Beginning Improvisation for Orchestra
The goal of the National Standards for Music Education, as outlined by NAfME, is to “cultivate a students ability to carry out the three Artistic Processes of creating, performing, and responding.” At the beginning level of the “Creating” standard, students are asked to “compose and improvise melodic and rhythmic ideas or motives that reflect characteristics of music or texts studied in rehearsal.” The educational benefits for including lessons in improvisation and composition within the ensemble setting are well worth it. If you are like me, there have been times I have gotten overwhelmed by the demands of trying to get a concert together and have just focused on concert music, but lessons in improvisation strengthen and deepen students knowledge in the concepts being taught in class or in their music. Improvisation is the direct application of student knowledge in real time. Additionally, improvisation can help students open up possibilities for creation and exploration that they were not aware of. Improvisation can help students exercise their ear in a new way and get them away from the written page into thinking and hearing new musical ideas.
Improvisation
In its most advanced form, improvisation requires the marrying of music theory, melodic, harmonic, and rhythmic understandings, creativity, and emotion. For example, in jazz, tunes usually move through more complex chord progressions, several key centers, and require the improvisor to navigate those chord changes by creating a new, interesting, and compelling story in the moment. This level of improvisation takes great study and dedicated practice. As educators, by exercising some creativity, we can begin to develop simple lessons and opportunities for our students to explore improvisatory music making. Allowing students the opportunity to experience music in a new way through improvisation can give them not only a deeper understanding and appreciation for music and music creation, but show them that they too can begin to create music in this way. Spontaneous and in the moment. They are given permission to be an improviser!
Where to Start?
How do we start to give students the chance to explore improvisation. I have found it’s best to start simple. For example, I teach a concept first, and then I develop ways for them to explore the concept through improvisation. When developing lessons in improvisation, I often times create guidelines I want my students to use to create in. In other words, I put parameters around their creativity to make sure they are applying what they have learned, but in a new way, and in the moment. Additionally, I try to model for the students and give them some ideas first. It’s important to remember that depending on the age group you are teaching, it’s likely students may have no idea what to do. Modeling for students is key to giving them a sense of what is possible.
Try out the following exercise.
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- Create some guidelines. For example, pick a scale or a few notes you want your students to eventually improvise with.
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- Check for understanding and have your students play the notes or scale they will be using to create their improvisations.
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- Model for your students. Create simple two or three note melodies and have students echo. Vary the rhythm, phrasing, or articulation of your simple melodies. Again, these melodies should be simple to start with. For example, have each melody start on the root, move only up or down the scale, et cetera.
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- Now it will be your students turn to improvise. Start by telling your students you will play a melodic phrase (using the notes you just practiced) and they will answer you with any melodic phrase they want, but only using the specific notes you assigned to them.
- Go around the room a few times so students have the chance to explore the concept several times.
This exercise gets students using their ears, applying their knowledge, and creating in the moment. Another variation on the idea might be to give students three or four melodic ideas they can pick from and perform when it is their turn to echo back. While this may not be improvisation in the sense of creating something totally new in the moment, it does provide students the chance to be spontaneous and make a personal choice about their music making.
Encourage Risk Taking
Helping students to feel comfortable improvising will take time. Students may feel uncertain, afraid to take a chance improvising because of a fear of judgement, or lack confidence. In my experience teaching middle school orchestra, many students have never had an experience not reading music off the page or being told what exactly to play. Music educators excel at building students up and helping students through challenging situations. Encouragement is important and I try to tell my students that it is great to take risks and there are no wrong answers. I encourage them to not judge themselves so harshly and be open. As students are learning that it is great to take risks, try new things, explore musical ideas, and music in a new way; we are their guide on the journey.
Listening!
To encourage improvisation, I try to play examples of music where improvisation is at the forefront of the music. As a jazz musician and lover of the music, I often play jazz for my students or other styles of music where improvisation is present. I share with my students that jazz is a language. Young jazz musicians must learn how to speak in the native tongue through listening, practice, and playing with other great musicians. To further encourage improvisational opportunities for students, consider having students listen to and learn some of the more approachable tunes in jazz by ear. For example, last year I taught my students Duke Ellington’s “C Jam Blues.” I taught them the melody by ear and focused on rhythmic feel and articulation. While my students played the melody, I either accompanied them on the bass with a walking bassline or played piano. I then had them improvise around the two notes of the melody by changing the rhythm. I also shared several recordings of the tune with them including Duke Ellington’s band with Ella Fitzgerald and the Oscar Peterson Trio to show them improvisation at the highest level. At the end of the unit, a student told me he loved jazz!
Conclusion
I hope these are some simple ways to activate your students ears, get them listening, and introduce them to improvisation. For some of our students, unlocking the doors to improvisation will set them on a new musical path of creativity and a deeper love of music.
This is great stuff Mark! My name is Tim Carroll, I’m an orchestra teacher at 3 Christian schools and a homeschool group and a friend of Eric Jones. I’m hoping to incorporate more improv in my program from the ground up for all of the music ed reasons, and because I’ve always loved Jazz (especially Stephane Grapelli).
It’s tricky to get the improv thing happening in my large group rehearsals, I’m hoping to hit it hard when I have the kids in smaller groups/private lessons.
When I searched improvisation in Orchestra your material was some of the first to pop up!
Anyway, I’d love to pick your brain over the Summer sometime.
Hey Tim! Thanks for reaching out. Eric has always spoken fondly of you and it’s great to connect with you. I understand – it is challenging to incorporate improv into class time especially when you feel the crunch of preparing for a concert. It would be nice to connect and talk about this stuff together!