Role of Improvisation in Music Performance”
The next text I chose is “The Essential Role of Improvisation in Music Performance” by Carol S. Gould and Kenneth Keaton. This text discusses the history of improvisation in primarily classical music and the “essence” of improvisation. I will be using the whole text in smaller chunks over a longer period of time.
This text is also a challenge for students even in high school. The quantitative complexity is a bit more challenging than the previous text, so I will be breaking it down into smaller portions throughout the year. There is a significant amount of vocabulary that will need explanation, such as the following: virtuosi, prophesied, embellishment, concerto, cadenza, canon, spontaneity.
This text is going to be used to provide a more comprehensive history of musical improvisation. While it discusses primarily Western classical music, it provides information on how improvisation has been a part of the lives of musicians since way before jazz was even invented. The task is simply to understand the history of improvisation in Western music, as well as working with some new vocabulary. I will most likely have students make vocabulary cards while reading smaller sections of this text in order to gain as much understanding of the reading as possible.
“Symbolic Interactionism in Music Education: Eight Strategies for Collaborative Improvisation”
The next text in this set is “Symbolic Interactionism in Music Education: Eight Strategies for Collaborative Improvisation” by Augusto Monk. This text conceptualizes improvisation as an interaction with other musicians. It puts improvisation into a new perspective and gives strategies to attempt improvisation as a musician with less fear.
This text is fairly easily accessible for high school students. The quantitative complexity is manageable (the article is only six pages long and will be broken into smaller chunks).The qualitative complexity of this text is manageable in smaller portions.
This text will be used throughout the teaching of improvisation in small portions. It will provide yet another point of view musicians have when discussing improvisation on their instruments.
The next text in this set is “12 Improvisation Tips” by Cherie Yurco with Making Music Magazine. This text gives some tips for how to start practicing improvisation in the healthiest way. It is a simple list of ways to approach improvisation as a beginner.
This text is extremely accessible to middle and high school students. The quantitative complexity is extremely manageable (one page with a numbered list). The qualitative complexity is the most manageable of the texts in this set so far. Vocabulary to go over in class includes the following: spontaneous, imitate, blues scale, and intuition.
This text will be used as an introduction to actually improvising on an instrument. The students will read this article to lead into the first lesson about how to approach improvisation as a fun way to express oneself.
This text is a quick overview of what improvisation is. It provides examples of improvisation, as well as comparisons to other aspects of life. It is a good way to further the discussion of improvisation with beginners.
This text is also among the more accessible for middle and high school students. The quantitative complexity is on par with the previous text (one page with not a lot of long sentences or paragraphs). The qualitative complexity is easily accessible as well (also on par with the previous text in the set). Vocabulary to discuss in class includes the following: riff, repertoire, initiating, and pentatonic scale.
This text will be used in the first few weeks of teaching improvisation because it is yet another “survivor’s guide” to approaching improvisation in a practical way. It discusses the overall concept of improvisation, but it also discusses the technical aspect of starting to improvise.
“Why Improvisation Should Be a Part of Every Young Musician’s Training”
The final text in this text set is an explanation of the benefits to improvising. It includes studies done involving the brain during improvising in music, followed by the explanation of the findings regarding creativity and the brain. At the end of the article, there is a list of additional resources to further the students’ understanding of the impact improvisation has on young musicians.
The quantitative complexity of this text is accessible to high school students as a whole article, but middle school students will most likely need this to be broken down into smaller portions. The qualitative complexity is a bit more intense than the previous two articles in the text set. There is a lot of explanations in the article, but the concept of what is happening in the human brain when we improvise is a bit difficult. Vocabulary to discuss in class includes the following: extemporaneously, otolaryngologist, activation, deactivation, medial prefrontal cortex, self-monitor, and ornamentations.
This text will be used in the beginning lessons and will be revisited throughout the process of teaching improvisation. It provides proof that improvisation has a very physical effect on the human brain and that it can improve a person’s musicianship. Students always ask “Why? What does this have to do with real life?” and this provides at least one or two answers.
Works Consulted:
Disler, Mary Jo, et al. “Why Improvisation Should Be Part of Every Young Musician’s Training.” Bulletproof Musician, 21 Apr. 2020, bulletproofmusician.com/why-improvisation-should-be-part-of-every-young-musicians-training/.
Gould, Carol S., and Kenneth Keaton. “The Essential Role of Improvisation in Musical Performance.” The Journal of Aesthetics and Art Criticism, vol. 58, no. 2, 2000, pp. 143–148. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/432093. Accessed 17 Apr. 2020.
For my inquiry blog, I will be exploring the application of improvisation in music education. In the National Core Arts Standards, improvisation is an important part of the music education experience. Unfortunately, improvisation is one of the most overlooked standards in music education.
Improvisation can be daunting to teach. We wonder “How can I assess something that is made up on the spot?” I know that a large amount of students do not get a chance to learn about or even attempt improvisation in the classroom. I also know that the idea of improvisation is overwhelming when the teacher fails to provide a safe space for students to experiment with the music.
Coming Soon…
My blog will be focused on how to integrate improvisation into the music education experience, focusing on the general music classroom in particular. I will be working with the following questions, as well as others while I continue to discover more throughout this course.
How does one create a safe, judgement-free space for students to improvise?
What is the most effective way to introduce improvisation in the classroom?
How does improvisation positively impact the experience of music education?
One blog I have been reading about music education can be found with the following link. It provides some tools to use in the classroom to encourage improvisation.
My name is Olivia, and I’m an instrumental music education major here at UWM. I have played the French horn for the past nine years. I am currently a junior planning on doing my student teaching in the spring semester of 2021. As of right now, I am hoping to work as an elementary music teacher in an urban school. Music has always been a major part of my life. My grandmother encouraged me to pursue music since I was a little girl, and her support has helped me realize my true passion lies in educating others about music and its role in our lives.
I am attaching a link to a TEDTalk that discusses the benefits playing musical instruments has on the brain. I look forward to working alongside you all on our different blogs!
Compose Yourself 